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

[iisupergirlii]

[Kara can't help the loud and obnoxious thought that goes through her mind that Faith has soft skin!!!! above all else. and wouldn't it be nice to touch it again? and more of it?

as a feminist, she's a little appalled at herself right now.

thankfully, she doesn't voice any of that out loud, smiling slow and happy at Faith and biting her lip.] Corgis, huh? I'll have to keep that in mind.

[Kara glances again at Faith's mouth right as someone's device angrily hurls at Faith's head. Kara's hand darts out to grab it, faster than lightning, and that startles Kara out of her inappropriate reverie to look around at the Town Hall.

It's a mess. There's people arguing, some stomping angrily toward the natives, everyone looking really peeved about the revelation that - what? So there was some minimal evidence about the Sound Eaters, but the natives were scared. Literally, for generations, they had been scared silent. Kara's heart ached for them.

She glances back at Faith, holding the stranger's device up and sighing.]

We should... we should help calm this down. [she fights really hard not to sound like she immediately regrets that decision.]

[rockypath]

[Faith is startled out of their temporary reprieve from the shit show of the real world. Her hand goes up instinctively too, but long after Kara has already snatched the device out of the air.

What the hell is even going on? Blinking, Faith takes a step back from Kara, disappointed that they couldn't continue whatever this is. But yes- they really should do something about what's happening right now.] Right, yes. Let's save the corgis for later. [She answers awkwardly, clearing her throat. And she's off, trying to stop one of the arrivals from attacking one of the natives.

By the time everything's calmed down again, Faith's really got no idea where Kara is. So she gets pulled into other conversations, other people wishing to talk to her, but her thoughts are lingering on those things she's sure weren't her overactive imagination.]

[iisupergirlii]

[Kara, meanwhile, has been reduced to hell. Again. In a Town Hall crammed full of arrivals and natives alike, Kara had managed to be caught by Kilgrave, with no vaccine able to be given to her, so any little thing he said? she unhesitatingly has to follow. At least he didn't reschedule their 7pm meet-ups to regain control. She's figured that out well enough - if he dies or she doesn't run into him for a whole day, she'll be done.

Not that that matters right now because all Kara can think about, all Kilgrave has made it possible to think about, is the fact that she's failed everyone. So many bad things have happened since they arrived here. She's a protector, an actual, literal superhero, like those comic books Mike and Max read. Her job is to save the day until they can figure out a way to permanently escape this place.

But she hasn't done that. And now, after panicking in a corner of Town Hall for long enough, Kara is speed-walking down the sandpath from Town Hall to her own home, her arms wrapped tight around her, hair bouncing with each step and some strands getting caught in the wet tracks of tears down her cheeks.]

[rockypath]

[Faith had run into Kilgrave too in the town hall, but her encounter hadn't been nearly so trying. It seems Faith has always been a bit luckier than Kara when it came to him. That's not to say the meeting hadn't come with it's own complications.

Once the meeting is over, Faith still can't get what happened between her and Kara out of her head. It's still there. The potential of it. What it meant? Perhaps she's just being crazy? So finally she determines she'll just find Kara. Confront her. Maybe not ask anything at all... just pull her in close and- wait, but that's her up ahead!

No, Something's wrong. She can tell by the way Kara's walking, arms around her waist. Something's happened.

Faith moves as quickly as she can to catch her and still remain quiet. But she's moving quite fast and is already some distance away. But she knows where it is Kara's probably going. Her house.]

[iisupergirlii]

[Kara's brain is ringing with alarm bells, her heartbeat thumping a loud staccato in her ears, so she doesn't even notice Faith or anyone else around her. There's a moment reprieve of relief when she reaches her house, eases the door open, and then slips inside, placing the chair she's kept near the door back under the handle. With Kilgrave still able to use his powers, and with all the natives too busy with an angry mob of a crowd to even think about finishing up her house today, she feels safer with the chair there.

She heads down the hall to her room and crawls up into her bed, thankful that she has her sunshiney, yellow and blue blankets from home to wrap around her. she sits near the headboard, curls her comforter around her shoulders, and wraps it around herself, drawing her knees up close.

She's a failure. How many people died on the camping trip? How many have died since then? She's a killer, and a useless mind control victim. She's not even strong enough to attempt to resist Kilgrave. How ridiculous is that?]

[rockypath]

[Kara beats her home, no big surprise there. All thoughts of what Faith might say or do when she finally finds her are lost now. Clearly something is wrong and she means to find out what.

Reaching for the door to open it. But it doesn't open... she jingles the handle slowly. It's turning. It's not locked. Barricaded somehow? Shit. What the fuck is she supposed to do now? Normally she'd have no problem just breaking down the door and whatever's behind it, but the amount of noise that will cause makes it a bad play.

Wandering outside the exterior, she checks each window, giving them a tentative push to see if they'll slide up and open. She's giving up hope until she gets to a window that's Kara's room. The curtains are mostly closed but she can see in just a bit through the cracks. Kara's in there, on her bed, curled up. Faith looks around trying to figure out how to get her attention. Finally, she gives the window the faintest of taps. Silent enough that the natives aren't likely to come by and give her any nasty looks but enough that Kara will hear it easily.]

[iisupergirlii]

[Kara's head jerks up at the taps. Her eyes are wide, she looks scared. What if it's Kilgrave? She can't handle anything else, knowing she failed him, knowing she ruined everything here...

Through the tattered lace of the curtains, curtains that were here long before Kara was, she sees Faith, though. And that hurts too - she cares about Faith so much, but didn't she fail her too? Over and over again. Faith suffered at Kilgrave's hand too, and Kara could have prevented that. She should have. Rao's sake.

She shouldn't let Faith in, shouldn't make her have to put up with this right now. Faith doesn't deserve that. But a very selfish part of Kara wants Faith around, so much, so she crawls forward on her bed to the window and carefully slides the pane up to let Faith climb in.]

[rockypath]

[For her part, Faith feels like she's failed her too. The thoughts come and go. That maybe if she'd been able to warn her on the first day they met and Faith had been under Kilgrave's control. If she'd just been able to clue her in on the fact that she'd been forced to be there and Kilgrave wasn't to be trusted... but she hadn't been able to.

She watches as Kara comes over to let her in, trying to search the other woman's face to work out the problem. She's crying, that's clear enough. But why? She can take a few guesses, but can't be sure.

The window open, Faith crawls inside with a lithe movement, reaching for hand holds on the window sill and sliding inside feet first. She moves to close the window behind her, before turning back to Kara. Only now she's no idea what to do. She chances a whisper, since they're inside.] What's wrong?

[iisupergirlii]

[Kara scoots over some, giving Faith room on the bed, and shakes her head, more tears falling. Luckily, her house has pretty much been entirely soundproofed (the guest bedrooms upstairs and the stairs themselves are still lacking), so the small hiccuping sounds of her crying aren't dangerous to them.

Maybe she won't get Faith killed too, today at least.]

I'm... I've failed everyone. No one is safe here and I'm supposed to make them safe. What good am I? The kids look up to me and they absolutely shouldn't, I'm terrible, I'm just -

[she cuts off her self-pitying babble with another choked sob, pressing her forehead against her knees and crying quietly. sorry, Faith.]

[rockypath]

[She comes over, sitting down next to Kara. There's a tension to Faith being faced with Kara like this. It was easier when it had been over their devices, when they were both suffering. But faced with it head on. She hates it. Wants her to stop. Kara shouldn't have to feel like this. She feels a strong impulse to protect Kara, even if it's a ridiculous notion with how much stronger she is than Faith.

Her head starts shaking at every word Kara's speaking.] You're not terrible. Don't you dare say that... you're the best person I know. [Like, annoyingly so. At least at first. There's a tentative moment and then Faith reaches out, a hand reaching to rest on Kara's shoulder. Providing comfort to people isn't something she's used to but she'll try. For Kara.]

[iisupergirlii]

content warning: panic and game canon deaths and sadness galore for last five tags above and continuing on (SORRY)

[Kara's heart hurts when Faith says that. Some subconscious part of her locks it away for better times because right now, all she can think is how she doesn't deserve that. She's not the best person - she's not even a good person.

She looks up at Faith and scoots closer the second Faith reaches out to touch her, laying her head on Faith's shoulder. She shouldn't take this comfort, but she wants it.]

I'm sorry, I know... oh Rao, you've been through so much, and I just couldn't. I should have helped you, I should have been there. I'm too late for everything and everyone. I'm sorry.

[Jessica dying. Frank dying. Faith being strapped to a chair, trapped by her friends so that she couldn't be controlled by Kilgrave. The cuts and scars on her arms from the zip ties. All the posts in the network since then - Akira dying, Aaron dying, the native falling to her death on the trip. So much pain and death. She could have saved them all. She's fast, she's strong, and the panic claws inside of her, choking her.]

CW: panic, death talk, general sadtimes

[rockypath]

[Kara's head on her shoulder makes her stomach do a ridiculous flop. She's really not used to feeling this way, so used to pushing everyone away, to avoid being truly close to anyone. This place is changing her. There are so many people she cares for here. Especially her, whose somehow found her way around Faith's walls. Fighting back tears of her own, her arm moved to drape over Kara's shoulder to tug her closer. She clearly needed it, so Faith can't help herself but oblige.] Kara... it's not like that. What could you have done?

[iisupergirlii]

[Kara's response is instant, she scoots over, curled up and tilted towards Faith, her knees resting on Faith's thigh. It's a calming presence, and it has a good affect on her - her breathing levels out and she calms some, taking a few more shuddery breaths and wiping her eyes. She's exhausted from all the panic, the despair. Geez Louise. Still, she shakes her head, and when she answers, her voice is low and sad, and if she was on the outside looking in, she would even laugh at how ridiculously sad she sounds.]

I don't know. Punched Kilgrave in his stupid face. [she uses her blanket then to wipe her eyes, sighing.]

[rockypath]

[Perhaps it's not an appropriate time for it considering how upset Kara is, but Faith lets out a soft laugh at Kara's words.] I would have liked to see that. But you didn't know, Kara.

[It's become a theme really, Faith blaming herself so easily but forgiving those she cares for everything. But she doesn't view it as hypocrisy. But she's never been very kind to herself. She's trying, but some habits are hard to break.]

[iisupergirlii]

One day I'm going to make it happen. [she raises her fist weakly.] Right on the nose.

[Faith's quiet laugh brings her back from the edge a little more, a few more steps backwards back to safety, calmness. She sniffles before sighing hard again, leaning heavily on Faith.]

You should try acting when we escape here. I never knew he was... you know. Doing his stuff to you, that first night. [she drags her teeth over her lip, guilt welling up anew inside her.] I should have known.

[rockypath]

[Faith feels a sudden pang of guilt too. She spoke with Kilgrave at the Town Hall. Didn't immediately walk away or punch him either. She'd had the chance. She had so many chances to do so many different things than she'd done.

She grimaces at Kara's compliment. She would have loved to have been less convincing, to have someone have guessed she was being controlled sooner.] He made me, Kara. I couldn't let anyone know. Had to be as convincing as I could be... [She'd no choice.] I was screaming in my head, hoping anyone would be able to tell. But you'll drive yourself crazy thinking of what if? I could have listened when we were warned about him? Hid? Gotten ear plugs or something. But I didn't do jack. Nothing we can do about it now, but try to be better.

[iisupergirlii]

Even if you had done all that, there's so many things he could have done or said to work around it. [it's easy to comfort Faith, to tell her the things that she doesn't believe for herself. sure, Faith's a slayer, but her specialty lies in vampires, demons, the forces of darkness. Kara's a superhero, and Kilgrave is the truest definition of a villain that Kara's seen in a very long time. She should have taken care of it, of him.

Then again, wasn't he one of the ones she failed? That was her whole job, her whole purpose: protect Kilgrave. And he's died twice now. Who knows how many more times Jessica or anyone else will kill him before they get out of here. Should she protect him from that? She'd told him she wouldn't, but...

That's what she's here for.

Kara inhales deeply, trying to squelch the growing panic, keep it from erupting again.]

I'm so tired of feeling this way, Faith. I can't stop thinking about everyone who's died. He's making me think about it, and I know he made me think about it, but it's just... this movie, in my head, and I can't stop replaying it. And he hurt you so much, I just... I hate that he did that.

[she turns then, pressing her face into Faith's neck.]

[rockypath]

[So it's something Kilgrave's done to her that's causing this. Of everything Kilgrave has done to Faith herself, none of that holds a candle to how angry what he's done to Kara makes her. Her eyes close, feeling her own threatening tears and tightening throat as Kara's face buries in her neck.] He didn't hurt me like he hurt you...

[Faith turns then, so that she can look Kara in the eyes. She can't stop the hand that goes to a teary cheek, trying to wipe away the still flowing tears.]

[iisupergirlii]

[Kara can't help but let out another sob when Faith looks at her, touches her cheek. She closes her eyes, embarrassed even as she leans into Faith's touch. After a moment, she looks at Faith through wet lashes.]

None of that matters. He still hurt you.

cw: vague reference to previous abuse

[rockypath]

[Faith shakes her head furiously at that, she finds her thumb brushing closer and closer to Kara's lips. Her own gaze dips down a bit as she speaks.]

Kara... lots of people have hurt me. He doesn't even rank in the top 5.

[Her childhood had been anything but happy. And her mother anything but present or aware of what happened to her daughter.]

[iisupergirlii]

[Kara knows, distantly, that she's not even from Faith's world. she's not even sure when Faith's world is. For all she knows, Faith's version of a girl from Krypton was still floating in the Phantom Zone asleep when Faith was growing up. After all, Kara didn't crash to Earth until 2003.

But she can't help the instant burning feeling of guilt that she couldn't have protected Faith then, just like now. She's not even sure what to say, really, shaking her head.]

Faith... [she leans in, her comforter still in both hands, and pulls Faith in for a hug, the comforter draping around them both on the bed. she rests her forehead against Faith's and sighs, holding her close.]

[rockypath]

[Apparently they're hugging now. Faith's just gonna have to roll with that. Kara needs this, she knows. And, yeah maybe she needs it too. Faith hugs her back, arms tucking under Kara's and palms placed firmly on her back.

But Kara's right there, forehead against hers. And she's just staring right into Faith's eyes. Her throat feels tight and part of her wants to push away. She's never been good at feelings. At opening up. At letting anyone see. But she doesn't. Instead another instinct kicks in and Faith is leaning in to do what's she's been thinking about doing since the Town Hall.

Her lips press firmly against Kara's, hoping to god she didn't push away, still somewhat worried that she'd misread the situation from earlier and she's crossing a line now.]

[iisupergirlii]

[Kara's gasp is quiet and shaky when Faith kisses her, but it's far from a complaint. There's a moment of oh, thank Rao the flashes in her mind, and she kisses Faith back, pressing into it gently. she's broken enough noses, geez.

her hands fall down to Faith's waist, and she wishes they weren't sitting so awkwardly, legs all in the way and keeping them apart.

after a minute, Kara pulls back with a smile and a quiet huff of a laugh, her cheeks still wet but tinged pink. there's the scarcest bit of space between them. she wants to stay as close to Faith as she can.]

Well... wow. That's as nice as I remember it being.

[rockypath]

[She's kissing her back! Relief floods Faith and she kisses her more deeply and sinks into the feeling of Kara's mouth on hers. It just feels right. And when it's over it's much too soon. Faith's breathing heavily, sad it's over but glad that Kara's still close by. She laughs too, it's husky, heavy with want for more. But this is about what Kara wants right now. And isn't that a first for her? Faith isn't used to using any sort of restraint. If she wants something there's usually not much that stops her from trying.]

I've been wanting to do that since the Town Hall... [She admits softly, her hands still on Kara's back but slowly tracing circles against her shirt.]

[iisupergirlii]

Oh thank goodness, it wasn't just me. [it's sweet, and thinking about the two of them in Town Hall is even sweeter and causes the swooping rush of butterflies to return to Kara's stomach, flipping happily.

Screw this, why keep talking when they could be kissing more? and Kara does, pressing her lips to Faith's. It's every bit the perfect distraction, and even with his compulsion, for this singular moment, Kara doesn't think about who she's failed, the dangers they're in, how disappointed she's been. All she wants to do is kiss Faith.]