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raiamods ([personal profile] raiamods) wrote in [community profile] ethyraia2021-05-21 04:56 pm
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◣ OPEN ◢ HATCHING LOG 001

WHO: All PCs
WHAT: New characters arrive on Ethyraia, get interrogated, and settle in at the basecamp.
WHEN: May 21 onward
WHERE: Basecamp Leviathan
NOTES/WARNINGS: Potential character nudity, violence, trypophobia (images) as well as light mentions of gore, alcohol and drug-use, light aphrodisiac effects (optional), and references to mass death.


HATCHING LOG 001 ❀
CONTENT WARNINGS: potential character nudity, violence, trypophobia (images) as well as light mentions of gore, alcohol and drug-use, light aphrodisiac effects (optional), and references to mass death.

Players who participated in our TDM are welcome to keep their CR and the content of those threads. Please make sure to chat this out on the OOC intro & CR meme before making assumptions. Please take your time reading the hatching and basecamp bullets, as some items have been altered or expanded.

❀ HATCHING


Congrats, you've woken up in an egg. I'm sure this is exactly how you wanted to spend your Saturday, right? There's no time to get curious and check out the other egg sacs. By the time you've fought your way out of the membranous sac, spilled electric blue goop everywhere, wiped it out of your eyes and sundry other orifices to get your bearings, you have a spear (or a gun) leveled at your face, throat, or other vital organs. Even if you might be inclined to fight, you can barely lift your arms to protest being grabbed and dragged off. Before you can even get a word in edgewise, you've been thrown into a holding cell.

Characters will not have a chance to retrieve their items at the time of the first hatching, and may not even know there is anything left in the remaining eggs.

The holding cell stinks of something sour and acidic, like rotted citrus, but you are not alone. Several other detainees sit in similar squalid confusion, dressed strangely and equally gooey. Time to make nice, ask questions... figure out what the hell is going on, and maybe do something about all that slime?

Over the next few days, a few things become clear. Despite the alien greeting, your captors speak a language that you understand, and the unpleasant circumstances are revealed to be a matter of necessity, not choice. Supplies are low, but they ensure that the new arrivals' time imprisoned is as painless as can be — they offer hot communal showers of less than three minutes, some strange starchy meal-replacement, and medical treatment to those in need. You might strike up a conversation with your new best friend in the shower over a low soap dispenser or when you realize you might need to share towels.

The cost of these luxuries comes in the form of touch-and-go interrogation by the security officers keeping tabs on the cells and supervising the shower time.

A few notes:
Your character may get pulled away for interrogation at some point. No torture, no drugs; just questioning. If you would like to thread this out, please reply to CAPT CHILDE'S top level comment! A caveat: threads will not go beyond (TEN) NPC replies, and new tag-ins will not be responded to after MAY 24.

☆ Locals will be stopping by outside the freestanding holding cells to ogle or ask questions. Are you really going to be mean to that little kid staring at you with wide eyes?

☆ Characters will be let out for bio breaks. No one has to pee in a bucket, that's just inhumane!

Attempts to escape will probably get you tasered. If your character composes a genius jailbreak, you are welcome to submit it in the MOD QUESTION comment to work out how that might go with the NPCs!

❀ EXPLORE THE BASECAMP

On the heels of a little benign interrogation, a medical inspection, and a stern talking to by Captain Childe, the survivors at Basecamp Leviathan determine one thing: you don't appear to be an active threat.

Released from the detention center after three days, you are given the run-down by the locals — you're on a planet called Ethyraia, and the people around you are survivors of the catastrophic crash of the UCSS Adamant several years prior. You, in fact, showed up on the third anniversary of the crash. Weird coincidence, huh?

The first order of the day is having a proper meal at the mess hall — some of the Adamant's survivors will be friendlier than others. They've been stranded here for years, remember? Some of them will be so desperate to talk to someone who has news of other places, and some will be giving you the cold shoulder.

You'll be fed the same as the rest of them. A plastic plate of crumbled protein of unidentifiable origin and gravy over rice with a single wilted stalk of broccoli and a cup of the worst coffee you've ever had. Maybe somebody bumps into you and spills said coffee, maybe you make it all the way to one of the long tables set out for communal eating.

Time to strike up a chat with your neighbor — maybe ask them to pass the salt?

(What do you mean, there's no salt!?)

During this time, characters will be able to return to the Central Chrysalis where they hatched. While there are no clues as to how they got there, they might find items — their own, or someone else's. Everyone is strapped for supplies, but try not to snatch up anything that isn't yours. The security officers don't look kindly on people chasing one other down the hall, trying to get back their dirty magazines.

A few notes:
☆ Feel free to help out anywhere. Every little bit of assistance you offer to the locals will raise their estimation of you. You could easily help clean dishes after the meal, help fix leaky piping or repair hammocks. You could stop by the aid station and assist with the wounded. You'll be watched closely and some of the survivors will be warier than others, but most will appreciate the opportunity to have a 'break'.

☆ If your character leaves the basecamp and wanders outside the Leviathan, they may begin to notice that what they perhaps took as a giant cave is actually an enormous dragon. Everything that seems human-made will look varying levels of worn down, patched, repaired and patched again. This is not a place of prosperity and happiness. Many people are recently injured, or have new scars or missing limbs.

☆ PCs will be warned about the acid rain and inhospitable wildlife that they'll face if they venture beyond the shade of the dragon's wings.

❀ RECRUITMENT FAIR



You've been here for a week, had a chance to show your mettle. Maybe you've demonstrated a propensity for fixing gadgets (or plumbing!) or you have the command of a natural leader and the ability to wield a gun (or a tire iron!) to great effect. Either way, the Adamant's survivors are eager to put you to work so they can have their first real 'days off' in three years! Survivors have set up their various areas in the hopes of catching your attention and (possibly!) bolster their numbers! Feel free to wander around, talk to other PCs, and get the lay of the land.

ENGINEERING CORPS

Thorkil has welded a sign to a post out front, cheerfully painted by a gaggle of children to say "WELCOME!" The children are crowded around the area, and Thorkil is telling them stories about one of his many tattoos as you approach — he has a magnificent eagle tattooed on his arm, and in a hush he is explaining how it landed on him and tried to bite him like a mosquito, and how he slapped it and it just splattered right there on his arm and he's never been able to wash it off!

The children seem mesmerized by the story (maybe you are too?) and will scatter at the story's conclusion, tugging you over to the various areas, pointing things out excitedly. What is an Ehlers-Chau sublight engine? You're about to find out whether you like it or not! Or maybe you can teach them a thing or two. Those who seem to know their stuff will be eagerly invited on board by Thorkil.

The Engineering division has salvaged its tools and scrap from the Adamant’s wreckage, so it has all of the essentials from metal mills to CNC routers to circuitry tools. A holo projector throws schematics on the wall — a drill, a few potential shelter ideas for long-term settlement, and a new communications tower.

SECURITY DIVISION

Rémi has barely deigned to participate — and seems to have done so only at the request of some of his companions. He's sitting at an unadorned table and he is cleaning a variety of weapons. He will scowl if approached, and seems openly mistrustful of your intentions should you speak to him. Questions about how a conversation with Rémi might go may be posted to the MOD QUESTIONS thread. (Note: We will not be threading Rémi, so these questions will be handwaved!)

Characters who make a positive impression on him will open up the avenue to work for the Security Division later, but he will not be extending any offers now — please allow for a realistic period of development here!

Feel free to lean into another PC's space and comment on how frosty that dude seems! You can also survey the various weapons stored in racks, help out with building spears, the usual suspects.

THEATRE

The theatre doubles as a childcare center, and many of the NPCs bustling about seem very excited and eager for the chance to talk to anyone who ventures in to visit. The theatre is bright and cheerful, paintings have been done on the walls of scenes from children's stories featuring colorful characters.

The thespians will not only try to recruit you (for acting in a play, for teaching, for script writing, for drawing on the walls or caring for children) but they will actively put you to work if they see you standing idle longer than a moment! Your character may find themselves with a paintbrush in hand, or taking part in a recital for a play (you're free to invent one, or put a new spin on an old classic! Romeo and Julio, anyone?) or building a set piece for one of the many local productions.

The Theatre doubles as the protective hub in times of need, so beyond arts education and babysitting, your character may also be tasked with shoring up those defenses, helping to fortify the walls, or other such tasks. And who knows, they may be paired off with someone else rather unexpectedly!

AID STATION

Sunya Hyacinth is the local medical doctor, fueled by coffee and spite. She doesn't have the time to recruit personally — she's flitting about the aid station seeing to the injured.

If you follow her, she will put you to work. Hold this stent, articulate this dislocation, take this blood pressure reading. If anyone appears to have a proficiency for this sort of work, she may inquire after credentials — and anyone who seems to have medical experience is going to immediately be handed the medic's armband, a white band with a blue cross emblazoned on it. This armband will grant any PC an extra amount of respect and trust from the Adamant's survivors — but you'd better be able to live up to it!

Feel free to treat any injured PCs, converse with other 'recruits', help pin that white and blue arm-band on... you know, anything under the sun. Some of the patients in the medical bay seem to be suffering from the adverse effects of some of the local flora — itching hives or burning pustules. One unfortunate soul seems only able to speak in limericks, which the medical staff will admit is one of the odder things they’ve seen.

SANITATION

CONTENT WARNING: DRUG REFERENCES

It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it! There are always latrines to be dug, pipes to be repaired, general maintenance to be done on the various sanitation systems.

A nervous-looking janitor will approach your character almost shyly, and ask if you wouldn't mind giving her a hand. If you are willing to help her (fix a pipe, dig a hole, etc), she will gradually warm up to you and seem more animated and lively and very, very grateful. Won't you please consider working with the Sanitation crew? Sure, it's not as glamorous as some of the other duties, but they're the backbone of the Basecamp and they could really use the help!

She'll even let you in on a little secret if you really butter her up or show an interest — the Sanitation Crew? Totally has a little underground greenhouse where they're growing marijuana. They're totally willing to share...

Feel free to dig latrines alongside your fellow PCs, or maybe even share a joint. It's a way to pass the time, right? PCs serving in sanitation will also have an easier time overhearing the gossip that spreads around the base, since no one looks twice at them.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

CONTENT WARNING: REFERENCES TO MASS DEATH

During their first two weeks in the basecamp, any character who stops by one of the various houses of worship (in addition to a church, a synagogue, and a mosque, there is a temple with small statues to fifteen different unfamiliar deities, many of whom seem to be from different faiths), the gymnasium, or the mess hall will come across a stand that hosts a dozen or so packages.

Wrapped in the black emergency blankets that many bring with them to and from the bunks, these packages are about one cubic foot and contain folded clothes in roughly the same sizes. The styles are all different and highly individualized. Some are luxe, some are basic, and some are clearly the undershirt (but not the proper outerwear) for uniforms of the Adamant’s crew. Warm-faced folks eagerly give out a single package to each new hatchling. Along with the clothing and blanket, hatchlings will receive basic packages containing basic toiletries — bar soap, a toothbrush, a straight razor, etc.

Come by at the wrong time, and you might see a fight break out. A young person, red-faced, shouts at the volunteers working these stands, “Those were our people! Our families! We should be the one to decide what’s done with what they left behind.”

In hushed tones, clearly trying to keep this from becoming a conflict, the lead volunteer insists, “Take it up with Captain Childe.”


A few notes:
Feel free to have your character sign on to help out with any of the listed divisions, with the exception of security.

☆ Characters may collect one (1) care package from the community outreach program. If your character intends to come back for more, please let us know in the Mod Questions thread.

☆ Feel free to ask for light NPC interactions in the MOD QUESTIONS header; we can give you a general idea of how a conversation might go! Like with the Captain Childe threads, none of these threads will be lengthy, and new tag-ins will not be responded to after MAY 24.

❀ THE DREAMING

You are standing at the edge of an immense, underground lake. Water laps at the shore, echoing in the cavern. There is a sense of peace and warmth and — welcome.

A creature emerges from the lake and approaches you. Its gills flutter, its eyes are a faint bioluminescent glow in the darkness. It reaches out to touch you — one long, elegant finger presses against your chest. It feels as if it might crack your sternum open and ferret beneath your bones as if looking, looking for something. Yet, there is no malice from it, and you feel no fear.

But the creature relents. It backs up. Bows to you once, and then turns and walks back into the water.

You stay for some time at the edge of the lake. Eventually, it seems as if another person is here with you, or perhaps they simply came into focus after being here just as long as you. Should you speak with them?

A few notes:
PCs may interact with one another in the dreams. They will be in a semi-conscious state, not wholly aware they are dreaming and not wholly under the impression of its normalcy.

☆ Your character will wake up naturally from the Dreaming, they will feel peaceful and refreshed.
The lake, if they choose to swim in it while dreaming, would be perceived as the perfect ambient temperature for them — some characters may prefer it to be warmer or colder!

☆ If they duck below the water, they will see far-off glittering city lights, but no matter how they try to swim towards them they will never get any closer!

☆ If your character tries to drink the water, they might notice that for a few minutes after they wake they can hear little snippets of NPC thoughts. Weird!

☆ Every character will have a small, pale lilac mark where they were touched on the chest. It will fade over the next few days.

❀ FETCH QUEST

CONTENT WARNING: REFERENCES TO LIGHT APHRODISIAC EFFECTS

A small, perky woman corrals you somewhere near the latrines. "Hey!" she says insistently, pushing her hat back and sending a spill of inky curls askew from her forehead. "We need a hand. There's this plant we get for Sunya — the Doc? You met her yet? — it's a painkiller. Go through a shitload of that, which I'm sure is quite surprising," she says all this in a single breath, and her expression is sour despite her cheery tone.

"You any good at botany? We need another round of Starspire root. Can't harvest the ones we've got in camp, they've been a little cranky lately. You'll have to go about four kilometers due west, towards the old Adamant wreck. Just watch them — if they start to sweat, you'll need to get under cover, means the acid rain is coming. I'll upload the specs to your Comm."

Seems like you're being partnered with somebody else for the run — another person looking perhaps about as equally haggard as you, and at least as equally voluntold. Hopefully you won't run into any difficulties — how hard can retrieving one plant be?

A few notes:
☆ Feel free to have random monster encounters along the way! Don’t forget to wait for approvals on bestiary submissions before incorporating them into threads.

☆ The plants are at a high elevation, so they will exist on rocky outcroppings along a cliff-face. The landscape here is mostly high desert, which means it is full of thin, calf-high grasses, scrub plants, and non arable land polluted by dense, alkaline soil and rocks. Be creative in how you get there!

☆ Somebody gets hurt? Here, chew this root! They said it was a painkiller, right? What's the worst that could happen? (People can get a little ... flirtatious, shall we say.)

☆ Or you could go one step further and try exploring portions of the Adamant! Remember, the ship itself was built to house seventy thousand people — it's the size of a city, and it cannot be adequately explored in an afternoon! If you'd like anything specific to come of this, or if you’d like to know specifics about the Adamant’s layout, please consider submitting a plot request!.

fortyforged: (hm)

[personal profile] fortyforged 2021-05-23 06:00 am (UTC)(link)
They've only just met. There'd be time enough for Matthias to work out Banshee's generally neutral nature, his propensity to say only as much as he feels needed, his forgetfulness, certainly, especially after having to reintroduce himself a few times.

He shakes his head. "Doesn't make much sense, but then none of this does." Blue optics blink, and again he pauses thinking before he shakes his head once again in processing the following question. "No, don't think so. Little enough I recognize these days as it is," he admits.
fossils: (pic#14195588)

[personal profile] fossils 2021-05-23 06:07 am (UTC)(link)
[ He feels the shift beneath his grip. The words get him a soft shake though. Won't see his face twist up before breaching what little distance is left, that moment just before his hand squeezes again and he lets his furrowed brow come to rest against the back of Bucky's head.

Go ahead and clam up. That's fair.

He's not asking you to be happy for him.

He's demanding that you let him be here. ]
freightcars: (184)

[personal profile] freightcars 2021-05-23 06:19 am (UTC)(link)
( He doesn't shake that off, either. Isn't so sure how to respond to it, but he takes it — and his eyes squeeze shut in the process, chin tipping down just an inch or two toward the ground.

Passive.

Hurting.

Maybe taking a little bit of comfort in it that he doesn't otherwise exactly know how to ask for.

Fine, be here. Not like he's gonna go prematurely shoving you away again or anything. Couldn't even if he wanted to.
)
unclesam: ((106))

[personal profile] unclesam 2021-05-23 06:19 am (UTC)(link)
Major Buttclench it is.

[ Sam shoots an answering look over, lips quirking up briefly. Alright then.

He catches the shield on the right this time. It's good advice, and Sam takes it. He might explain to Bucky one day that he tries to keep steady on tiring muscles on purpose. Chances are he'll be going against people stronger than him, super soldiers or not. Can't get sloppy when his body wants to give out. For now he takes the coaching, and breathes a little more easily for it. ]


I owe you an apology. [ Weighs the shield on his right, then throws it back against the new targets Bucky picked. ] Shouldn't have pushed on you like I did. I'm sorry.

[ Intent doesn't matter. What matters is that he'd hurt Bucky, and that deserves an apology. Some things are as straight forward as that, even when nothing else is. ]
Edited 2021-05-23 06:20 (UTC)
freightcars: (pic#14860638)

[personal profile] freightcars 2021-05-23 06:33 am (UTC)(link)
( He catches the shield, but there's a pause in the rhythm of their game. The apology catches him off guard, and there's a clear confusion written gently in his features as he studies Sam. ​)

You don't owe me anything.

( He says finally, head tipping down toward the ground and shaking absently back and forth. He doesn't feel slighted by Sam, he doesn't feel like Sam did anything wrong. Not since they've been here, anyway — maybe not at all, but he's still working through that last part. It's only been a day or two. It's a lot to unpack. )

There's a lot going on. Nobody knows what in the hell they're doing, least of all me. It's not your job to handhold me through figuring it out.
freightcars: (pic#14837473)

[personal profile] freightcars 2021-05-23 07:07 am (UTC)(link)
( It's precarious. Even through two layers of dense black fabric, he can feel a pain at the back of his eyes. A strain, a burn. He powers through round after round, quick and brutally efficient until eventually all things go still.

He's slow to lower his weapon. Slower still to pull off the blindfold, eyes squinting and squeezing painfully shut before he tries to blink them open again a few times. Splotches of color swim in his vision, but he can still make out her fuzzy shape in the darkness of the tunnel.
)

I think so.

( He grunts, raising a hand up to palm at his cheek. There's a little bit of splatter, just the tiniest of flecks, acidic blood biting into his cheek but not quite burning through the skin more than first or second degree. It'll probably be fine by the time they make it back to camp. )

If not, I'm pretty sure the mound of bodies'll buy us some time. Good job.
unclesam: ((110))

[personal profile] unclesam 2021-05-23 07:09 am (UTC)(link)
[ Sam waits. It's a thing with Bucky, he's learning. He disagrees about the apology, but not the overall point. He doesn't owe Bucky - not this version of him anyway. But that was never what it was about, wasn't it.

There's been something rumbling around his mind, a question he never needed to ask back home even though perhaps he should have. It wasn't necessary back then, because they were already on the right path with each other. Now he wonders, again. ​]


I know. You're not my job. And I sure as shit ain't your therapist. Don't got a single obligation to be in your corner, either, for the record.

[ Sam shrugs a shoulder, knocks the back of his hand lightly against Bucky's shoulder.

Do you think you came with the shield, passed on like a package deal? Do you think Steve is the sole reason I'm tolerating you? ]


This place is a powder keg, and it's throwing shit at you sideways. That includes me, that includes Steve, and that includes the entire local lack of charm. You don't gotta have the answers. But you got me in that messy corner of yours one way or another. Tough deal I know - I come in a package deal with Redwing and shitty nicknames.
usurpurr: ([s5] 52)

[personal profile] usurpurr 2021-05-23 07:17 am (UTC)(link)
[As soon as he opens his mouth, Catra's patience is already shot. Her eyes narrow in a suspicious glare, and behind her, her tail gives one long and irritated flick.]

Who cares what it looks like? [Rhetorical question, don't answer it, Catra already unwillingly has a few names springing to mind.] What did you do?
freightcars: (165)

[personal profile] freightcars 2021-05-23 07:24 am (UTC)(link)
( It's an excellent question to ask, and the answer won't be simple or healthy.

He puffs out a breath that might actually be a laugh, if you squint. Drops his eyes to the shield, and then back to the targets for a contemplative second.

He appreciates the sentiment. Appreciates the validation, that he's not a total basket case for feeling overwhelmed by everything hitting all at once. Sam from the future, Steve from the past, being on another goddamn planet. He wasn't in great shape to start with.

You got me in that messy corner of yours.

It plucks a string.
)

I had three sisters growing up.

( He says finally, turning his attention back to the targets. Gears up, then spins the shield out again. Easier to talk with this little preoccupation. )

Helped look after them, helped raise 'em. Then I was looking after Steve, practically a full time job. Then I was looking after my men...

( A shift, a conceding shrug. )

Jim- Morita, he... started calling me Nanny Barnes. Stuck for a while.

( Over there in the middle of nowhere in France, or in Germany, or wherever they were backpacking in the war. Check in on Dugan. Make sure he had enough smokes. Make sure Dernier remembered to eat. Got in a bar fight for Gabe in Austria over somebody saying the wrong word at the wrong time. )

Spent so much of my life looking out for somebody else, guess I never really got good at... figuring out how to focus on myself.

( Made it way, way too easy to focus on the shield instead. That's part of why he's been looking for answers elsewhere. Part of why it's so hard to let things go. Part of why he's been saying I'm going with you this whole time. )
wittingly: (Aɴᴅ sʜᴇ sᴄʀᴇᴀᴍs)

[personal profile] wittingly 2021-05-23 07:32 am (UTC)(link)
( Sorry Catra, guy's unflappable. Other people's irritation rolls right off him like water off a duck. He even breathes out a rolling chuckle, absently palming his chest. )

I've been calling it matter duplication in my head. I can... kind of make copies of things. Simple things, nothing... huge or complicated. Shirts, tools...

( He nods his head toward the care packages. )

I planned on upping the supply count as much as I could, I think clothes and hygiene supplies should be doable.
figlia_morbida: ([promises promises])

Trish Una | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

[personal profile] figlia_morbida 2021-05-23 08:59 am (UTC)(link)
HATCHING

[As before, swimming and clawing her way out of a gooey egg has Trish shouting her displeasure even with her limbs too heavy to move.

Otherwise, she's slinging slime from her clothes and hair onto the cell floor, less than careful of who might be sitting nearby, seemingly with a renewed energy found between the disgusting squelches of slime between her fingers, and the anxiety of decidedly not being anywhere in Italy, not anymore.
]

Whoever put me in that egg is going to pay with their life! Look at me, look at this! I'll never complain about being a boy again, at least they were dry!

[Her comments are extremely odd ones to make, to be sure.]

THEATRE

A.

[For Trish, several of the recruitment branches are either out of her element or entirely unappealing, with medical care the former and sanitation the latter. But she needs to do something and finds herself at the theatre. It's saturated in a color and cheer that's absent from the rest of the camp, strikingly so, and the smiling thespians and cadres of children are equally unique.

She gets dragged aside immediately, complaints dense on her lips, and she's left to paint the faces of children for a play of theirs, because her face is painted too in a way, and she should be good at it, right? No, her tigers and zebras are minimalist in design, but the kids don't care, turning to growl at each other anyway when she's done, predators all.

No, Trish isn't exactly enjoying herself, not until she blithely watches the adults on stage discussing an improv play, and wanders over, considering aloud. What about a monologue? With a musical aspect?

And she takes up a bowl and length of cloth, tossing the cloth about her shoulders and placing the bowl on her head, starting an impromptu story about a mysterious stranger arriving to town, stalking the length of the stage as if to make her steps the beat of the story itself. The thespians toss her questions to keep the story going, ever helpful.

There's guns and kidnappings and the Woman with No Name riding into danger, and it's very clearly a reimagining of a Fistful of Dollars with massive creative liberty. At a critical point, and with a few kids clinging to her skirt and giggling, Trish recounts how the woman had no semblance of happiness, trying to change a world all alone, caught in the strife with everyone else.
]

Look around...everywhere you turn is heartache.

It's everywhere that you go.

You try everything you can to escape the pain of life that you know.

When all else fails and you long to be...somewhere better than you are today.

I know a place where you can get away...!

It's called a dance floor, and here's what it's for, so! Come on, let's go!

Let your body move to the music - hey, hey, hey...Come on!


[And she'll reach out to drag someone on stage to dance with her. Singing doesn't matter, if her partner isn't inclined, as she'll sing her edition of Vogue just fine, solo, pulling them along with her. And her singing isn't half bad. Strike a pose! Or end the whole thing by declining. The energy will deflate instantly, but that's fine. Trish is desperate for a break.]

B.

[If not able to find someone to hassle, she'll bend to dance with one of the kids, trading hands and spinning them until they're too dizzy to cling to her, but if they're having so much fun, surely anyone can?

Or, if preferred, she wouldn't mind a partner for her play. At any point prior to her closing musical, Trish will close her free hand into the flesh and bone facsimile of a gun, levelling it at any fellow hatchling wandering by because she's not going to entertain alone! Not forever, god no. In her best faux Western voice:
]

I don't recognize your face. You from around these parts?

[Theme doesn't matter. Be a witch or a machine, she's a fashionista cowboy with nondescript animals clinging to her. This play makes no sense!]

C.

[For anyone content to watch (cowards), eventually her singing fades, the mysterious stranger rides to lands unknown, and the kids scatter to play more or nap, leaving Trish sitting on the makeshift stage, exhausted. Anyone who happened to be watching gets an especially pinched expression.]

You don't have to say it. That was embarrassing.

[ EXTRA

You will never catch her:

In the communal showers. At least, undressed. She will bathe with her clothes on and stomp out afterwards like the world's soggiest Prince Album. A towel isn't going to do much for a strategy like that, but it's what she's left with! She's too private to deign to this!

You can catch her:

In the mess hall, eating and enjoying it as much as anyone else. She looks ill, honestly. Even travelling in Mr. President afforded better food, and they never found out if the turtle came with the fridge or if someone installed it. Awful. At least the food from outside the room was legitimate!! She's otherwise present in all areas at least once, driven by curiosity.

OR: WILDCARD

I am open to anything! Any permutations of these prompts included! Trish is sort of distant at the moment but she's not opposed to conversation or commentary. Handwaving prior introductions or remarks on seeing her around are perfectly fine!]
unclesam: ((103))

[personal profile] unclesam 2021-05-23 09:01 am (UTC)(link)
[ Sam nods, because... well, yeah. He gets that.

To the rescue?
Always.


He sure knows how to pick 'em. And if Sam were any better at doing this himself, he might share. But he's better at opening doors to others than at opening up himself.

Wonders quietly, if Bucky's sisters are still alive. If he looked them up. If they had any children of their own that Bucky knows about. Or if he chose not to look, because sometimes not knowing is easier.

Sam thinks of Sarah, his little sister who is now technically older than him. Thinks of how he always wanted to protect her, and never realized how staying strong for her kept him strong for himself, too. Thinks of their parents dying, of Sarah's late husband. Of trying to fix the boat, trying to help secure a loan, trying so much just to find one thing he could fix, just to find one thing he could save, after failing to save so much else.

Thinks of Riley, of late night arguments 'cause Sam always made sure he was the first one in the Falcon prototypes. Riley'd thought Sam was trying to push him to the side for the benefit of his own career. Dumbass didn't suspect what was happening until EXO-03 malfunctioned so badly it nearly took out Sam's spine, and figured it out when EXO-04 in turn almost burned all the skin off Sam's back. Thinks of failing anyway, when Riley was shot out of the sky.

Thinks of going into counselling, because it was easier to help others get through their grief and ptsd than process his own alone.

Thinks of coming back to life to find his life in shambles, Natasha dead, Steve pressing a burden onto his shoulders he never asked for and then leaving him behind with nothing but ruin and loss and grief and a legacy he felt unfit to handle. Thinks of how he threw himself into contract work with the Air Force because it was better than going home to Delacroix and lying still in his bed with his thoughts, 'cause at least then he was still helping someone, saving people, doing something outside of himself.

Thinks of unanswered text messages, because making sure Bucky knew someone was still out there thinking of him was easy in a way saying 'I'm losing it, I need to talk to someone who gets it, I'm alone, too' would never be.

Thinks of Karli saying to come alone and Bucky saying 'I'm going with you', and something slotting into place he hadn't really known he needed to feel before. ]


Yeah. People like us kinda suck at that.

[ Sam catches the shield on the right. ]

Back at the VA, when I counselled vets... I remember there were so many pamphlets. They said things like 'Give yourself the same care & attention that you give to others' or 'The most important relationship is the one you have with yourself'. Personally, I hated them. Slogans like that apply to very few people.

[ He holds the shield for a moment, just weighs it on his arm, then glances at Bucky. ]

Sometimes, taking care of your sister and watching her thrive is how you take care of yourself best. 'cause if you show up for people, they show up for you, too, in whatever way they can, even if it's only a laugh or a goddamn hug or the fact that they simply exist and let you exist with them. And if it's good, then it's really good. But they don't show up for you? They don't got your six when you got theirs, or they die, or they leave?

[ He throws the shield. Goes for three targets, close together. ]

Of course the floor drops out under you. Of course you're hurting and angry.
unclesam: ((133))

[personal profile] unclesam 2021-05-23 09:06 am (UTC)(link)
His name's Redwing.

[ That'd be about the moment Sam makes his entrance, airborn on metal wings. He touches down on the ground lightly, hands slightly up to indicate he's not here for trouble. As the wings fold it on themselves until they disappear from view, Redwing whirs closer again, hovering over Sam's shoulder. ]

Sorry 'bout that. He's set to disengage if encountering non-hostile obstacles. How'd you hold him?
figlia_morbida: ([halcyon and on])

[splatoon voicefont] woomy....also ii!

[personal profile] figlia_morbida 2021-05-23 09:16 am (UTC)(link)
[Trish was told they were being given packages, packages with desperately needed supplies, and she came without a second thought, clutching hers to her chest when the commotion starts.

Ah.

Her stomach churns, but the strange man's timing saves her from spiraling into her own head for the moment, at least. She blinks owlishly at the jacket he holds out, gaze then dropping to the loose, green shirt (clearly a man's size) draped over her arm, which she...

Trish swallows, offering it to him, head turned away.
]

Just take it. I don't want anything in return.

[Truthfully, the way this guy seems unbothered by what's going on isn't wholly unfamiliar to her. As ill as she feels, she finds she doesn't surrender her whole package to him.

Razors, toothbrushes...things like that weren't nearly as personal as clothes, and she couldn't imagine snagging on someone's grief by wearing it in front of them. But she's sure types like this guy and Bruno could. They were like rocks in a river, unyielding.
]

We're going to undo some good will strutting about in clothes like this, but it can't be helped, right? That's what you're going to say.

[Just in case he decides to chide her for refusing useful things like this. Clothes aren't easy to come by, surely. Not here.]
unclesam: ((71))

[personal profile] unclesam 2021-05-23 09:35 am (UTC)(link)
Apparently this place is into involuntary body decoration now.

[ Sam grimaces, then pulls the collar of his shirt down a little, gesturing at the pale lilac mark. It wouldn't be all that obvious on someone of pale skin, but Sam's skin is dark, and the colour is a very distinct contrast. ]

Ain't a bruise.

[ Obviously. ]
unclesam: ((59))

[personal profile] unclesam 2021-05-23 09:49 am (UTC)(link)
Hi hello dear mods, birdman has a few more questions for your consideration.

So Redwing's a recon drone and can scan things pretty invasively in canon (google's got nothing on redwing when it comes to breaching privacy).

1) What if anything would a scan of the lilac mark on Sam's chest reveal? Perfectly fine if the answer is a solid 'nothing', but wanted to do my due diligence and check.
2) Is it possible to interface Redwing/Sam's goggles with the Intranet? Sam's not gonna do it until what he shares doesn't go everywhere publically (which is a thing beyond his ability to meddle with) or that it wouldn't create a backdoor into someone hacking into Redwing/the goggles without Sam's control, but would it generally be possible for him to interface in any capacity, for instance in order to send input from Redwing to someone else? Again, perfectly fine if the answer is a solid 'oh god please stop'

Thanks in advance for your time <3
swordjock: (221)

mess hall, i'm sorry beedee 😢

[personal profile] swordjock 2021-05-23 11:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ Adora seems equally unbothered by the contents of her "meal", beyond a scrunched nose at the sight of the sad, sad broccoli, and generally seems too preoccupied with eating to notice much of anything going on around her. That all changes when something blue illuminates her food, and she whips her head up, startled into action. ]

Horde robot! [ She shouts, grabbing the staff from her belt, extending it, and swinging it at BD-1 like a baseball bat, before jumping on the table to scan for more threats — possibly kicking over Cal's plate in the progress. ] Are there more of them? Get behind me!

[ If the rest of the room weren't staring at the newcomers already, they are now. ]
spalten: (pic#14544816)

[personal profile] spalten 2021-05-23 01:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, I had a younger sister. We can afford babysitters for her, but I genuinely liked being an older brother.

[ which, well. he doesn't mind the shrieking of the child on his shoulders until he laughs and tells him, "alright, that's enough - go on and play with your friends, my shoulders hurt." there was some pouting, but the beast having been appeased, he releases him from his hold. ]

But no, I haven't any kids of my own. [ he ran away from such responsibilities ... though that life feels like forever ago. ] Nor have I raised anyone else's children.
Edited 2021-05-23 13:40 (UTC)
spalten: (pic#14899528)

[personal profile] spalten 2021-05-23 01:42 pm (UTC)(link)
I'd say that's a pretty good start.

[ vidar takes out the rest of the craft paper bundled in a sheath, and some of the leftover paint. ]

I'm Vidar, by the way.
arnaults: (014)

theater

[personal profile] arnaults 2021-05-23 01:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[ dorothea comes to an abrupt stop, looking over his shoulder at the... thing he's putting together.

this is certainly no mittelfrank, but she can't expect that. she gives the other man a bright smile, then lifts her shoulders in a little shrug. ]
I'll be honest, I'm no use with this part of the stage. Have they got you painting all of this?
arnaults: (010)

[personal profile] arnaults 2021-05-23 01:44 pm (UTC)(link)
[ dorothea definitely overhears nina at some point when she's doing some of her own coaching. her curiosity builds, and when she gets the chance, she wanders over in her direction. ]

You're good at this. Did you do something like this back in your home?
spalten: (pic#14544831)

[personal profile] spalten 2021-05-23 01:46 pm (UTC)(link)
I see. Well, in the future, people will be able to build colonies out in space beyond traveling other planets. You'll have the opportunity to travel and work outside of the earth.

[ he looks thoughtfully at the crowd. ]

All things considered, Earth is truly a unique planet in terms of being able to provide for its population. So I wonder why they had to leave in the first place.

[ back in vidar's world, most people would kill to have the opportunity to visit earth. and plenty do. ]
spalten: (pic#14899528)

[personal profile] spalten 2021-05-23 01:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, parts of it. I'm tall.

[ he gives a soft chuckle at that. ]

Did you use to work at a theatre?
neversmall: (108)

[personal profile] neversmall 2021-05-23 01:48 pm (UTC)(link)
There are things most of note to Nina in that response - one, the smile, always an encouraging sign; two, chrysalis, what the fuck; three, my people. She's on the wrong side of that division again. That is not a safe division, not for anyone, but it is an understandable division.

Her gaze follows Childe's to one of the nearby men, noting the nuances of their interaction, before returning her attention to the Captain.

"Oh, I see. Or, rather, I understand. As nice as it would be for you to be able to send us right back as abruptly as we arrived, that's not the way the world works, is it. Things are easily broken, not so easily mended." It's a problem Nina sees instantly - in order to merit help in being sent back home, she's going to have to be of use; if she's of use, why would they work to send her home? Sort that out for another day, she supposes. "Of course I have many other questions like, 'Who are you people?' and 'What's a Chrysalis?' and 'Do you intend to keep us in those cells for long?', but I'm sure there were things you wanted to ask me? And thank you for the strange baths, by the way, that goo was vile."
unclesam: ((103))

[personal profile] unclesam 2021-05-23 02:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He takes the canteen back and drinks from it himself before putting the cap back on and placing it nearby. In her reach, if she wants more. His gaze flickers to the boy, then back to her. ]

Ain't gonna pretend I understand it, but that took a lot out of you, huh?

[ Magic the way Dr. Strange and his people use it looks easy. Wanda too, though with her he knows there's strain to control the flow of energy. It's all a lot more flashy than this, though. ]