TEST DRIVE MEME 006

[larkers]

> TEST DRIVE MEME #006

Welcome to the Meadowlark test drive meme! After waking up in strange and rather worrisome conditions, characters will need to begin to live their lives in this new world. All TDM threads take place after the arrival process, so please assume that the initial adjustment period has passed – in which the characters were found dropped off and had to live in a safehouse for four days before hitting the streets. Now it's time to see the bright sights and sounds that New Amsterdam – and beyond – has to offer.

All Meadowlark test drive memes will not be game canon. Please feel free to carry on relationships that make sense, but please keep in mind that the TDM may not reflect current circumstances in game.

NOTE: The PCs have chosen to call themselves "the Displaced," and that's become the common parlance to refer to them. Additionally, the "What Dreams May Come" prompt does not reflect any situation in the game, and will change on each TDM.

All applicants can use threads from the TDM for their samples.

> SETTLING IN

There is very little that can smooth over the experience of your arrival in this world. Coming to in a van, drugged and restrained, only to be carefully helped out by the unknown guards and nurses and then abandoned in an alleyway. What comes after is relatively straightforward: you're found by others and taken back to a safehouse, hidden under an old hover bike shop. This has happened before. There are others not from this world who have experienced the same, with no recollection of how they came here, bearing signs that they've lost months of their lives, but unfortunately, no more answers on how or why than you do. There are theories, crossed realities, a very real sense of immense violation to one's self. Maybe this knowledge brings you a growing sense of futility, or perhaps it inspires a deeper determination in you. But even as you begin to think on what next, life has to go on.

All of the new arrivals will be given a fake ID and a background that will lend them access to entry-level jobs. It may be overwhelming, their fellow Displaced have found their footing enough to be able to help newcomers. Two Morningstar agents will be around to take care of world integration and IDs – the rest will fall to the Displaced who came before. It would take at least a month's wages to put down a deposit on even the smallest apartment in the city, so everyone has a grace period before they have to leave the safehouse – and then some, depending on the kindness of who's running the show.

Morningstar's veteran agents will also make their purpose clear if asked: they are a group dedicated to fighting corruption and righting the wrongs of this world, though they're in the process of rebuilding things in New Amsterdam from scratch, and they know that the people in charge of those efforts wouldn't mind a little help. It will be made expressly clear that this entire arrangement to get the Displaced started in the world is meant to be kept a secret, and that especially includes Morningstar's assistance. Letting the world know about their involvement could cause massive problems.

> 001: EXPLORE THE CHANGES

You have been changed, and unfortunately your fellow Displaced don't have a whole lot of answers for you. They'll give you a rundown of your changes: no powers, empathy bonds and a new ability that'll pop up sooner or later. Still – what that means is specific to you, so it's down to you to figure that out.

Most of the troubling changes will be what's happened to each person's physiology. Every aspect of this situation is already enough to make someone feel scared, stressed, confused, or even angry at what's happened to them - having to navigate a new, crowded and noisy world could easily provide enough stimulation to make it worse . Unfortunately, strong emotion could be just the key to triggering your new power. To get things under wraps, you'll want to duck away to somewhere more private or hidden. Thankfully, there are numerous underpasses, dark corners, and currently-empty shops, but you'll need to be quick to avoid raising any eyebrows – or avoid hurting anyone.

Otherwise, you might prefer to play it safe and avoid striking out before you have more answers. As much as Morningstar has been helpful, you know that the others in your situation may have more information. But be careful that you don't end up sharing more than you intended. Every instance of skin-to-skin contact will trigger an immediate empathic bond, letting you feel the other person's emotions and vise versa. While there's nothing that can be done to completely prevent this, someone can either decide to hold on and continue sharing that level of emotional intimacy, or let go and end the shockingly vulnerable exchange.

> 002: THE NETWORK

Months before catastrophe hit, Morningstar set up a private network for all of the Displaced to use in order to communicate. This is due to their familiarity with the neural implant. Most of the veteran Displaced are old hands at using the implant now, and will be happy to provide any necessary information on how to utilize this new tool and understand its application in daily life.

Early on, every newcomer receives access to the encrypted network, only available to you and the others like you, making contact between you easy and safe. Familiarize yourself with this network and dig in. Perhaps you're hoping to find some bigger answers, ask about the latest weather or nail polish trends in New Amsterdam, or want to play the latest game of hot or not among the displaced.

There are private, one-on-one modes of communication available as well, though without the security of Morningstar's encryptions, they're much less safe. You can make calls, send texts, make videos, and even interact with others in a VR simulation – however, there it's made very clear that the government has a means of tracking these. This definitely isn't a place to be careless about your communication

> RESOLUTION DAY FESTIVAL

One day a year, everyone the whole system over participates in the annual celebration of Resolution Day. It's not explicitly stated what Resolution Day actually is; there's no reason to declare what everyone already knows, and characters may find themselves experiencing some intense culture shock as they stumble into the festivities. The celebration starts early and finishes late – very late – so whether you choose to join in the fun, learn more about the history of the festival, or take advantage of the revelry for other, more nefarious goals, you'll have plenty of time.

As the festival sprawls wildly throughout the streets of New Amsterdam, it gives even the most desolate parts of the city new life with bright lights, noise, and plenty of food. Recent circumstances have left New Amsterdam in a constant state of rebuilding, but the festival adds gloss to a lot of the damage – though most of the festival strays away from the most ruined architecture so that it doesn't serve as a constant reminder. Most businesses are shut for the day, giving their workers the time to enjoy the celebration, but some might consider this one of their most profitable days of the year – if you've gotten yourself a restaurant, rickshawing or corporate PR job, you might find yourself stuck on a double shift. Better snatch what small moments of enjoyment you can!

> 003: ENJOY THE FESTIVITIES

Anything you'd think it would be at a festival in the year 2511 is definitely at this festival.

Care to play a game? All attendees can play for free. Some games – like the hoverblade racing, the augmented reality fightboxes and the street-wide bouts of laser tag – involve a partner or a competitor, so you better hope someone's willing to do you a solid or bring out your competitive side.

If having fun involves less competition and more opportunities to feel emboldened, there are karaoke setups all over the city. Most of the songs will be unfamiliar to anyone who's new to this world, but like any music in any era, they're catchy enough. There are some jingles that have managed to survive several hundred years, and you might stumble across a gaggle of teenagers declaring that "All You Need is Love." To encourage letting loose, most of these karaoke booths have bartenders available to help someone find the courage they need to reach the stage.

Or maybe it's time to try the delicacies of New Amsterdam. Hundreds of food trucks have turned out today in droves with high hopes that they'll come away turning a profit. Down for some Mexi-German fusion? Or perhaps you're hoping that pad Thai still tastes the same with grasshoppers? Share your food – or give away whatever you don't like. Food trucks are the hub of activity, and the busiest ones might be worth the time, but you'll be standing in line for a while.

> 004: HISTORY LESSONS

Aside from your typical booths of free samples, charitable causes, volunteer applications, and white chocolate-covered beetles, you'll find an opportunity to learn about Resolution Day’s history. There are various stands available where – thanks to the augmented reality application of your neural implant – you can view video about the origins of the festival and what, exactly, everyone's celebrating. These videos will play for you and you alone, and you'll soon learn that this is the day, 410 years ago, that humans successfully ended the AI war.

If you'd like to feel like a hero, the UNA are running several virtual reality simulations where you can be taken to the battlefield to fight alongside fellow soldiers, working to bring the outwardly robotic AI to submission. The virtual reality simulation interacts with your neural implant to give you the most realistic experience possible. If you don't ground yourself enough, you'll be certain that the sights, sounds, and smells around you are real as you march in formation toward the brutality waiting up ahead. Feel free to team up with a partner on a side mission, or maybe try to keep someone from plugging in for what could be a traumatic experience. Eerie, heart-wrenching music plays when you die, but is promptly followed by the image of several corporate logos reminding you that they sponsored this day and this event.

If you're uncomfortable with this information, no one will understand why. AI sympathizers are not present among the native population. Will you risk trying to change their minds?

> 005: USING DISTRACTIONS

There are other opportunities in the city being flooded with festival-goers. For Morningstar, this is a prime opportunity to test new recruits when it comes to charming corporate execs and getting in good with them.

Whatever your cover story is, make it good. Whether you claim you're hoping to pitch an idea for some new tech or are more interested in seducing – or squeezing – some information out of them, following them into the next bar or karaoke booth may give you the perfect chance. But you might want a lookout to watch your back, a co-conspirator to keep them plied with drinks, or maybe you'll need a voice of reason to stop you from squeezing too hard. Morningstar values discretion – and so does everyone else, for that matter.

> CRIMINAL ACTIVITY

Traveling down from the hectic main city streets reveals a different side from the gloss and promise of New Amsterdam. Economic disparity runs rampant throughout the city, and many people are pushed to desperation, looking to find other ways to make ends meet. In the darker shadows, many illegal activities thrive, out of view of the authorities - or perhaps known and supported by corrupt individuals. Maybe you're here exploring, completing a task for Morningstar, or working a job in the place you excel. Whatever's brought you here, you may want to watch your step, or else find the city eating you as it has so many others.

> 006: GETTING IN

Organized crime still has a strong foothold in the world, with gangs and more established families working drugs, weapons, property and black market cybernetics, to name a few. These organizations are sprawling units that regularly recruit new members into their ranks, so long as they can prove themselves by passing the intensive hazing.

Maybe you'd like to have a role in such a powerful organization. Or maybe you'd like to use your relative anonymity to burn it all down. One way to get an in is through their numerous clubs and illegal gambling dens, where to get past the door you have to know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy. Don't know a guy? Feel free to try to use brute force or some chicanery to make them believe that you belong among their numbers.

Just don't get caught doing anything they don't like – which could be breathing the wrong way, if you're unlucky enough. Best to have an escape plan in place, like perhaps stealing one of the many hover cars or hover bikes parked outside the establishment. If you've got the skills, you'll be able to weave through the chaos of the city and make a clean getaway – just don't let the chase run for too long, or you'll have law enforcement on your ass as well.

> 007: FIGHT CLUB

No matter the occasion outside, New Amsterdam's fight club events are held every evening. The bouncers at the door don't have too many scruples on who they let inside. All they care about is whether someone has the money to pay the cover charge.

The interior of the fight club reveals the sophistication of a business that's used to uprooting itself regularly. All the fights take place in a large cage in the center, and you remain on your feet while you enjoy the show. There is a special VIP section if you've been lucky enough to receive an invite or bribe your way in – just keep in mind that these invites are scarce, and you will have to have done something spectacular to earn the attention from someone high up the food chain. Regardless of where you end up, there is one rule: what happens in the fight club stays in the fight club. This tenant is law, and everyone's heard stories of the different (and sometimes extreme) lengths which have been taken to maintain it.

Maybe you're here to sign up and test your chops against other fighters. Many of the fighters boast illegal cybernetic enhancements, so it would be a really good idea to have someone on hand who knows some first aid.

Maybe you'd prefer to just enjoy the show, or take the opportunity to grill the bartenders for information. Just be careful not to make a fool of yourself. Asking too many questions might catch the wrong kind of attention – the kind that might find you being thrown into the ring, whether you wanted to be there or not. For all the blood spilled, these fight clubs thrive on discretion, so whatever you do, try to keep it quiet.

> WHEN CATASTROPHE HITS

Not everything in New Amsterdam is a festival or invading the local fight club to dig up some details. Sometimes the unexpected hits out of nowhere, unsettling circumstances and causing everyone to react. Depending on what it might be, these situations can be catastrophic on a larger, unnatural scale, or a smaller, more localized event. Many of the previously displaced have already undergone them, but there is always the chance that something like that can happen again.

> 008: A MONSTROUS ATTACK

Late in the night, while many are heading home or safe in their beds, ground-trembling quakes begin to wrack the city. Loud sirens begin to cry, alerting citizens to follow quake protocol and head to the nearest shelter or safe area, of which there are many around the city. Everyone seems to know what to do in response. Earthquakes are nothing new to these people.

However, it quickly becomes apparent that this rhythmic shaking has little to do with an earthquake. News feeds begin to report on a huge creature, standing roughly 400m high, approaching – and then breaking through – New Amsterdam's outer city wall. The reptilian creature has a tough, scaled hide, four legs, and a rather large tail. In contrast to its dark coloring, the creature's eyes, mouth, and many vein-like cracks along its body glow a bright gold.


In response to the attack, the UNA and NAPD attempt to unleash an assault on the creature. Unfortunately all this seems to do is cause it to erupt with yellow colored pustules all over its body. As this happens, three different types of creatures pour from its body, taking on new life as they hit the ground. Some are dog-like, while others are like crabs, filled with a dangerous venom that acts as a numbing agent on anybody that makes contact with them.

There are a lot of options: stand and protect, moving throughout the streets to protect New Amsterdam from yet another monstrous attack. Or take advantage of the opportunity, using the broken storefronts to loot and help pad your pockets in a world where you're most likely without a lot of what you'd like to have on hand.

> 009: WHERE THERE'S SMOKE

Around midday, vents open up throughout New Amsterdam to let smoke rapidly filter up into the foreground of the city. The reason why? A fire sparks in the underground portion of New Amsterdam, spreading quickly between two apartment buildings. The cause is unknown, and while firefighters are on the scene, they could use an extra hand. Numerous people suffer from the effects of smoke inhalation, and there are likely more inside the buildings themselves waiting for an assist.

For anyone who's been here already, this may feel like a familiar sequence of events, but going into the fire puts anyone at risk for being infected by the smoke itself. The infection is far from contagious and doesn't spread from one person to another - but it's highly unpleasant, leaving someone feeling mild nausea and headaches, irritability, vertigo, feverish … and vengeful. As the sickness takes hold and worsens, anyone impacted by this infection will feel the need to take revenge on people around them. This retaliation can take any number of forms from violent to non-violent: pick countless fights, or manipulate your friends into fighting one another for your own satisfaction, just to prove that they will turn on one another.

Thankfully, there is a cure for this righteous anger – unless you're inclined to feel this normally, of course. Any of the player characters who didn't stage a rescue in the burning building will be able to cure others by making skin-to-skin contact and holding on to it for a prolonged period of time. This contact will lead to their chest glowing blue for the entire duration, an increasingly burning sensation for both parties involved which eventually culminates in a sense of peace before giving way to a deep, pervading sense of sadness.

Throughout New Amsterdam, there will be countless people impacted by this infection thanks to their close proximity to the fire itself. It's up to you to help them – or leave them hanging, if that's what you prefer. But the only existing cure appears to be anyone with the strange blue stuff in their chests.

> 010: A VISIT FROM THE UNA

In an effort to get New Amsterdam's chaos under control, the officials in charge of the United Nation's Army send out their soldiers to try and smoke out any individuals who appear to be dissidents within the city. Whether they're Morningstar – or a similar uprising – they want to try to get things under control. They don't know why a monster attacked the city, or why a seeming bout of biological warfare hit many of the citizens and turned them against one another. What they do know is that they want to make a statement: if they can't control these events from happening, they'll ensure that the city is safe from people who want to undermine the government that maintains the world order.

It's futile, but the soldiers in question have no way of knowing this. They're ordered to do what's expected of them, and they act with fierce brutality and certainty as they enter homes and change the lives inside of them. When word gets out – and it does get out – there are only a scant few with the resources and powers to truly undermine these soldiers. They act as if they think in unison, clad in thick black body armor as they move through the halls, their heavy footsteps announcing their arrival. But that announcement may not matter, not for anyone unknowingly awaiting them – or anyone who may hope to stop them.

The best anyone can hope for is to mitigate the efforts of these seemingly unstoppable soldiers. Attempt to fight them or slow them down, and try to help the people who never asked for their lives to be changed.

Intervene to save lives – or use the situation to your advantage. These soldiers are heavily armed and armored. In order to help, everyone will have armor and guns of their own, but nothing on the same level or grade as what the UNA soldiers utilize. Try to get what they have on hand, and see if they're carrying around anything new.

It might help in whatever mysterious fight lies ahead.

> 011: WHAT DREAMS MAY COME

Fatigue hits when everyone least expects it, making it so that they can't keep their eyes open. No amount of caffeine is going to keep anyone awake. They'll soon find themselves drifting through a blue haze, as if they're drifting deeper and deeper into an ocean that swallows them. Once they find themselves upright, they'll see they're somewhere familiar – New Amsterdam, to be exact.

This New Amsterdam is different from the one that exists outside of dreams: covered in green wherever the eye can see, it seems as if the life that dominates New Amsterdam now is a touch more natural. Underneath all the green, the same buildings exist: the Pulsar headquarters, City Hall, and even a large hotel that's prone to holding large conventions – such as the Anime Naexpo. In fact, this green flora gives away to the many creatures abound in the city, none of them humanoid in nature. Many have bright blue or yellow eyes, and they live in separate parts of the city. These creatures vary in size, shape, and inspiration: some are cats with wings, turtles with large claws, or roving dogs that act like hyenas as they scavenge what remains. These animals are extremely intelligent, seemingly sentient, but reluctant to approach any of the newcomers who have come to this space.

If anyone takes care to explore, they will find a lost civilization. The odd thing is that it doesn't seem like New Amsterdam was gradually lost. There are cars that were yanked out of the sky and pulled down, crashing into the earth itself and providing an opening for the green to sprout forth, creating a makeshift cushion for the car from underneath. There are no remains of people. Yes, their apartments remain empty with their belongings, so they must have been there once. In corporate buildings, there are chairs that look as if they were filled – only now they're empty, with green vines spreading through the buildings themselves.

Whatever happened is hard to say, but the air itself is clean and fresh in New Amsterdam. There is no human life, but plenty of other life. There is plenty of food as well, with large plants growing peppers, apples, and oranges despite the odds and the intemperate nature of the environment. It is possible to search and find out what happened – and maybe even try to revert it. But should this be reverted?

If someone wants to enact change, this is the place to do it. And if they just want to see what might happen and stir up a little chaos? Everyone will know they're asleep and experiencing a lucid dream, though people's level of familiarity with what came before will be up to them. What actions they take here may not be reflected directly in the real world – but perhaps that should be motivation enough to keep this dream from becoming reality.

> 012: ARTIFICIAL (INTELLIGENCE) INTERFERENCE

The waking world is a different site for ruin, thanks to the interference of a mysterious and seemingly malevolent AI by the name of Cassius. Early in the morning, a powerful EMP rocks New Amsterdam, shutting down every kind of machine and system, with the exception of the neural implants in everyone's heads. Soon after, security protocols go up as a virus ravages the systems of New Amsterdam and surrounding areas, making it difficult for anyone in the city to interact with the outside world as a whole.

Just outside of the city, the large pyramid that's a part of the system that maintains environmental stability throughout the world goes dormant, causing temperatures to quickly rise. Everyone needs help. People were in accidents when their cars came crashing down, and the numerous, clustered together buildings in New Amsterdam meant that they were likely the unintentional landing pads. Cassius' efforts are thorough and dangerous as the city begins to quickly attempt to recover, rescuing people from harm's way while dealing with rising temperatures.

Where to go and what to do? Well, the good news is that the pyramid outside of the city can be easily reached by hijacking a car and flying it up to the pyramid itself. Inside, the pyramid is in bad shape, with everyone who worked there lying dead as a result of some mysterious power. Getting it jumpstarted means interfacing with the system and risking exposure to the virus that's attacking New Amsterdam's interfaces. Once that's done, however, the process to fix things can truly begin. Inside of the city, the hospitals issue emergency protocols, with all doctors rushing in to do whatever they can to provide care to the injured.

Otherwise? A shut down city in a world filled with surveillance and technological lockdown offers a lot of open doors. Even the UNA soldiers marching through the city to try to maintain peace seem to be doing so without orders or direction. They still work as a terrifying unit, but their overall goal for what's going on is unrealized. Corporate buildings are just as damaged as anything else, so it wouldn't be difficult to get inside and play opportunist. Cassius tried to lay waste to New Amsterdam – or so it seems. This AI may have also opened some doors that needed opening.

> THE STATUS QUO (THE WILDCARDS)

> 013: SPACE

Whether you're desperate for a reprieve from Earth after getting a taste of some unwanted righteous fury or curious about this century's space exploration, there are a number of opportunities available to let someone blast off. Most people will find that the process of getting into space is tedious, but also one that occurs regularly from day to day. The opportunities are there for anyone seeking a job out in the colonies, but first you'll have to get hired, or have approval for subsidy granted by the government. Journeys to the colonies are long and arduous, and what people find when they show up isn't any better. Most of the facilities are in poor condition, with food and water far more strictly rationed than back on Earth.

If you'd rather just take a trip out to space without having to worry about a job, you have a number of options. Anyone can book a trip to go off planet, if they have the capital, or perhaps you'd prefer to work towards some proper credentials and join a crew. Of course, someone wishing to skip to the front of the line can always just stowaway on the back of a ship – or steal one for themselves. Just be wary of the fact that the hangars these ships are in come with increased security to match their price tags. They're hard to steal, but not impossible. As long as you know to skip the hacking and go with brute force, it should work out fine.

> 014: GO NUTS

This isn't all there is to explore, so feel free to branch out! Visit a doctor about some advanced cybernetics. Sneak through the city checkpoints and set out into the wilderness. Experiment with some insect based versions of your favorite recipes. Perhaps you'd prefer to engage in some illegal street racing, spend some time getting used to the technology, or make a bold declaration to become a llama farmer. Use the SETTING for inspiration and choose your own adventure.

> NAVIGATION

Comments

river tam ~ firefly

[enchangement]

001. The Recently Displaced

It's quiet, in River Tam's head. A new thing, an...unwanted thing. She doesn't like it, to be perfectly honest, but the rest of her appears to be there and in working order, just as strange and broken as before. Because listening to the thoughts of others was such a passive enterprise, something that happened to her as opposed to something she made happen, she has no idea how to even begin to go about revitalizing the ability.

It's just gone, and her head is just quiet now.

She takes every opportunity to touch wayward, un-observant strangers, thin fingers skinning over exposed skin. River's side of the exchange is a sort of melancholy loneliness - and a thankfulness, that you've shared your emotions with her. Of course, not everyone's going to be pleased to be suddenly embraced or hand-held without much preamble by a waif-like teenager with months-long brown hair and little occasion to look you in the eye but, hey.

Maybe you're mad about it. Maybe you're not. Maybe she waved her fingers in the corner of your eye to get your attention first, said "Hi", maybe not. The choice is yours.

002. The Network

A common riddle full of uncommon answers.

What did you lose? What have you gained?

When? Whenever.

What? That's what she is asking.

Who? You. Another. Them. Whomever.

Where? Here. Before here.

Why? That's the purpose of answering the riddle.

An alternative for those who don't like riddles: give her a warning.

003. Party Girl

There's some sort of celebration happening. It surrounds River, engulfs her like flames, catching from one smiling face, from another doorway with snatches of music coming through it. She dances into the karaoke rooms, arms in the air, humming along to the tune and completely oblivious to anyone around her. Celebrations are like an emotional drug for the girl with no emotional control, and music is a series of vibrations her brain finds familiar in every tone and texture.

This is River's happy place. She is at home, here. Come, stranger, and dance with her.

013. The Final Frontier

River has spent some time here trying to convince these fine people to allow her to pilot a ship. Or shadow a pilot. Or work in maintenance. Something. But the words come out twisted and sideways and the man listening to her isn't listening, he's thinking about something else and she can tell but she doesn't know and won't touch him to get the color of the feeling of the thought he's having.

She's pretty sure she'd kick him if she knew.

"Just give her a test. Any test. Blindfold her in a grounded cockpit. She needs this."

014. River's Bold Adventure

She wants to learn more about the Morningstars, but is unsure where to look. Before, knowing came easily. Now she's flying blind on an unsure planet (Earth-That-Was?), without Simon or drugs to make the jagged edges in her brain easier to interact with.

She needs a job. She can't stay where she's sleeping now. She needs to be around people who remember to do things like eat every day, or she's going to get sick, she's afraid.

She's afraid of a lot of things. A lot of people are. But she needs friends.

{ feel free to run into River anywhere! }

001

[hierophante]

Like anywhere this place has its rhythm. OA tries to find the lulls when she chooses to slip out to breathe the city in. Even now, in relative stillness, life goes on around her which is precisely what she needs. Life, lives being lived alongside and around her, all but heedless of her as she stands here leaning gently against a wall. Individual, self-contained worlds spiral out in impossibly complex patterns the same way they had before her and will continue to do after her. It's comforting, even if she mourns her place in it.

These are not, however, the primary things OA feels when someone slips up next to her and slides their hand into hers. The first of it is fear, a reflexive, helpless panic, washing over her like a wave -- she jolts, pulling against the grip on her hand. Her head snaps to the side, lips parted around a sharp inhalation. There's anger, rushing up on the crest of that wave of fear, and then... and then both ebb. Her heart still pounds in her chest, she still wants to pull her hand free, but that flow of emotion she can't place as her own says enough. This is another of the lost.

She takes a deep, steadying breath, fighting against how shocking, how incomprehensible the touch of another person's skin still is. She gropes for equilibrium, turning her head to look back out at the street. Impossible to slip back into reverie now, but she can try for calm. She feels, at once, connected and cut adrift. The intimacy of the moment is too vast to contain: she feels the most intense relief and the deepest ache. For which of them she hurts most is unclear.

Slowly, the tension in her arm slackens, her fingers curling loosely around River's hand. Is it easier because this girl is a stranger, or harder?

"It's wonderful, isn't it?" she murmurs. OA says wonderful and means it, but she means it in its rawest sense, wonderful as in full of wonder and wonder as in a tumultuous upset of the soul, the way awesome can mean terrifying.

Lena Oxton (Tracer) | Overwatch

[zippity]

RESOLUTION DAY

[As it turns out, New Amsterdam does not bring happy memories for Lena. She'd already gotten in at least one argument over AI rights -- loud enough that people were looking at her strangely and avoiding her on the street. It was no different from her life in King's Row, really -- the sentiment was the same. The politics were the same.

Well, mostly the same. At least there had been SOME sympathizers in King's Row. Here, it feels like there aren't any.

Lena is chewing her lip, sitting on a bench by herself while running through a jumble of thoughts in her own head. She had pulled out of the offered simulation before its completion, which no doubt owed to the sort of pale look on her face.

It is immediately wiped clean when someone approaches her. She has a heavy cockney when she speaks.]

Some holiday, yeah?

FIGHT CLUB

Oi!

[Lena is a small woman -- thin, whispy, with more leg than a person likely knows what to do with. By all appearances, she is a runner -- certainly not a fighter. But an argument with someone on the outside of the ring has a few people lifting her and tossing her inside. She hits the ground hard, and it takes her a second to blink and stand to face her (a) opponent. Judging by the startled expression on her face and the way she looks for an exit, this had not been her end game.

But when it becomes apparent that she cannot slip away easily, she squares herself off into a fighting stance and raises her fists. She's not about to surrender or back down, even if her opponent happens to be larger than her.

(b) When it's all over, Lena will be retreating to a corner to rehydrate herself, looking unhappy regardless of whether she had won or lost. She hadn't come to participate, she had come for information. And maybe to talk some people out of senseless punching of each other, neither of which she had much success with.]

THE UNA

[At first, Lena is not bothered by the presence of the UNA. Overwatch was, in its own way, a branch of military. She understands the necessities that come with being at war.

But the longer it goes on, the more uncomfortable she becomes. She can be caught spying on what they are doing from a distance, posture suggesting that she's about to do something really stupid. You can either (a) help her do something stupid or (b) stop her.]

WILDCARD

[Open to anything! Private message this account or pp me at stabs if you want to work out something specific, or hit me with whatever's on your brain! I am flexible.]

the UNA

[behaviours]

[ Sansa can see what Lena's doing. She's not an idiot. Anyone could. But she also knows that when you're dealing with someone this brutal and this powerful, you don't win by taking them on directly. All that will do is make them angry, make them strike you down with more glee and force than absolutely necessary.

She reaches out to grab Lena's arm. ]

You're not going in there. [ As if it were obvious, as if it were the only sensible course of action. Observe, learn, but don't act. ]

fight club (b)

[personalwar]

[ By this point 76 has become a regular at the fight club, though he doesn't usually come in with the attempt to draw any attention to himself. That's impossible when he chooses to go into the ring. A guy like him, with a scarred face and a head of gray hair, is way too easy for people to underestimate.

Not anymore, though. Word has begun to spread about him, about the amount of strength hidden under his frame, to the point that some suspect that he's dosing himself. It's not exactly incorrect, but his enhancements are permanent.

He's here to observe and to maybe make a few bets, but when he gets a glance at the ongoing fight and sees none other than Lena Oxton in the ring, it certainly changes the trajectory of his night. Somehow he doubts that she meant to end up here, but he doesn't intervene, instead watching how the fight plays out from a distance. Lena manages to win, if only barely, and as soon as she's retreated from the ring to catch her breath, he approaches.

He's surprised he hadn't seen her back during this month's arrival, though he'd been less involved than in the past. To be frank, he hadn't expected anyone from home would be joining him and Gabriel.

He stands a few feet away from her, arms crossed, visor in place. She's nursing a cut on her eyebrow; it looks painful, though also nothing she can't handle. ]

You're tougher than you look.

[ Well, it's true. ]

Manesa | OC

[manesa]

[RESOLUTION]

[It's been such a long day since she came to this unusual and strange futuristic cityscape. It's more than different from her home worlds, and she's completely lost on the streets.

Someone gave her a little cash to get a strawberry and vanilla swirl ice cream cone and a large bottle of water she keeps in her knapsack. She licks the cone and smiled at the taste, eyes darting around to gauge her surroundings and look at street signs.

After awhile the cone is gone, and she has a bit of strawberry on her nose, stuck and unseen because the brain is mean and makes the nose invisible to the owner. What exactly had the big guy upstairs been thinking for people not to see their noises? She guesses it would be annoying to be aware all the time.

Finally, one person on the street looks pleasant as she looks up from the map and eyes land on a woman with brown hair and well, some pretty long legs. Looks like she could be dancer.

Manesa looked relieved as she folds up the map and jogs over to the woman on a bench. She nods at the question.] Mmmhmm, yeah. I don't know much about ....holiday. Not sure what a holiday consists of here but well...actually... I'm lost and I'm curious about where new arrivals go? I may have....strayed from the path.

[ooc: i hope I did this right.]

pamela isley/poison ivy - batman: the animated series

[anacardiaceae]

002. The Network

username: pamela.isley

What an interesting place I've found myself in.

Are there many of us 'displaced' here? Where have you found the best paying work?

Also, if any of you need help with your garden projects, I can assist with that. Whatever the scale may be.

007. No One Talks About Fight Club Anymore

Whispers got her here, and a little bit of funds got her a styled haircut that frames her face better than the wild growth that's been circling her ears. Finding a dress that suits her desires? A little more difficult. Her tastes are beyond vintage at this point, but she doesn't care; you'll take those necklines from her cold, dead hands.

She bets a small sum of money on a few fights, thanks the fighters in person for their hard work. And why not? Better to be seen than to be a nobody.

Come chat with her. She won't bite.

014. Wildcards

First things first: this isn't Gotham. It's Gotham on speed and cyberpunk, gone a little crazy and a lot more dangerous. At least, that's Pam's opinion on the matter.

She's just thankful that the Joker hasn't made an appearance in this strange New Amsterdam.

First things first: Pam has to get a job. All her papers are entry-level documents at best, and she's uncertain about enrolling herself into higher education to catch up lost knowledge in regards to, say, ecology or genetics. Best to do all that learning on her own time, and away from the watchful eyes of whomever is in charge. She needs whatever passes for a civilian allowed chemistry set these days. Not to mention checking out the advances in hand-held genetics testing.

There's so much to catch up on.

Time to get started.

dick grayson | titans

[rumored]

ARRIVAL

[ he wakes up and he feels - malleable. pliable. obedient. it reminds him, briefly, of the cocktail of drugs they'd pumped into his system at the asylum. had that been real? had he really burnt the robin suit?

is this real?

he can only conclude that the answer is yes, but it doesn't seem like it should be. so he tries to keep to himself. keep his head down, get his bearings, figure this shit out. the team is done, anyway, so whatever this is, he'll manage it on his own.

eventually, someone finds him. tells him this is another universe. dick forces a smile. ] You must have the wrong guy.

NETWORK (un: dick.grayson)

I don't remember being here before, so help me out. What do you know about me?

WILDCARD

[ ooc; find dick (a) ordering pizza and eating it at the safehouse, (b) hanging out at the safehouse in general, (c) taking a seemingly leisurely stroll around the city, or (d) somewhere else entirely, the sky's the limit. ]

[inherited]

Sorry, I don't think so. You're one of the new guys, right? [That should go without saying. How does Riku know? How did he get the idea of how to find this guy? There could be any number of reasons. Maybe they got surveillance footage. Maybe an item on Dick's person gives off a signal. No one can really say.]

You can't just pretend you're from around here. Trust me—I'd like to try that, too, but I keep coming up without too many answers.

network; un: jason.todd

[reneger]

( it's not a name he anticipates seeing any time soon, and that he is--complicates things. not necessarily in a bad way, but in a way jason really doesn't like stopping to think about. )

are we going chronologically, or by order of how embarrassing it is?

network; un: diana.prince

[monomachy]

I would ask you the same question.

ventus | kingdom hearts

[callmeven]

[ a - history lessons ]

[ventus didn't really want to try out the simulations - not after he'd been told what they'd be simulations of. yet somehow the UNA representatives had all but pushed him into one, despite his attempts to politely refuse.

maybe it'll be okay, he thinks, foolishly. maybe it won't be so bad-

being back on the battlefield again - a second time (but it feels like more than that, inexplicably) with the sights and sounds of war has him all but freaking out. ven rips off the helmet and lets it crash to the ground as he stumbles away from the booth. he feels so sick and dizzy, unaware of where he's walking until he stumbles into someone.]

Sorry- I'm sorry-

[ b - enjoy the festivities ]

It's made of... what?

[because ventus isn't quite sure he heard the food vendor correctly when she offered him a bowl of what looks like black jell-o. he holds the paper bowl with both hands and looks a little... queasy. before he can try and give it back to her, she's already moved onto the next person and ven is left standing with a bowl of cricket jell-o.]

Crickets, huh...

[ c - wildcard ]

[want something different? hmu via pm or via plurk and we can hash something out! ven is from post kh3]

b!

[recompleted]

[In the past couple of weeks, Roxas has found that much of this world is a mystery to him. Which isn't that surprising—he's been to many worlds that were equally different from each other. But this is the first time he's been stuck in one for so long, which means there's so much to get used to.

The festivities strike him as strange—what's so important about a particular day? The food is also different than much of what he's had in the past, but it's actually better than what a lot of what the Dusks used to make. Not as good as sea salt ice cream, but not much is. He's wandering through the food truck area, considering what he might try, when the crowd parts and it's like he's looking in a mirror—except for the part where he his 'reflection is staring into his bowl instead of looking back at him. Roxas knows immediately who this has to be. They've met before, although 'met' might be a strong word, given the circumstances at the time.]

Ventus?

b

[inherited]

—Right. I forgot to mention—they're not as big on the presentation around here. [Most of the people of this world are already well acquainted with bugs, so they know what comes with the territory. Any of the squeamishness has passed. Looking at that, Riku is more concerned about what it'll do to Ven's teeth than anything else. Can anything that black be appetizing?

Survey says: no.

Survey also says: that's a lot of black sugar. Black sugar has to be way worse than white sugar.

Riku isn't some sugar-hating weirdo. He can just see the look on Ventus' face. He swoops in because—well, actually, he feels like he's the best choice for looking after Ventus. Without Terra and Aqua around, he figures someone ought to. Sure, there's not an incredible age gap there, but still. He wants to help. Isn't it his job ... or something ...?

Admittedly, there weren't a lot of active keyblade wielders to figure out this hierarchy before.]

I can take care of that. ... And try to find you something better? [Emphasis on that question mark, because he's not sure he can. Not without a long, long, long line.]

a

[lighthearted]

[ Resolution Day. By this point Sora has a better idea of what the people of this world actually celebrate on this day -- the tragedy with the EMP had forced all of them to acknowledge it. Is it possible that in this world, all AI are bad? Sora doesn't think it can be like that, not when he'd met someone like Tron. And El is also helping them, too.

It's a little more complex than that, but even Sora can pick up on the fact that they're only presenting one side of the story here.

All the same, he's curious to check everything out, wandering through the throngs of people with unbridled interest.

Except then someone crashes right into him. ]

Whoa!

[ Sora reaches out for the other person's shoulders to steady them, acting out of instinct, until the initial shock passes and he realizes who he just collided with. ]

Ventus?

catra | she-ra and the princesses of power

[purrsistence]

FESTIVE AND COMPETITIVE

[ Sure, being in a totally foreign world with no idea how you got there is kind of a downer. But you know what isn't a downer? Festivals. Catra wanders through the festivities with a manic and almost child-like glee, her cat ears pricking up at every new thing she sees. She casually swipes someone's drink and takes to observing the races. Predictably at some point there's a loud boom as someone crashes their hoverbike, and Catra laughs happily, her extra-sharp canines glinting in the light as she goes. ]

Now this is a party!

[ Later on, after spending some time observing the various games from the sidelines, Catra is ready to have some sport of her own-- only to be prohibited from entering solo. You could find her at any game, really-- the hoverboard racing, the laser tag, hell even the kiddie games. Wherever she is, she's making a scene and threatening whoever is prohibiting her from play. ]

What do you mean there aren't enough people for participation? Why don't you step over that barrier and I'll show you just how many people I'm worth.

[ Or... maybe you run into her at the food stalls instead. After all, there is so much food here completely foreign to Catra. Unlike some who might turn their nose up at the assortment of bug-related cuisine, Catra can be found enthusiastically trying all of it. Dinner time has her happily munching on a myriad of bug kebab skewers and smelly fish, noisy and uncaring if she makes a mess, speaking as she eats. ]

Man, this place is great! I mean, weirdness aside, they really know food here!

[ Honestly, there's all sorts of mischief she can get up to in the food stalls. Maybe you encounter her as she's intimidating a vendor into giving her something for free-- her slim frame leaning over the counter and pulling the server close to her by the collar, her other hand held up menacingly with claws on full display. Or maybe she's elsewhere, casually skipping the line and giving a terrifying hiss at anyone who complains. Or maybe you spot her stealing a slushie from a kid and making them cry, while she giggles and takes a slurp for herself, then shudders in surprise and delight from the brainfreeze. Or... maybe Catra's reign of terror at the festival has finally gone on long enough, and you've been asked by Morningstar to quietly remove Catra from the premises. All would be legit. ]

[dothelokimotion]

[ loki blinks as his drink is casually swiped. mildly. ]

I believe that was mine.

kara danvers, dctv / supergirl

[advena]

› a visit from the una

[ kara can fight. she might not be able to fly or shoot laser beams from her eyes — both annoying discoveries to have made just minutes before, really — but she can still stand her ground, and her fists still pack a hell of a punch.

it's easy to find her, if you're looking. just follow the trail of rubble and debris, the sound of blows landing against armor, the annoyed grunts and startled yelps of a girl standing tall to take advantage of all five foot and eight inches of height. the una soldiers she fights off against don't expect her strength, but they adapt as quickly as they take a hit; it doesn't take long before they begin to gang up on her, two and then three against one putting her back against the corner. ]

Oh, come on! [ is it too much to ask for what she suspects to be homegrown fascism's militant army to fight fair? ] I'm not even armed!

[ unless you count the gun show... ]

› what dreams may come

[ the smell of the grass hits her well before any of her other senses have a chance to adjust. it's sharp and bright and, though she doesn't quite understand it at first, a little bitter — it reminds her of the forests along the coast, only a thicker smell, more earthy. it's the smell of the leaves of so many kinds of flora, sun-soaked and wet with dew, that catches her attention.

kara is less surprised by the concept of finding herself in an abandoned cityscape in her dreams, and more surprised by the idea that she might be the only person to enjoy it. the sun is a tempting, fickle thing in her sleep, but it shines warm here, and her body aches to rest and soak it in.

a voice in the back of her mind, probably alex's, warns her to be cautious. there could be big monsters lurking in the shadows, or small ones hidden under the ground. but kara pays it no attention, choosing instead to wander, finding fruits and vegetables growing unchecked and oversized all over the place. ]

Where is everyone?

[ it's a bit of a silly question to ask to nothing, but kara's voice carries easily all the same, echoing in the empty space as she wanders. ]

› wildcard

[ choose your own adventure. drop me a line at semicolons / quake#2740 or via pm if you have questions/concerns! ]

numero uno

[withasouvenir]

[ a bottle goes flying by kara and smashes right into the face mask of one of the soldiers. it doesn't hurt, but the interruption is definitely startling. ]

Hey, fuckface! How 'bout you pick on someone your own size.

[ first of all, kara danvers is taller than thea. (also a super strong, super hot alien but that is only partially relevant at the moment.) second of all, every single soldier is taller than thea. neither of these things seem to bother her.

her arms spread, the gesture unmistakably "come at me, bro".

adventures in poor decision making: the true story of the famous queen siblings. ]

klaus mikaelson - tvd verse

[interminably]

> 005: GETTING IN

[ Despite Klaus and his daughter's differing opinions on the matter, Klaus Mikaelson's goal remains the same. Get in good with the elite, find the reason behind everything, and send his daughter back to where she rightfully belongs. In school. Not on a dying planet. Not under these conditions. And certainly not a world where he lives. This is his second chance, a blessing if he's never deserved one (he never has) but he's going to make this chance count.

When answers are warranted, money tends to be at the root. Money, corruption, the like. Whatever's happened, however he's ended up here, something at the top of the ranks must be responsible. Without compulsion, infiltrating those ranks will be a more arduous task.

But, Klaus is nothing if not charming. He's achieved far more with less at his disposal. (Also more, but it's better not to think of such things.)

He does try chicanery. Convincing the brute at the door proves harder than he had anticipated. He's seconds away from using brute force, but it's his senses which win him an invitation. He overhears some such name he should drop from the other side and he's in. Or, he thinks he's in. One second the door is opened and the next he's being taken by the collar. Luckily, in some ways he does have the upper hand here. A pity he had to use it on this peon. There's a bit of a scuffle before he emerges as the victor.

Unfortunately, he's not exactly concealed.

It's in or out now. Plan C: escaping on a hover bike. Plan A: Continue onward. ]

> 010: A VISIT FROM THE UNA

[ Klaus isn't what anyone would call a 'helper.' He acts with his (and his families, sometimes allies') own ends in mind, and enters the fray when it behooves him. But, like anybody else, Klaus can also be caught in the crossfire.

It isn't as if he didn't let Hope know he'd be coming by, but it's more that he didn't wait for her to reply before making his way. It really is a courtesy more than anything. If he needs to drop in on anyone, he will. Some have earned the invitation, or the real warning that he'd be there, and others, too, have earned the respect of a check-in before he'd do anything. But, usually not his flesh and blood. Especially now that they're not under the same roof, that he's not dead.

He's deduced where she lives, always one for keeping his tabs, but it's three doors down where he's held up. Maybe it's because the danger is so near to where he believes his daughter lives, maybe it's because he feels like the underdog for once, or it's his anger at being here entirely. He can't step inside the apartment that's being ransacked, but he can taunt the criminals. Though, they're hardly dressed as criminals, more militant than anything he would describe as "below the board." ]

Well, well, and here I thought the local military had better things to do than paw through our underwear drawers.

[ The sound of a beating occurring in the distance, further into the apartment, gives his amusement pause. This is no simple ransacking. And so close to his daughter's quarters.

Really, he was only trying to pay a loved one a visit, but now it's him vs very synchronized soldiers. Not how he'd thought he'd be spending the day. ]

010

[tribridfreakshow]

[Leave it to her father to be as stubborn as Uncle Kol, to tell her what he wants and not wait for an answer. Inside, her mind has been at war whether to let him in or avoid him at all costs, and the former has been winning out to almost no one's surprise. It's nearly impossible for her to shut out her family no matter how many times she's been burned, especially when she knows the reasons why.

Everything comes back to her, after all. Everything bad that happened to them after she was conceived was her fault.

Maybe she deserves this tug of war.

Her hearing isn't as good as a vampire's, but she's not human, either. So when she pokes her head out the door to listen if she hears his shoes pounding against the floor and catches him talking to someone else instead, the word 'military' standing at the forefront, she's out the door without a moment's hesitation.

She has to stop him before he does something stupid, even if talking to these people was already dumb enough.]

Masumi Sera | Detective Conan/Case Closed

[tactlesstantei]

003: The Festivities
"Hey! You want to race?"

[Masumi was trying to take part in a hoverblade race, and apparently the need for another player was no deterrent as she approached some random person nearby, hoping for someone who would say yes.]

009: Where There's Smoke

[Masumi, being who she was, had decided to try and rescue people from the fire herself. However, this only resulted in one more victim as she staggered away, disoriented by the smoke induced symptoms.

Well, disoriented up until she bumped into someone. Then there was a shift, to something more akin to rage.]

"You wanna fight? Is that it?" [Do you fight? Run? Or do you try to help get her back to normal?]

klaus hargreeves | the umbrella academy

[fournicate]

001.

<sub>[ Honestly, he's no sure what is the most scary part about all of this. The needle marks that he certainly didn't remember putting there was more of a normal Friday for him, as is being displaced somewhere he has no idea where he's at. Usually when this happens, though, he wakes up on the street in the town that he knows or in someone else's bed-- not arrive in a completely different world altogether. Maybe it was the fact he was going to be given a job that was the scariest thing, or the fact that he's alone. The last thing he remembers was holding hands with his siblings to go back and time and tend to some apocalypse business, so what went wrong? He doesn't know.

In any case, he is provided refuge for a few days in the safe house, and after taking in what people have to say, he chimed in now and then with talk of a briefcase or, much to his chagrin, mention of dying and how this couldn't really be the afterlife.

After awhile of this, though, Klaus does venture out when he can, arms crossed, small beads of sweat surfacing to his skin. He does, in fact, look rather scared and confused to be released into a much bigger setting, but the junkie is light on his feet and seems to be in quite a hurry to go somewhere-- he doesn't know-- and ends up crashing shoulders with someone he's passing in a dirty street. ]</sub>

O-oh my God, hey, yeah, sorry about that. I'm just-- you know. I have things to do, um. Going places.. in weird future Earth world. Yeah.

_{[ This place really looks like a dump. He's honestly nervous he found himself in the middle of a war zone again. ]}

002. ([Bad username or site: number @ four])

_{[ gonna be hella original here, but: ]}

so what is the latest nail polish trend around here?
i might as well do my best to look good

003.

<sub>[ Klaus has settled down quite a bit when the festivities take place, and the fact he hasn't been taunted or spoken to by any spirits is very promising. He's one of those that is eternally thankful his original power is gone and replaced with.. something else that he didn't quite understand yet.

The party was more his scene so he did his best to mingle in and he even has enough gumption to ask someone about the street food they've gotten. ]</sub>

Hey. So are you going to finish that or do you want help with it?

_{[ It could literally be anything. He'll eat it. ]}

003!

[evite]

[ daisy likes parties. she likes the opportunity to mingle, to find what passes for anonymity in a city filled with neural implants and identity scanners. she also likes the fact that street vendors are more willing to give out free samples when they think hooking a new customer is a possibility, which is how her hands wind up full of a variety of things she may or may not really want to eat.

like this... cricket protein powder agar jelly thing. it's supposed to "taste like coffee", but daisy is pretty sure it mostly looks like death. ]

This? [ she makes a bit of a face, but doesn't hesitate to hold it out to him. ] Knock yourself out.

[ you're welcome??? ]

ichiro yamada | hypnosis mic

[hoodstar]

001. explore the changes.

( There's someone Ichiro's been tailing just a bit; not out of anything malicious, but rather concern. He doesn't feel so hot himself, but he knows he can help. )

Hey ... Hey!

( He calls out as they dip into an alley, stumbling and collapsing against a wall. This place must be really doing a number on them ... )

I can help, just chill a sec ...

002. network. ( [Bad username or site: ichiro @ yamada] )

i was kinda hoping the music around here wouldn't be so outdated when tryna get to something familiar. what are you guys into?

003. enjoy the festivities.

Yo, this ain't bad!

( He's all grins when he swallows the food he'd procured from the truck behind him; he has absolutely no idea what's in it, but it sure is good. )

You try this yet?

( Speaking to someone nearby. Don't tell him what's in it. Maybe he'll be grossed out ... )

001

[lucubrare]

[ Cassandra hates being followed and it takes a lot of self-control (and a little bit of fear) to keep her from lashing out automatically at her tail. ]

You don't know me. [ Or what's wrong with her, for that matter. ] Leave me alone.

shuos jedao (?) | machineries of empire

[bivariant]

001. ARRIVAL

Drugs, [ he slurs, drawing thumb across tongue as though to taste the grit of the ground upon which he'd been thrown as he spits it from between his teeth; foisted out of the back of a belabored and archaic vehicle into the streets before arriving ( by kind graces, blah blah ) in the safehouse, be it by virtue of some kindly soul or under his own steam.

it is there that he takes stock of things: the first matter being, that all of his things - uniform, gun, hair - are gone. not even a trace of them remains in his memory, not even the hindbrain, the place where all important things are tucked away for later use ( everything is used ). over the basin of one of the communal sinks, he runs his thumb over her mouth where the lip has been split by the drunken swan dive onto the pavement below, palms scuffed and filled with gravel in a way that makes him feel

alive? how quaint. and before him stands a mirror, the reflection --

he looks away, uninterested or unwanting to see whether or not the reflection matches the exterior. cheris's body is a lean, yet slight thing. he turns his hands over and touches his thumbs to his pinky fingers, twists the wrists and flexes his forearms. ] Mm, [ he can be heard saying, with a woman's face and a woman's voice: ] not quite bendy enough for my tastes. Have to work on that.

[ those same hands grip the (small) chest below the shirt, before a peal of laughter - edged and exhausted - seems to burst forth from his throat. after the laughter passes, he spends time wiping the remnants from the corners of his eyes and calls out to the rest of those in attendance: ]

Does anyone have any idea where I could buy a decent bra? I want something black and racy. Something that screams 'expensive' and fancy.

[ cheris wouldn't know fancy if it lifted its skirt in front of her and winked coquettishly ]

002. RESOLUTION DAY

[ the worst of the day's humiliation takes place during the laser tag competition in the streets; he signs himself up as a lone participant, and within an hour, has lain waste to three well-organized teams and several lone wolves. the digital sensors clipped to his body, visible in augmented reality, seem to shimmer and blink in and out of existence at random, the result of a clever work-around that he's performed while still keeping with the spirit of the rules ( "no hacking of the sensors", his ass; "sensors must be visible to competitor eye", his two left feet ). and now, with sensor gun in hand, he holds another of the Displaced at triggerpoint -- mirth sparkling in his eyes. ]

It's tape. [ he holds up his wrists and jerks his head to his shoulders and chest, where a glossy 'x' has been taped over his dark shirt: ] Anti-interference conductive tape, that's all. Want some? It's all in the spirit of the rules, I do solemnly promise.

[ the latter half of the day, there's no more games.

at least, none of the games are being played physically. inside of that head of his, dark hair shorn short and pixie-like across his skull, there is at least seventeen different iterations times six different ideas free-flowing throughout his attention. the source and focus of all of them are the UNA soldiers and their virtual reality simulations. the entire day has been all too familiar to him, a systematic celebration of triumph - streetwide observances by the majority of the population. it's calendrical, even if the world itself is far too unadvanced to support the math for it. ]

What are the UNA really like, do you think?

[ he leans over and asks it of the nearest Displaced, clearly fishing for some sort of response from them in the information. ]

Do we have anybody on the inside with them? Just curious. Asking for a friend.

003. NETWORK WILDCARD

[Bad username or site: tsera @ vel]

Remind me again: we're NOT leaning into Morningstar's brand of rebellion… why?

( OOC: TL;DR for the canon but Cheris (female) and Jedao (male) are a singular, amalgamate entity. Pronouns will currently be he/him in introspection, as it appears that mentally, Jedao is in full control after Cheris's mental death. Long story. )

[deicider]

[The trajectory of Jedao's gun mirror's Sniper's own. At the other end of it Sniper, a petite shadow, looks Jedao over with a proprietary smugness, as if he were a well-won prize they had expected to find here. Lowering their sights, they move closer at a brisk trot.] 

Someone has already been making things too easy. [Sniper had wanted wanted to stretch out this rare opportunity for stress relief and here was Jedao, stealing half the fun. But they look they shoot him is playful in its admonishment; Sniper had a notion that Jedao would pay them back.]

cassandra cain | dc comics

[lucubrare]

001: ch-ch-changes (turn and face the strange)

[ The first thing Cass does on her own, after leaving the Morningstar safe-house for the first time, is try to get her bearings.

No. Scratch that. The real first thing Cass does on her own is get startled by a truck with neon blue headlights that manages to be both hovering and rambling down the alleyway she's ducked into.

Panic wells up in her chest as she presses herself to the wall and the truck stops. Her own shadow beneath her feet wavers in time with her rapid breathing, tendrils stretching out into the light and dissipating. Cassandra doesn't even notice, much too focused on the feeling of strangeness surrounding her. This place is like Gotham -- if Gotham spread upwards and outwards in all directions, and the buildings gained several decades of technological advancement while they were at it. She half expects to see someone in clown greasepaint with a neon baseball-bat approximation jump out of the truck towards her.

Probably not. Maybe none of this is real. Maybe she's dreaming? That seems...unlikely, considering everything she's seen and experienced this far.

The truck stops and someone does step out, leading Cassandra to flee at full speed in the opposite direction, barreling into people and only stopping when she's gotten too entangled in someone else to easily peel away.

She doesn't have on any gloves, and any Displaced who touch her will find fear and sorrow coming off her in waves. Also, isn't her shadow a little...active around the edges? ]

Sorry, sorry.

002: ain't no rest for the wicked

[Bad username or site: cassandra @ cain]

is this what they meant by "brave new world"?

reminds me of gotham

[ (someone hasn't read the book. or watched the movie.)

attachments: a photo of the side of a building from a low vantage point, and a girl's hand in the corner making a peace sign. ]

003: you might as well be walkin' on the sun

[ It's the food that really grabs Cass's attention.

For one thing there's so much variety. Rice dishes, noodle dishes, things heaped on top of vegetables and fruits she can't identify. The lines are long, true, but whenever Cass manages to try one thing she just lines right up for the next one, and turns to the person behind her in line. ]

Favorite so far?

[ She asks, with a cheek puffed out like a chipmunk, full of food.

No one ever accused a teenager of having table good manners. ]

007: blinded by the neon wound

[ Cass can't get into the fight clubs. She's too small, appears too young to be considered a part of the underground.

But she appears around the fight clubs, hanging outside listening to dirty jokes and boys attempt to intimidate one another (or impress her) as they
perform the role of bouncer, of lookout. She's unassuming, small, quiet. They don't have any reason to suspect her of anything.

To be fair, she's not doing anything really. Just hanging out apparently, and offering small smiles to anyone who peers at her in curiosity or recognition. ]

010: rusted wheel, can't move on

[ She'd managed to avoid the monster rampaging outside of the walls and focused on helping people get water and medical attention after the fires, since Cass wasn't going to risk smoke inhalation of an unknown substance without a proper mask and filter, but this? The boots marching and the people being dragged out of their homes? That spurns her into a different kind of action, as she starts attempting to evacuate people from out of the UNA's path. Occasionally she engages in rapid hand-to-hand combat in order to disarm otherwise isolated soldiers.

Maybe you're also a bystander in this fight. Maybe you've helped her get the soldiers separated from the people they're trying to terrorize. Either way, fight or be protected, because Cass isn't going to back down from this one.

She doesn't use guns but otherwise fights with a sort of ruthless efficiency, appearing to predict movements before they're completed and good at finding weak spots in armor. Anything she can't use - which is most of it, considering how small she is - is passed along to the nearest person without said weapon or armor.]

Better than nothing. [ A wink. ]

011: a wild card

[ Feel free to run into Cass elsewhere, or plot with me at spacewitchery | spacewitchery#9221 ]

001

[hierophante]

[The transition is never easy. Hardly anyone manages to make it gracefully. It almost seems to be a sort of initiatory requirement: every new arrival must find themselves, at some point and in some way, fleeing from something. They rush out into a strange new world and bounce off one another in an improbable, strangely comforting game of cosmic pinball.

Even so, it's relatively rare that the collisions are literal. OA cannot at first discern fault -- the events of her own day have left her distracted enough to have failed to notice the juggernaut coming her way. It winds her, more with shock than with pain; her lips part around a harsh gasp, a hissed profanity. Once the immediate concern of staying upright is addressed, she finds herself reflexively embarrassed. That too fades into understanding at the clumsy brush of hands when they both reach up to steady one another.

The contact is brief, the meeting of souls barely more than a tingle of foreign sensation, but it tells her everything she needs to know. OA pulls her hand away as though burned; undertaken without consent, the intimacy of the empathy bond is unbearable. She won't inflict it on somebody else. Safer to take the girl by the shoulders until she's sure they're both steady, the intervening layers of fabric shielding them from both that breathtaking transparency and from the wonder and horror of touch itself.

It's then that she notices the darkness, the spreading shadow -- and if she notices, others certainly will too. Best they try to avoid that. She cranes her neck about, assessing passers-by. No harsh stares, no running footsteps. Whatever this girl was running from, it seems to have been more internal than external, though that doesn't make it any less real.]

It's okay. You're okay.

[As okay as any of them ever are, anyway. OA gives Cass's shoulders the gentlest squeeze before her hands fall away again. Empathy is transparent on her face, solemn and sad.]

You're one of us, aren't you? A... castaway.