may mod plot log

[savmods]

Who: Everyone
When: May 7 to May 31th
Where: Thisavrou + New Worlds
Warnings: none in the description; please label your headers where appropriate!

thisavrou monthly info ( the tmi )

⋆ All information is current as of day 27 (May 7). There are 100 days in a cycle, and the current cycle started on April 11.

⋆ Storm Update: On day 29 (May 9), the typical structure of the storm surrounding Thisavrou seems to shift visually with the clouds and intermittent flashes of lightning forming new patterns. At the same time, Ingress technicians detect a strange energy signature emanating from the facility at low levels, almost like a leak. There is no obvious effect at first, but by the end of the day, that energy begins to flow across Kauto and Chioni with curious results.

Residents of the planet will soon discover that they have acquired strange superhuman (or superbeing, for those who aren't human) powers. Those who are particularly social or who have been around for a long time may realize that these powers resemble abilities wielded by those who have come through the Ingress in the past, or even those who have never set foot on Thisavrou but are from the same world as someone who has.

Effects of the odd energy vary – people may discover they can read minds, cast magical spells, or have become invulnerable. These powers may also replace ones they already have. The level of control is just as unpredictable—someone may be a natural with their new abilities, or be in great need of a tutor!

By day 33 (May 13 OOC), the effect has faded, and the technicians soon decide to restrict the days that the Ingress is active going forward.

[[For more information, check out this OOC post!]]

⋆ While Kauto has always been known for its temperate climate, the slow changes have accelerated as the onslaught of the storm around Thisavrou shifts. A noticeable drop in temperature from the norm finds the planet settling at an alarming 54° F / 12° C during the day. And at night, temperatures fluctuate between this and 40° F / 4° C. All residents who tend crops will discover that some plants and other vegetation have withered without the warmer temperatures. An evacuation of all scientists and researchers on Chioni will be announced within the month due to its incredibly unstable surface temperature of -60° F / -51 C during the day and -150° F / -101° C at night. Access to some of the furthest burgs have been restricted until further notice because of this.

⋆ Savrii Notices:

As recently made public in Deputy TOD’s broadcast, a foreign presence has infiltrated Thisavrou using the bodies of its recent travelers. Presumed both intelligent and hostile, the contaminant has prompted a rapid response from the Savrii. Testing and Decontamination Centers have been established on Kauto and Chioni, and all persons who have traveled off-world in the last two cycles are called to present themselves for examination.

The basic procedure will last about six hours: medical tests, technical analysis, and a high-powered chemical wash designed to “make any stowaways run screaming”. All of this in addition to prolonged questioning as to their recent points of contact both on Thisavrou and outside. Parties who demonstrate cause for concern (including, of course, acknowledged contact with the contaminant) will be flagged in the Savrii’s database and required to return for twice-weekly visits to continue the procedures. Other than the phantom emptiness described previously, characters will feel no side effects of their exposure at this time. They may, however, find casual passerby avoiding them after a visit. Medical secrecy only goes so far against fear of plague, and that chemical wash also stains most creatures a cheery yellow-green.

Whatever its effect on your life personally, the social effects of the incursion are difficult to miss. Whispers and fear turn to paranoia and full-blown fights, and Thisavrou's population centers are packed with heated debates about safety versus exploration-- or sometimes, versus the explorers themselves. A small black-market trade in preventative medicine (real or otherwise) has sprung up, and rumors claim that the full list of infected persons can be bought too: by those who have the right connections and a lot of cash to pay.

Combating this upswing of violence and disorder? Thisavrou's intermediaries. Combination police force and negotiators, the intermediaries have always been crucial to the rule of law on Thisavrou. Recent events, however, have seen them advertising their presence more: some wearing a strip of silver cloth to mark their status and availability to help. If approached by one, characters will experience a supernatural sense of calm. They will find their concerns met with sympathy and understanding... but somehow also the exact right words to talk all parties down. Whether that means persuading your neighbor to leave you out of his conspiracy theories or explaining why you need to report in for testing... well, that depends on you.

Following the opening of travel to the planet Deslora, an unscrupulous individual smuggled back clownbee larvae. In the weeks since, the clownbees have become a mildly invasive species in certain areas of Region 3. Victims of clownbee stings report an irresistible urge to smear garish makeup across their faces and the need to consume as much sugar as possible. Citizens are cautioned to listen for telltale sounds of buzzing and honking, and be wary.

An organization that purchased samples from the planet Aueia several months ago is opening an exhibit at a museum in Region 1. Those who participated in gathering objects from the planet, as well as any who care to attend, are invited to attend a small opening reception for the exhibit, where they will be presented with a small gift from an ardent lover of that world's wildlife: a small whale carving made of stone with mild psychic properties. When touched with bare hands, the holder will receive a mental picture of someone who means a great deal to them, with perfect clarity, as if they saw them just a moment ago.

⋆ Mission notices have been posted to TABs for anyone interested in earning a little extra cash. Available missions are listed below:

Day 28 (May 8th) - While recent events have been difficult, the Department of Ingress Contingency Coordination is impressed by the rapid response of all Savrii in coming together to ensure public safety. A few holdouts, however, are rumored to be hiding their conditions-- and thereby putting not only themselves, but the entire population at risk. The department will therefore offer a reward of 100 sencs to citizens willing to report these cases, with an additional 200 senc bonus if the persons involved have been directly exposed to the contaminants. As Deputy TOD puts it, "you're only SAVING EVERYONE'S LIVES".

Day 36 (May 16th) - EN-Line systems throughout Thisavrou have begun to suffer a strange outbreak of mechanical failures that are leaving commuters by the wayside. Rumor claims some of Chioni's insectoid residents might be to blame. The Savrii will pay 50 sencs to anyone capable of confirming the problem, and 300 to anyone who solves it.

---

ingress travel info

⋆ Signatures are the base reason for traveling through the Ingress (aside from general exploration and monetary gain) and are used to discover the correct world visitors on Thisavrou wish to return to. Every visit through a different Ingress brings the technicians a little closer to finding it.

⋆ Missions are jobs or specific tasks listed on the TAB once new worlds are open for exploration. Be sure to check if Clearance Levels are required to accept some of these missions.

⋆ Clearance Levels are given to visitors for the length of time they have been on Thisavrou (or traveling on the Moira). Each CL offers access to certain things or incentives that others will not have. As of this month, security will be in place outside the Ingress to ensure no clearance violations occur.

⋆ The Ingress powers Thisavrou in every way: economically, socially, and as a literal source of light and heat. However, between the biohazard incident and the recent escalation of the storms, the hazards of free travel can no longer be ignored. As a result, on May 10, the Ingress will be sealed against intrusion.

While sealed, Ingress travel must be directly controlled by the technicians. Instead of directing the open channel of the Ingress, technicians will be opening access to specific worlds, and closing it immediately after. As a result, traveling parties will have certain timeframes to leave and to return. Missing your schedule can result in being stranded offworld until the next travel period comes. Additionally, no new arrivals will be able to appear while Thisavrou's Ingress remains sealed. ((For OOC ramifications, check out the new app schedule!))

* Due to the closure and a recent push for regulation, no new worlds will be opened for exploration at this time. However, travel to established worlds will still be permitted, especially by individuals who have made contact there before. This opens up the opportunity for...

---

Revisiting Old Haunts

⋆ Although the visit to Escoria was brief, wet, and unpleasant for most, others found new inspiration-- or old ties. A group of Region Four's Gorgóna have spent the last month researching their long and complicated family history and believe they have traced their ancestors directly to a clan of Escoria's more aggressive waterfolk. The Gorgóna are willing to pay 100 sencs to every individual who will assist in escorting them to their lost kin-- and making sure all parties survive the reunion long enough to celebrate. As their last encounter with the Savrii was strictly hostile, this is both a security mission and an opportunity for diplomacy-- and consequently, all travel groups require one member of Clearance Level 2 or higher to come with.

⋆ As many concerns have been brought up about the risks of their own Ingress travel, the Savrii are united in one certainty: that manipulation of the Ingress by other parties poses a far greater risk. A colony buried in the ruins of Thiri has been discovered engaging in their own in-depth studies on the use of Ingress energy. The Savrii consider this behavior to be a threat to the stability of all universes, and as with the Midway Hub, intervention is required at any cost.

A team is being sent to destroy all research data and technology onsite, along with anyone who interferes. As the colony's population is expected to interfere in its entirety, full combat gear will be provided to all volunteers. The mission will be supervised by high-clearance Savrii, and pay 250 sencs to each volunteer. All volunteers must be of at least Clearance Level 3, or personally vouched for by someone who is.

⋆ A year ago (by their local calendar), one of Thisavrou's established trade partners was approached by a pirate ship, one that had stolen from their world before. When the ruse was discovered, they attempted to force out the invaders, and in doing so, suffered a tragedy beyond proportion: the loss of an entire world.

Caducus Primary is no more. The mission announcement also notes that their sister planet, Caducus Secondary, also suffered massive losses in their efforts to force reparations from the murderers. On Day 35 of the current cycle (May 25th), a gathering is being held in the field of shattered glass where Caducus Primary was, to piece together a monument to the fallen. Thisavrou has pledged to send a delegation to assist. The pay will be minimal (30 sencs, to cover a missed workday), but this mission is open to all clearance levels.

[[ooc: For questions, comments, or additional information, check out the OOC post here.]]

Comments

Agent Texas

[a_shadow]

    ☄ SUPERPOWERED

i. Between the dreams she's been experiencing at night and the strange things she's been experiencing during the daytime, Tex has been starting to wonder if she's going a bit mad. She posted something to the network to probe for other people's experiences, especially those who think they've been able to hear other people's thoughts, but for now she's stuck dealing with things as they come to her.

The only way she knows of to deal with things, though, is to proceed like everything is normal, even when she is responding to thoughts people have left unspoken. And it's not long before she notices her own will seems to influence others—when she puts particular amounts of concentration into projecting her thoughts onto some other person, she witnesses a strange red mist projecting in front of her, and then the person seems confused and changes their mind. Obviously, this is nothing to take lightly, and she is sort of horrified that it's happening at all. She doesn't have any desire to subsume someone else's will. She had that happen to her enough in her lifetime to know what a horrible thing that is.

ii. From there, her newfound abilities, if that's what they are, seem to escalate. She finds that she can manipulate objects at will, without touching them. But the abilities, all of them, are spotty and inhibited. She's not good at using them. And sometimes, things seem to happen without her even trying to do it on purpose. She might move the sugar shaker at the coffee shop at a simple whim, or pick up a fallen object by simply looking at it. It's just as likely that she'll get angry and cause a nearby window to shatter, though. It turns out, it's not always beneficial.

    ☄ EN-LINE REPAIRS

As soon as Tex hears what's going on with the EN-Line system, her curiosity is piqued. She wants to look into the problem and be the one to solve it. The fact that she'd get paid a bonus for solving it is a plus, but not her only motivation. There's also the satisfaction of solving the problem for so many people, and receiving the credit in front of everyone as well. She's there early on the first day, then, and investigates the damage and what needs to be done to repair it.

"This looks like damage from those scraplet things," she mutters to herself as she probes into the systems. The metal-eating creatures had caused damage to her robot body back when they had been on the Moira, and she's never forgotten the fear that they may return.

    ☄ DECONTAMINATION

"Goddamn, what is taking so long?" Tex arises and paces the length of the waiting room, then picks another chair over there to sit in. There are a number of people here also waiting to have their treatments done, and it's no wonder, with hoe much time it takes and all the ridiculous rigmarole there is about it. She's been bright greenish yellow ever since her first treatment and all she wants is to get this over with so the color will go away. She doesn't consider herself vain, but...there are some standards.

"Is it just me or is this taking way too much of time out of our schedules?" she asks a person who happens to be sitting nearby. She could be fixing something, or doing something else useful.

[a_shadow]

    ☄ CLOSED TO RYUUZAKI

If there's one person she's not able to hide anything from, it's Daniel. They both awoke the night of the shared nightmare, and she doesn't think the fact that she's been dreaming more consistently ever since has escaped him. So when she begins to experience the ability to hear other people's thoughts, he's the first to know about that, as well.

The way it comes about seems innocuous enough. They arise early, as they typically do, and as they get dressed and prepare breakfast, she realizes he's feeling unusually chatty. She smiles at him when he makes a comment about how lucky he is, and later, when she's making the coffee, he shoots her a compliment about how good her ass looks in the little shorts she wears to bed. At that point she abandons what she's doing to turn around and approach him, putting her arms around his neck. She's more than flattered; she's proud of attracting his attentions like that, and prepared to go so far as to restructure her schedule for the day, if he's interested in a morning rendez-vous.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" she says, her tone teasing.

Super power party!

[notglitching]

By now, Rinzler more or less assumes strange status effects are a constant of the user world. Certainly, he's never been to any place that didn't have them. Still, that doesn't make it any more welcome, especially when so many of them seem to involve interfering with what makes him run. He'd been recharging when the sensation hit: a curious weakness, a lag, like the gnawing helplessness of drain. But his levels were fine.

Contaminated power? Maybe, and he'd stopped the draw of energy in case. But scans couldn't read anything wrong, and contamination didn't account for the strange, eager buzzing in the back of his mind. A whisper just past detection, a ready, coiled hum, waiting to be used. Not energy the way he knows it. But something different. Something else.

He doesn't like it. He doesn't wait. Certainly, Rinzler doesn't stop to check the network, exiting his rooms and making for Clu's at a quick pace. He isn't expecting to encounter Texas in the hall, though her presence doesn't surprise him—her living space is on the way. But he doesn't expect it to matter, isn't looking to converse or interact. Can't see any reason why she would.

After all, it's not like she can hear his quiet, panicked loops of processing.

Right?

powers ii

[lavelly]

Lavellan is not in the best of moods himself. Not least of which because he woke up with his magic gone and something entirely alien in their place, but also because he has no idea who stole his powers in the first place. (This is conclusion he has come to, that they've been stolen.)

Maybe if he was less distracted, less focused on trying to control his own newfound powers, he would have seen it coming. But he doesn't, and a nearby window shatters by his head as he jumps about five feet in the air.

He doesn't recognize the woman he whirls on; after all, the last time he saw her, she was in full armor. He struggles not to come out with anger, since it's likely not her fault, and they're all struggling right now. But he does not need this.

He manages to press most of the irritated waver out of his voice.

"Having difficulty?"

powers ii

[infailtration]

York has been preoccupied to say the least. He's well aware of what's going on with people getting new or different powers, but hasn't tried to track which friends of his have what, which is why he still reaches out to Tex now. If he'd been following the network, or even keeping up with anyone, he'd have known that this wasn't the best idea...

You up for dinner tonight?

Asriel Dreemurr | ota

[pleasereset]

[Decontamination]



[The decontamination process wasn't as horrific as Asriel was imagining, but after a couple of hours, it was still unpleasant. He's been poked and prodded at enough, gone through several medical tests, washed with a strange smelling liquid that's left his fur...

Bright yellow green.

And apparently, that wasn't all the medical tests there were. He's sick of them by now, he wants to go home. He's currently slumped in a chair, an unhappy expression pasted on his face. He half wonders if he can just slip out without anyone noticing, but probably not...]

[Around Kauto, Post-Decontamination]



[After a grueling six hours of tests, Asriel's finally released after being cleared of any deadly diseases. While he doesn't feel great, it is a relief knowing that there's nothing alive inside of him. Right now he's exhausted, and he just wants to go home.

Unfortunately, getting home doesn't go as smoothly as he hopes. If someone comes across him, they might find him backed into a corner by a couple of angry Kauto residents.]

"It's one of those diseases carriers! I saw 'em coming out of the tents!"

N-no, I'm not! I'm not sick!

"What the hell are you walking around for?! You're gonna make the rest of us sick!"

I'm not sick anymore-!

[Help a kid out?]

Post-Decontamination

[mttbrandlegs]

Incredibly rude of you, to corner a child who went and got himself treated like he ought to have done.

[The voice that comes from behind the group is loud, overtly imperious, and more than a little threatening. With his arms crossed, one foot forward and looking far taller than his actual height with the way he looks down on the antagonistic residents is Mettaton.

While not fully sober, he's sober enough to put on a hell of a cold facade.]

Come, Asriel. Don't waste time with this panicking rabble. I'll escort you home.

Nathan Drake | Mainly open

[sketchycharacter]

[ powered up/out and about ]

[Nate's destroyed plenty of things before, sure, or just been around for the destruction. But he's usually prepared for it to happen, or at least understands what's going on when it does. The first time he makes a normal gesture and accidentally throws a fireball? Not so much.]

Oh crap!

[The lightning bolts are even worse. He's not about to go hide in a cave, though, so for the duration of whatever the hell is happening, people should just...watch out for weird elemental magic coming from the panicked-looking guy here.]

[ old haunts - no previous CR necessary ]

[For the most part, theft pays the bills. But good jobs pay the bills, and Nate like a little variety in his life. So when he hears someone's looking for a high clearance level to be part of their travel group, he's more than willing to offer his services for a reasonable fee.]

[ a vision from the past - closed to the brothers Drake ]

[Nate likes museums. Robbing 'em, visiting 'em, it's all good. Nate only made brief visits to Aueia, but he's interested enough in the exhibit to drop in when he hears about it. And a free gift, the neat little carving? Sure, why not. It's better than a cheap tote bag.

The first time he touches it, he'd have dropped it in surprise if his fingers hadn't reflexively constricted around it. He leaves the reception abruptly, heading straight home and sending a message to his brother and his younger self that they should come over tonight.]

[ choose your own adventure ]

[ooc; I'm open to a lot; hit me up at the CR meme or elsewhere and let's do something!]

~sorcerer!Drake

[el_paso]

[ Okay so, he had to leave the house eventually. Supplies don't buy themselves. Logan has been pretty low-grade pissed for a host of reasons today though, so when a fucking fist-sized fireball goes zipping past him in the market, he's a bit done.

His new ears flat to his head, sharp teeth bared, Logan turns toward the fire's source with a chest-rumbling growl. ]

Watch where you point that fucking shit.

[ Oh, wait. He knows this guy. Those ears perk up, inquisitive, his short, fluffy tail swishing uncertainly- and that just feels bizarre as hell. Clipped, ]

Drake?

kurt wagner [nightcrawler] ❧ ota

[shadowblends]

❧ give me the burden, give me the blame

[Any announcements being made about decontamination are ignored on the teleporter's end; he's dealt with his fair share of uncomfortable prodding and if he's got the choice, he won't go through anymore. Admittedly, he feels sorry for those that have to do it and end up walking around with newly acquired yellow skin, fur or et cetera for however long.

It makes him wonder if he should be there with them, since he had gone off-planet when Deslora had been opened up to them. Regardless of that, Kurt goes about his business, either moseying around Region One to collect supplies for the house or get things that he finds he likes for his room, spending his twenty to thirty hours a week with the hospital he works at, or maybe he's even traipsing around the Ingress Complex in search of anyone he might know visiting the same area as himself at the time.]

❧ i'll shoulder the load and i'll swallow the shame (after may 9th)

[Kurt's grown used to wandering around in his 'human' form now that he's adapted to his new shapeshifting abilities a little better. He doesn't have full control all of the time, but he's not phasing through hundreds of shapes throughout the day, unable to stop the morphing, no matter how hard he tries.

He'd gotten ridiculously excited about discovering these new powers before a wave of nostalgia washed over him - memories of Raven and Hank and their blue forms, how they'd been proud to be themselves. Like he'd used to be about his own natural mutant appearance.

His features twist with shame, head dipping as he adjusts the strap of the messenger bag hanging over his shoulder and attempts to shuffle his armful of books around.

Either you are fast enough to get out of the way or you're equally distracted, which ends with Kurt accidentally bumping shoulders with whomever he's passing by, causing some of the items to fall before he can catch them.] Ach, I'm sorry! [he exclaims, kneeling to begin picking things up, his head lifting to glance up at the person he'd run into with a sheepish grin.] I should probably watch where I'm going a little better.

❧ don't take that sinner from me (wildcard)


[ooc: hit me with anything! .^. or you can pm this account OR message me at 'hyuuchiha' on plurk!!]

[seeingscarlet]

[A blur whizzes past him. Scarlet catches the items for a split second...but Wanda herself skids past Kurt and crashes into a wall, dropping everything to the ground.

How did Pietro manage? Not well at first, from what she remembers, but was it this bad? Maybe the only reason it wasn't was because Strucker had locked them both up and there wasn't much room to run.]

Areyouall- [Aaaaaaand that would not be talking at a normal human speed. Wanda stops, makes a face, and takes a deep breath.] Are you all right?

[She's overenunciating but it's better than the alternative at least?]

Laura (mostly ota)

[coercive]

☆ zoom zoom
[It really doesn't take long for Laura to discover that she has super speed. She's always running around somewhere, and after the storm passes she takes the first chance she can get to run wild and free. Having just moved into the farmhouse with her father, there's plenty outside for her to explore. She's in the middle of running around the acreage when she kicks things into gear and starts to really move. She doesn't even notice she's lacking her own usual mutant abilities just yet. All that she cares about is that she's incredibly fast.

She runs and runs, a blur rushing past, until she gets tired and comes screeching to a halt in the middle of region one. The marketplace is packed and bustling, and her skidding to a stop has her plowing right into someone. If they're not good at staying balanced, they might wind up falling into the nearby stall.

Laura, of course, is always helpful.]

Watch where you are standing!

☆ bumps and bruises
[It doesn't take too long for her to realize that her healing isn't working. With the introduction of super speed comes a loss of the power that keeps her safe with how rough and reckless she is. It only takes her a few hours running around like crazy before she winds up hurting herself. After climbing up and then slipping down a tree in the middle of exploring, she ends up with scraped knees and gashed up palms. It doesn't heal right away, and Laura is introduced to lingering pain.

She knows what pain feels like, but it's usually fleeting. The fact that this pain isn't hasn't gone away has Laura screaming at her hands and knees like they're the enemy. She shuffles her way toward someone who looks like they might have something to help her clean up. If she wipes the blood off on her clothes, she'll end up with yet more ruined things. And she doesn't want to cost her dad more money than she already does. Apparently, her running around in dirty and bloody clothes isn't an option.]

What is best at making blood go away?

[It's an awkward question but she's never really had to deal with caring about this sort of thing before.]

☆ emotional breakdowns are hard to do (closed to close cr)
[Back home at the farmhouse, Laura's having a little self-loathing anger. She doesn't know why her power is different now, and she doesn't understand why her healing isn't working. She's cleaned up after playing around outside all day, but her busted knees and palms are still throbbing and bloodied. In a fit of rage that she's never been good at controlling, Laura screams at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.

Without thinking, her claws bust free from her knuckles so she can slam them against the glass. The sound of the mirror shattering can be heard from a good distance away, as can the scream that tears out of her when she retracts her claws and the pain is searing. This is a tantrum, plain and simple, but she doesn't exactly have the emotional capacity to deal with this without having one.]

☆ little showoff (closed to Carl Grimes)
[Once she's all bandaged up and feeling back to her usual self, Laura ventures back outside to run around and explore the new region she lives in. There's plenty of other farms here, a seemingly endless expanse of them. But there's a farm not too far off from her own home that catches her interest. It had been right after moving in that she was exploring the land and had noticed a boy relatively close to her own age outside. She hadn't done anything about her curiosity at the time, but now that she can run like the wind she figures that it's time to make her presence known.

He's outside once again when he feels a strong breeze blow over him. It's Laura, running past. She does this a few more times before coming to a stop behind a tree. He's close enough that when she peers out from around the trunk she knows he'll have to see her. Without knowing who he is or what kind of person he is, she's a little speechless at the moment.

So she lowly whistles so he'll have to look over and see that she's there. She really wants to try and make a friend.]

~breakdown

[el_paso]

[ He's outside when he hears the scream- pitched, outraged, a wail that grips him firmly by the gut. What now? Between the wilting wheat and his new animal accoutrements, what the fuck else can go wrong?

So much more. ]

Laura? Laura!

[ There's glass in the hall, mirror shards that skittered out onto the dark wood. They crunch underfoot when he hurries into the bathroom, his stupid fluffy ears cringing at the racket. Broken mirror, angry, bloodied child- it's not hard to put one and two together. ]

What the hell happened?

Wanda Maximoff (crau) | open

[witchweird]

1. Not singin' just dancing in the snow

Wanda walks home through a neglected park after a long day of trying to track down the specific breed of glowbug someone had asked her to find. Worry and bad feeling in region one have been high; the lurid color of decontamination is common enough on the streets to keep reminding everyone that things aren't exactly normal.

Which is why Wanda chooses to walk through the park, even though it's not a short cut. The large, dark open area is deserted; no hostile minds blasting nervousness and fear here. Except her own, wound tightly from the efforts of the day. But as she walks, Wanda finally has a chance to shake some of the tension out of her shoulders.

When she reaches the edge of the park, Wanda decides to take another round through the park before continuing, and that's when she see the footprints. They glitter, reflecting light that filters in the edges of the park. Crystal sparkle.

Wanda takes a few more steps, squinting at the footprints that have appeared on the path she just travelled, when she thought she was alone. And then she looks back and realizes that they're her own footprints, made of crystalline ice.

What?

But another few steps confirms it. Experimentally, Wanda takes a step and slides along an icy path that appears as she slides over the ground.

Another step, really getting into this. Behind her, she's leaving a line of ice, a graceful curve that makes Wanda smile. Turning, using her own powers to stabilize herself -- at least that's unchanged -- Wanda criss crosses over the line of ice, hardly able to believe this is happening. It feels like a dream.

A pleasant dream, for once, so she might as well take advantage of it.

And she's off, at first across the ground and then across the sky, twisting and whirling and leaving the evidence behind her like psychedelic 3-D ice doodles, glassy ice refracting and reflecting the red light generated along with her movements. Lava ice. Blood ice... But her hands blaze brighter and bright as she goes, the light intensifying until it's almost white, concentrated like a single torch, blazing like fire amidst the ice, bright enough to turn into rainbows when it goes through some of the ice crystals -- but then she has to land, breathing hard.

2. Wildcard.

[Wanda's most likely to be found in Region 1 or maybe in Region 3.]

open

[witchweird]

3. Anonymous Words of Protest

When Wanda heard the news about how the colony on Thiri had been attacked and destroyed by Thisavrou forces in order to stop them from using Ingress technology, the word "colony" and the word "destroyed" lodged within her, stirring up the familiar feeling of anger and helplessness, of old loyalties to her colony and watching the beginnings of a war that might destroy it. This is what war would have done to her colony, and not even noticed.

The citizens of Thisavrou were still arguing about decontamination and the proper use of the Ingress for their own purposes. Thiri was barely a footnote in the wider debate.

"It is not my colony," Wanda told herself many times. But slowly, she found that it didn't matter, and a few days later the action that she needed to take came to her. After painting her face with paint and patterns meant to evade facial recognition and putting on a hooded camouflage garment that twists into many different shapes, each hiding her true build to some extent, Wanda picks up a can of paint and goes looking -- circuitously -- for a good place to make her opinions known.

She's not an artist, so she has to settle for words, in various different locations:

"Remember Thiri Colony"

"Thiri: Never Again"

"Live and Let Live"

"Thiri: Who Made You the Judge?"

"Destruction Is Never Worth the Price"

She thinks about using her powers to fly up to even more prominent positions, but this isn't about power, only truth. This is a route that is always open, powers or no powers. This is about disappointed hopes and protesting what is bad in the world, whether or not it can be averted. In remembrance of the days before powers, Wanda keeps to the ground.

It's only when she turns for home that she even begins to think about Thiri Colony itself, not as a reflection of her own lost colony, but as a place in itself, and to wonder what it was like.

a. [If you have some way to keep her from detecting you via telepathy and hiding from you (i.e. telepathic abilities of your own, a non-biological way of thinking that she can't detect), you might catch Wanda in the act.]

[I am open to this not going Wanda's way and her not getting off scot free, but would prefer that the outcome not involve the intermediaries.]

b. [Later, at a busy time of day, Wanda returns to see whether anyone notices or reacts to the graffiti, maybe before it gets cleaned up or maybe as it's getting cleaned up.]

chara | ota | will match formats

[inconsequence]

ingress complex; may 10th

[Someone has been making inquiries. Someone has been, evidently, asking how it is that they may access one of those "old haunts" that have been mentioned. The manipulation of the Ingress poses a great risk of the safety of the people on Thisavrou, after all, and if Chara happens to have a potential ulterior motive in making those inquiries - who could say?

They can be seen approaching technicians in polite conversation, or possibly attempting to sneak past security to get a glimpse at the lists of signatures that maybe stored in any databases.

It's clear, at any rate, that the child possesses a single-minded fixation on one location in particular.]

I have reason to believe, [one might hear them saying,] that a previous encounter with a slaving Outpost may leave the inhabitants of Thisavrou in danger.

[Presumably, they have a proposition that may allow them to circumvent this potential outcome.]

en-line; may 16th

Uninterested in subjecting themself to decontamination protocols or placing themself at the alleged MERCY of those who would turn them over and over like an object in their hands, they take the potential missions as they show up on the TAB, unnecessary as they are. They are not particularly strapped for sencs, but it is something to do with their hands, and something with which they may divert their thoughts from Asriel, sick with fear and panic and probably worse, concerned about smuggling an interdimensional parasite via his genetic material.

The child can be seen walking along the EN-lines, occasionally climbing the slick metal of those that run above the ground, hand over hand. Should they find something small nesting among the wires and control pads, it will be swiftly and easily dispatched, flicked away by the scarlet-tinged blade of a Knife. Their work is quiet, abrupt, and cold.

They've no interest in drawing things out.

the black market; may 17th

Secluded alleyways and quiet whispers and more sencs than a child can reasonably be expected to spend in a responsible fashion, combined with the increasing likelihood that some sort of dangerous contaminant has begun to sweep through Thisavrou? A formula for disaster, in some cases. Something worse, in others.

They would be remiss to assume that every proposed miracle drug and cure would have the desired effect, particularly at the exorbitant prices at which those impromptu black market dealers have been touting them. Yet the decontamination protocols Asriel willingly put himself through have had next to no concrete proof of success, and there is no guarantee that further efforts will not be necessary.

And so that is how Chara ends up with their back to a wire-link fence, Knife drawn, eyes flicking between the trio of anonymous dealers. Three is not too great a number, and at the moment? They've not got better to do.

"Little shit," hisses the first, their voice curdling behind the thick cloth of a scarf they'd wound about their features, apparently to keep their identity veiled. "Think you can fucking threaten me, do you?"

Chara smiles, a rigid arch cutting into the pink of their cheeks.

Their answer will not be of the verbal nature.

wildcard; hit me with whatever idk bro idk

black market, a place of family fun and delight

[pleasereset]

Chara has a fourth person trailing them, though it's definitely not a drug dealer. Asriel saw them duck into an alleyway, but they disappeared on him too quickly for him to follow. With his curiosity piqued, Asriel explores the (extremely shady) area until he comes across four figures. One of them up against the fence, and the other three towering over them threateningly.

"Chara!"

Asriel's reaction is immediate, as he steps out with his bright green-yellow fur. Probably not a great idea for a creature with paper thin defense to call attention to himself, but hey, he's probably got them a little distracted?

The Big Sister | OTA

[handofrapture]

the too much none of us knows [superpowers: telepathy | around kauto]
[Given the Big Sister’s history, the sudden acquisition of new, seemingly superhuman powers is far from a shocking occurrence. Still, finding herself with a newfound ability without having consumed a new plasmid is unexpected. As for the nature of this new ability, well…

People passing by minding their own business might find in an unwanted guest in their own minds. A very loud, excited, potentially violent guest. The Big Sister has never experienced a time when she was both fully lucid and able to communicate. Now that she is both of those things, it turns out she has quite a lot to say.

If you happen to be one such passerby who comes within range, you may find your mind suddenly filled with thoughts not your own. Though these thoughts come in both words and images, a rough translation would be as follows:

“SOMEONE new?old? NotaSISTER. HERE can HEAR can you HEAR ME? VOICE can you hear my VOICE? SAYSOMETHINGSAYSOMETHINGSAYSOMETHING.”

This, accompanied by the very unsubtle staring of what looks to be a teenage girl stretched to a height of 6’8”. She looks expectant. Maybe even impatient. Either way, you should probably do as she asks.]

from dark water [escoria]
[It’s a sad day when the Big Sister’s newfound power fades away. She wants to go to Chioni to hunt splicers; maybe if she takes enough of their ADAM, she’ll be able to use that ability again. Unfortunately, they turn her away at the EN-Line. When their protests of “negative” and “degrees” fails to elicit anything other than a metallic growl, the operators tell her that it’s very, very cold in Chioni right now—too cold even for her. It’s disappointing, and like anything that disappoints the Big Sister, it makes her angry as well.

She chooses to accompany a few of her own region’s mermaids for a chance to vent her frustration. She doesn’t understand her role very well, only that she’s supposed to be protecting them as her charges, and protecting usually means fighting. In an ocean too, which is something of a specialty for the Big Sister.

Others who have also chosen to take the job may find themselves with a rather peculiar teammate along the way: a tall figure wearing what looks like a makeshift diving suit and helmet, the faceplate of which is currently glowing yellow. She doesn’t seem too pleased to be in a boat instead of the sea beneath it, and periodically gazes down at the waves below as if she’s considering taking a dip in the frigid waters.]

telepathy shenanigans

[seeingscarlet]

[Getting around at a normal human speed is...difficult. Wanda's doing her best to stay calm and make every movement carefully and with Purpose. It seems to be helping her not go careening off into walls, though she does turn at an inhuman speed at the psychic bombardment.

Ow.

It doesn't take long for her eyes to settle on the source. Words or thoughts? She's not sure which will be better to calm the girl down, though in the end it's the general uncertainty that is moving right now that makes the decision for her. She is not as practiced in responding in this way as she is at reading thoughts, but at least she won't have to go over there and risk making 'friends' with a bench. Or another wall.

Wanda's response is a rather red thread of thought, though it's just words: I hear you.]

Natasha Stark | OTA | Will match formats

[modelsixtythree]

Powerswap, Around Kauto (May 9-13)

After her unfortunate morning, Natasha's done her best to just go about business as usual. After an hour or so of determined practice, she's mostly been able to figure out how to keep the fires under control. At least enough not to set any more of her possessions on fire.

But maybe you've been on the EN-Line with her when one of her shoulders has spontaneously burst into flames. Maybe you've seen her in the coffee shop attempting to reach for her cup with a burning hand. She can usually dampen the blaze whenever she notices it, but her clothes are starting to look a little charred in places.

Or maybe you've seen a streak of fire across the sky, one that resolves into a woman covered chin-to-toe in skintight gold as she lands in an empty space and the flames that completely cover her fade away. As if she could resist the urge to fly without the armor for once. At least she still has her underarmor, so she doesn't have to worry about her clothing burning away.


EN-Line Mission (May 16)

Natasha might be chafing a little at her enforced downtime since she's gotten here -- going from about three full-time jobs to none is a hell of an adjustment -- so when a mission pops up involving mechanical failures, she's out the door almost before she's finished reading.

The armor's stayed at home this time, but Natasha has brought along the gauntlets, just in case she runs into something nasty. And she has wandered the line a little, keeping her eyes open, but in the end she's found herself more interested in trying to fix the damage than in finding what's causing it.

One of those damaged spots particularly draws her focus, and before long she's crouched down, one hand buried nonchalantly in a mess of occasionally sparking wires. Her gauntlets are sitting in a pile of red-and-gold metal at her feet, but she's not paying them much attention. Instead, she tries to reach for a pair of pliers at her side...

And finds them just slightly out of reach. Natasha stares down to give the offending tool a dry look, then glances up when she hears footsteps approaching. "I don't suppose you could grab that for me?"

daryl dixon ][ ota!

[worn_wings]

i. thar be whales

[ With all the fuss, Daryl's reluctant to admit he's ever traveled through the Ingress at all, even to a theoretically safe world like Aueia. But he's restless, antsy. He needs the distraction, and it's a public event, so he goes.

The first time he picks up the little carved whale he drops it, managing to fumble and catch it before it hits the ground, but he slips it into the inner pocket of his vest right after.

After that, he drifts from display to display, quiet and thoughtful. ]


ii. baby it's temperate outside

[ He might be a farmer, but Daryl is... well, not much of a farmer.

The chill weather isn't doing their crops any favors. Doesn't much matter what he does-- cover them, uncover them; less water, more water. It's cooler, and it really shouldn't be cooler right now, and the plants are withering.

Anyone passing by their farm might catch him huffing and puffing over shriveling seedlings... Or digging inexplicable holes here and there at random intervals on the lawn, near the road... Or tying sharpened stakes into place on the fencing. ]


iii. obligatory chance bumping-into-you option

[ Look, usually? He's pretty competent.

Right now, though, he's busy dodging those intermediaries, avoiding people hawking their homemade remedies and protective bullshit... Giving a decent berth to anyone bright green, just to be safe.

It's while he's craning his head to keep an eye on one of the Savrii cops and rounding a corner that he totally fails on spatial awareness, and slams straight into someone. Unfortunately the stream of cursing comes before anything approaching an apology. ]


iv. ????

[ something else? hit me, or pm if needed for arranging. <3 ]

ii

[coercive]

Where is Carl?

[She questions him as she pops up by the fence he's working near. She's standing on the road, but creeps in a little closer so she can see what he's digging holes for. She doesn't know much about farming at all, so she observes him and tries to figure out how she can go back to her dad and give him some useful farming information.]

And why are you digging?

[Maybe he's looking for something.]

Frisk | OTA

[gainedlove]

A: (De)contaminated

[In the end, it hadn't been a difficult decision for Frisk. A potential moment of pain versus the safety of everyone around them...they had gone in right alongside Asriel and submitted themself to the procedures. It was for everyone's sake, so...so it would be fine, right?]

[They're doctors. No one will know. No one.]

[Frisk makes no effort to hide their neon-colored skin and hair, and keeps quietly to themself hurrying along the street on their errands. Sideways looks, glares, whispers behind hands...it's nothing new. They can handle it.]

[Then a bottle cracks open on the ground right in front of their feet.]

"What do you think you're doing out here?! You're going to get everyone sick, you idiot!"

[Frisk freezes and looks over to the tall, ethereally slim alien that towers over them with fists clenched.]

I...'m sorry. 'M not tryin' t'--

"Oh, so you know how this thing spreads? If you know so much why don't you tell them how to fix it?!"

[Frisk shrinks in on themself, ducking their head and gripping tightly onto their sweater.]

N-no, I...they said I could...

"Said you could what, pretend like nothing is wrong? People could DIE!"

[They can handle it.]

B: Let's call this power... (May 9-13)

[So this is what it's like.]

[For the first day, it's rather hard to find Frisk. Up beyond the atmosphere, they'd spent a lot of time at the edge of the Ingress storm simply watching it, looking down at the planets below and lookingfeelingtouching the tiny pinpricks of life milling about below. For the first time in their life they feel content, at peace.]

[They aren't sure they like the cost, however. They almost forgot to be sure Chara knew they were okay.]

[The next day Frisk returns to the planet, and anyone that knows them can immediately tell they've been affected by the storm. Their skin is a pale white, and their hair has gone a light silvery color. Their eyes, held open and much more easily seen, are a bright and unnatural red. But the oddest thing is their eerie smile. It's not that it holds any malice or secrecy, but rather that it holds...nothing. Nothing at all.]

[Don't worry. They're still themself. Just...different.]

C: Reparations (May 25)

[When they heard about the mission, the choice of whether or not to go was an easy one. Deciding how they felt, however, was another matter entirely.]

[There isn't much that a small child can do to help in such a large construction project, but they do their best. Helping to carry smaller loads of materials, their boots crunching over the debris of shattered glass that goes on as far as can be seen--]

[They can smell the dust, stirring in the air as distant sounds of fighting continue.]

[The pain in their belly flows out on the floor...they can't move.]

[RESET. RESET. RESET.]

[They pause for a moment, lips pressed thin, and shake their head. Shouldn't think about it.]

decontamination frustration

[inconsequence]

[That's roughly the point in time that the harasser in question tenses as something prickles at the small of their back - a sensation suspiciously similar to the tip of a Knife being pressed surreptitiously at the meat of their back - but only for a moment.

They slip to their front, inserting themself between the pair; between neon-colored child and adversary. Their smile crease the corners of their cheeks, closed in red, head slightly to one side.

When they speak, the words are polite and serene.]

Would you care to repeat that?

Sideswipe | OTA

[redshitlord]

DECONTAMINATION IN PROGRESS
[MOST life forms, apparently include giant robots. He's glowering at his arms, right now, which are an ungodly shade of yellow. Gross. He looks like some kind of freak.]

[But... this is all going to be okay, right? This is going to work out. It's for the best. Isn't it?]

[He's standing outside the center doors, huge and lanky and eye-searing yellow. Looking down at himself, and trying to flick the coloration off his paint. It doesn't do any good. Maybe you're passing through, and he waves.]

Tell me it's not as bad as it looks...



PEACEKEEPING
[It IS as bad as it looks, apparently. Because no sooner is he out and about, wandering around, than he's seeing other people, similarly stained. And picked on. As a result. That doesn't sit well with him.]

[Maybe it's being an Autobot, or maybe, more likely, it's being seen as nothing more than a useless crook for most of his life. But Sideswipe is going to step in, literally.]

[By putting a foot down between the unfortunate yellow individual and their aggressor.]

Hey! It's not their fault! Chill out, man!

[Maybe it's you he's bailing out. Or maybe you're witnessing the poor guy try and stand up to an alien 1/5th his size.]



POWERED UP
[It's a nice, quiet morning. Probably in a nice, quiet neighborhood. Up until someone screeching electronic bloody murder goes raging through the entire area. And everyone's TAB.]

[Because Sideswipe woke up, and suddenly got his brain abruptly hooked into a bunch of tech.]

[This is not how he wanted to start the day.]

[Or week.]

[Or millennium.]



WILDCARD
[Hit me with anything, anywhere!]

PEACEKEEPING only not quite

[gh0stamidstthec0mbat]

[Whether or not Zer0 had been through the decontamination process isn't apparent, considering he's covered from head to toe pretty much all the time, but he's still hanging around the area. Maybe he's keeping an eye out for someone. Who even knows with Zer0. Either way, he seems almost indifferent to everything that's going on, pausing every now and then to watch when he comes across someone being a douche to some poor highlighter-yellow stained sucker, but not interfering. So far he hadn't come across anything that had turned violent, so he wasn't going to waste his time getting involved.

That was until he came across Sideswipe dealing with some asshole, and this whole thing suddenly got a hundred times more interesting. Or entertaining. Either way.]

You should step on him. / This guy's being an asshole, / He's earned being squished.

[Really though what kind of moron argues with a giant robot, totally squish him.]

Jamie Fraser | OTA

[brochtuarach]

Powered up;

[ There is no difference that Jamie can discern when he wakes up in the morning - he really only notices something when he goes out to repair a fence and lifts a heavy wooden post like a feather. It surprises him, but then again, he's always been strong, so not breaking a sweat is just a nice bonus.

Later in the day, he finds himself in the city, browsing the shops for useful items he can't make himself. This part of Kauto is always packed with people, of all shapes, sizes, colors, and number of limbs, but he's learned to mostly ignore it. That is, until an altercation begins to break out nearby. The anger and paranoia is palpable since the whole contamination business began, not that he pays too much attention to such things - not until someone throws a punch at him, and he ducks, dropping his package of goods. ]

Now, now, there's no need for that, [ He says in what he hopes is a quelling voice. It doesn't help, and he raises an arm to deflect another blow -

Only to send the man flying into the wall with a sickening crunch. Jamie looks flabbergasted. ]

Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Clownbees;

[ It doesn't take a genius to realize that these insects aren't ordinary. Jamie is largely unconcerned for his own physical well-being, but he's also not about to let a strange bug sting him - or get near any of his animals. In a grouchy mood today, he drops the hay he's been moving to the stables and pulls out a dagger he's picked up, pinning the damn thing to the stable wall with a glare. ]

Dinna touch my horses, ya wee devil.

[OTA] Carl's catch-all

[carltoaction]

[Honestly, there's always something that needs doing when you live on a farm. Carl probably knows this better than most people and makes a list every so often to help out around with what needs done. Of course Daryl seems to always have the animals taken care of and Carol does most of the cooking, so he does what is in between unaware of how the events of the day will effect the results.]

1) Simple supply run
[In the market is where he finds fresh fruits are the most familiar looking to him, but the best purchases are nuts, salted meats, and canned foods. His home is where survivors live and he brings reusable bags to carry around when he shops for the purpose of stocking up. He never not stands out with the bags full, eye patch, and cowboy hat on.

It goes without saying that he stands out more though when the news of an infection reaches his ear and he tries his best to avoid bumping into people more than usual. Fear of getting sick by some unknown (alien) sickness runs deep in him since the last time people he knew got sick, the odds to say the least weren't in their favor.

2) Supposedly window shopping
[Okay, maybe, this isn't so much of a chore as it is about him exploring after doing all his shopping, but he figures it works both ways. One he can look for anything else his family could use and he can take what feels like a small break.

Unfortunately, Carl sees that's not likely to happen. People are being lined up like sheep for questioning in streets, by people he isn't sure have the authority to do that either, and he decides to duck into the nearest back alley way to avoid being told what to do. In doing so he crashes bags and back first to something or someone. He doesn't let himself panic outwardly though keeping mindful that any noise may attract attention, just turns his eye to meet whoever it is.]

Sorry... You hiding too?

3) Yard upkeep or pest control
[In recent month's Carl finds he's learned all over again that yard work on a farm is more than a one person job. Steps need to be sweeped often to remove the dust that settles, fences sometimes need to be straightened in place again or replaced, the garden needs to be weeded, etc. He's usually doing a little bit every day in front of the house so it's easy for passerby to say hello.

Just be careful because those clownbees that have been appearing randomly everywhere? He's also making it his job to stab them dead and, with gloves on, throwing the ugly suckers in the direction of the road.]

4) Wildcard
[Hit me with anything you got. Or PM/Plurk to discuss ideas.]

2

[shadowblends]

[Kurt's been doing rather well at avoiding the decontamination and the people that are hunting others down for it, either by shifting into someone who's already come from the process or posing as one of the workers until he can get far enough away. This time, it just so happens that he'd been chased into an alleyway, wasting no time scaling the wall to hide until he's sure they are gone.

Once they are, the newly dubbed metamorph drops from the roof, landing easily on his feet and sparing a glance around. He breathes a sigh of relief, straightens his hunched posture and does a neat heel-turn, which ends with him colliding into someone's back.

He topples flat onto his rear, whipping his head around, mouth opening to protest before he sees who it is.] Oh, [he remarks, offering the slightest smile at the sight of his friend.] Hallo, Carl.

[And no, it hasn't quite donned on him that Carl has no idea who he is in this form. The accent should be familiar though, if that helps?]

Nihlus Kryik (Half OTA)

[beautifulspaceraptor]

A. No Makeup Makeup - Closed to close CR

After the horrifying revelation about exactly what the hell he’d vomited up, the rest of the week kind of went downhill.

For one, he is now kind of… neon. Which in and of itself wasn’t actually the worst thing in the world as far as side-effects went.

But in addition to the growing social stigma? It’d also dyed his face paint the same color as the rest of him rendering him, essentially, bare-faced.

Even worse, Chioni suddenly dipped so far below freezing it’d become uninhabitable. Which meant Saren was basically homeless.

Which meant Saren was now sharing his condo for the foreseeable future.

So Nihlus was now bare-faced. Around another Turian.

Saren probably gave all of zero fucks about it for extremely obvious reasons- but Nihlus? Nihlus is now sitting on the floor of his bathroom, meticulously stripping the ruined paint off his face.

Despite the fact that he’ll have to repeat the process all over again after the next check-in.


B. Deification - OTA

There’s… something on his head.

Nihlus stops in the middle of brushing his teeth and just stares at the glowing… key? Floating between his brows, the white gleam of it reflecting back at him in the mirror.

It’s all the warning he gets.

There’s a deafening CRACK of thunder and the world goes up in blinding, divine light and it feels like his skull had just popped open. The universe shifts-

He’s in a desert. Glowing, pale dunes stretching for an eternity until the void-black skies swallowed them up. Between them were massive, towering forms, half eaten by gathered sands, their skin rotting off, their disembodied limbs scattered around them.

In front of him he sees… his bones? And then a few meters ahead of that was the rest of that half of his... body. Both still frozen in the middle of tooth brushing, almost comically mundane.

It’s completely still, time drawing out into eternities between each second. All he can hear is his own panicked breathing, his legs rooted to the spot. He looks down and sees- a shadow where his body should be, a strange red light glowing from within-

Near metro center of R1 Kauto, a glowing, Turian skeleton materialize in the middle of an intersection with a deafening, thunderous CLAP. The rest of Nihlus follows through, slamming back into materialization, and the force of it sends a small shock wave travelling through streets, smoke and dust streaming over cars, buildings- and people. Anything that isn’t nailed down will go flying.

When it clears out, there’s a neon green form lying prone on the road, groaning quietly.

You gonna approach it?

A.

[squadgoals]

There's a buzz on the flat's bell. A minute's rest, then another. After another minute, three, in short succession.

Finally, a muffled voice, as neutral as manageable:

"Room service."

Shiro | everything OTA

[shiro2hero]

DECONTAMINATION STATION (1)
[He ducks outside. He's ... rattled, clearly. Whatever happened in there wasn't fun for him. Anything involving medical procedures isn't, anymore. He wonders if it ever will be. Maybe not.]

[But at least he's on his feet. At least he's not curled up in bed right now. That's a plus. Even if looking down at his skin makes him look more like a cartoon character than a person.]

... guess that's better than pale.

[As he leans against the wall of the building, breathing deeply and trying to focus himself. Temporarily unaware of observers. Approach?]



DECONTAMINATION ISSUES (2)
[It's on his way back to the house one day that it turns into a problem. For the most part, he's taken to pulling a hoodie on, for these days -- over his head, hiding his face and his real hand. The metal arm, for whatever reason appears unaffected.]

[He usually looks where he's going, but whole process always leaves him on edge. And today, he wasn't paying close enough attention. He knocks shoulders with some big, almost lobster-looking alien. And before he can apologize and continue on, the hood falls off his face.]

[There's a growl, and a shove against his right shoulder. Metal clanging off a claw. Which only serves to anger the alien further. Even as he holds up his hands, taking a step back.]

I don't want any trouble here... [But from the look on the alien's face, there's going to be trouble, as much as Shiro clearly isn't looking for it. Intervene? Yes/No?]



ESCORT MISSION (3)
[Now this, he can do in armor. Which completely hides the Yellow Problem. Full armor, helmet on, visor down. It works. And he's grateful for it. Grateful he feels like being up on his feet again. So he'll take anything he can get.]

[During this mission, he'll mostly be defensive. Protecting anyone interested in being a diplomat. His last attempt at it didn't turn out so well, after all.]

[Hopefully, whoever he's protecting won't notice brief moments of wooziness. Because maybe it was stupid to come on an escort mission still sick, but if he's sealed in his armor, it should be fine. Right?]


Wildcard
[What it says on the tin! Hit him with anything! He'll also be assisting in evacuating scientists, because when you're a space pilot, you fly any mission.]

Clone Shepard | Mass Effect

[petridish]

Wildcard: Reply here :) Feel free to hit me up at pohutukaryl or on my contact post if you want to plot.

for Nihlus: Kauto region 1 museum

[petridish]

[Though she collected only a few samples from Aueia and didn't particularly like the planet, she's never been to an opening reception before, and it wasn't one of the scenarios she trained to face as Shepard. And she's always eager for new experiences, especially now that she can figure out how she likes them instead of trying to extrapolate a correct reaction for Shepard.

[So when she's handed a small whale carving, she murmurs her thanks, only to be confronted with a vision of Maya Brooks as clear as when she saw her out the window of the Moira, clearer than her memories of the day Brooks walked away from her on the Normandy.

[She hurls the carving at her. Brooks disappears as soon as the carving leaves her hand. The carving keeps going.]

hermione granger

[brainiest]

POWER TIME

[ Hermione wakes up early and realises almost instantly that something is wrong. There's no magic inside of her, and even reaching for the shard inside her chest doesn't bring her any results. Instead, it just brings a surge of panic and uncertainty that makes her flounder around, trying to find her wand and sort herself out before she figures out where she's going to go and what she'll do. Panic floods her until she's outside and trying to find other people, and that's when it hits her.

She can feel everything these people want - not as though she can hear their thoughts, but as though she there's sudden knowledge thrust into her mind. It's not an entirely new sensation but it's not comfortable, and she blinks rapidly, unaware of the change of colour of her eyes - from a dark brown to golden and red, a symbol of her new power. If she had looked in the mirror she might have been aware of her Grace, but as it stands she simply feels overwhelmed and bereft.

When she finally feels like she has some control she finds a quiet corner to settle, resting her head in her hands and trying to breathe. It's too much, but she's managing all the same, trying to focus on one person at a time rather than letting it get the best of her. ]

AFTER DECONTAMINATION

[ Another thing to get used to is the way that people stare at her once she's done making sure that she hasn't been infected somehow. She didn't undergo any changes back on the asteroid, even if she had considered it - the scar on her face, the white bite marks on her neck, the word mudblood carved into her arm... All of those things could be gone now but Hermione couldn't bring herself to do it. She can't quite give herself over to someone else and she can't quite part with something that made her who she is.

She's proud of her choices, of regaining her honour, of defending Remus, of being a Mudblood. No one would take that away from her.

Even the sly, snide looks people pass her way. She's used to those, too.

Eventually she simply gets frustrated with it all and reaches into her bag - her arm going down to her elbow as she goes - to drag a book out, dropping the tiny beaded thing on the ground beside her before she flops, opening the thing and starting to read. If people are going to stare then, she thinks, she ought to get some work done. ]

decontamination

[lavelly]

[Lavellan isn't touching decontamination, personally. He doesn't trust it--he's seen the sick and the desperate be taken advantage of before, under this kind of scam, and he'd rather solve his problems himself. (Solving everyone else's problems for several years straight makes you less willing to let other people handle things, who would have thought.)

He is scoping it out, though, as subtly as he can manage. Just to see what kind of thing he's potentially up against. He managed to find enough local clothing to cover his face and ears, and hopes it's enough that people will mistake him for one of the natives.

The jeering aimed at people who actually went through decontamination disquiets him. It's not in his nature to keep his head down, and it's a struggle to do so here.

One of the girls he comes across on one of his walkabouts, he recognizes; one of the few non-Thedosian magic-users he's encountered here. He'd give her a pass, but she's stained that telltale green, and that makes him curious: why isn't she as mistrustful of this technology as he is? Maybe there is something here that he's missing, since she'd seemed well-versed in how many things worked.

Maybe she could explain all of this to him.

He sidles up nonchalantly as she reads and sits next to her, before conspicuously peering over her shoulder. He doesn't bother to introduce announce himself or make himself more recognizable in any way. He wants to see what she'll do. (Because he's an asshole.)]

You seem like you've had an eventful day.

OTA | new arrival

[nyx_it]

1) SPLASHDOWN | escoria
[Stepping out into cold and damp is not what she expected. She expected to be out in the open air, in the heat of Eos. But nope. There's the sound of water and the air is cold, heavy. She's thrown, staggering a step, with a hand automatically going out to grasp the nearest solid object for support. Eyes a little wide behind the visor, mandibles flared off her jaw enough to show teeth.]

[This is not what it should be. And also? No one else is around. No Drack, no Ryder. No Kallo chattering in their ears. This doesn't even look like a Heleus planet.]

[Regaining her balance, she steps away from the structure, one hand automatically going to her opposite wrist. Glowing orange keys spring into existence while she keeps punching in attempts to raise the others -- the Tempest, or the Nomad. Or Ryder. Anything.]

C'mon... tell me someone's listening out there.

[Which about when the waves of Escoria abruptly pick up, sending her staggering for a brief and precious moment.]

[SPLASH.]

Dammit!

[At least she's got hold of the dock. But now the tall turian woman is significantly more damp and annoyed than before.]


2) KAUTO | R1 marketplace
[At some point, Vetra Nyx finds herself in a more familiar situation. A marketplace. Granted, this is unlike even Kadara Port -- because the alien life here is like nothing seen in either Heleus or the Milky Way. Some make even the hanar look tame.]

[Considering her size, she stands out reasonably well amid the crowd. Making her way slowly but surely through them all. Occasionally stopping to browse, or take notes on a glowing device at her wrist.]

[Sometimes without even looking down at the holographic keys.]

I'm guessing no one here's going to take credits, huh?

[There's a wry note in her voice -- one that seems to echo slightly on every word. Unfortunately, they'll all tell her 'no'. Some of them might launch into an explanation about sencs, but, for the most part, she'll just keep moving on.]

[Got to start getting the lay of the land somewhere, right?]

2.

[squadgoals]

[The market was great. Intel, mission pickups, and great prices on premium liquors from across the known (and unknown) multiverses, all in one place. If she had the time, she tried to stop by at least once a week.

So it's almost a complete coincidence when she hears the statement behind her, subharmonics tinged with layers of wry irony her ears could never hope to pick up. Turian. Straightening up from the booth as casually as her surprise would allow, she glances sideways — a female Turian.

Hoodie up, she sidles after her mark, curiosity stilling her tongue for the moment.]

COMMANDER SHEPARD ★ MASS EFFECT ★ ota!

[squadgoals]

1. I KNOW A SHORTCUT (MAY 9-13)

[It happens just as Shepard's finishing up at the office, locking up each supply cabinet and filing away any loose documents. It's monotonous, but the repetitive task of checking everything is soothing — or it normally is. Suddenly, as if it was always there, a sharp tang of energy is in the air, humming with potential danger.

There's a sharp sting of pain as it passes through her biotic nodes — and just as suddenly, disappears. But the pressure of the energy in the air is no different. Instead, it feels... more. Almost like she could reach out, and--

--suddenly pop into existence in the meter of airspace directly above you. But gravity's still the name of the game, and it's dropping the entirety of Commander Shepard directly on to your personage.

sorry bout it, pal]

2. BONES TO PICK (MAY 9-13)

[The popping here and there is one thing — unlike the swapping Moira doorways, it almost feels... controllable, at times, but just out of reach. It's frustrating — and worse still, the more it ires, the more ridiculous shit starts happening.

Bones, for instance. Pure white, stereotypically bone-shaped bones. Long, short, in groups or individually, they have a habit of cropping up, and flinging themselves at the nearest person or object.

Luckily, they don't seem to do a lot of damage individually, just bouncing off passers-by, rattling inanimate belongs. But in large groups...

Apologizing profusely, you find Shepard paying off a fuming shop attendant for the destruction of an entire sweets display with one hand, the other grasping a handful of insistent bones.]

3. THE OFFICE (MAY 13~)

[Biotics restored, Ingress energy diffused, it's back to business as usual — literally. Normandy Securities is up and running, sending off squads and solos on missions left and right, depending on abilities and clearance levels. But with busy missions comes... paperwork. Digital though it may be, it still needed filing. Garbage administrative bullshit.

And without a secretary, she was still stuck manning the front desk during client business hours — and things were... slow.

Crafting a "help wanted" ad on one screen, scrolling through mission posts on another, she's rapidly decimating the front desk free candy dish, both with consumption, and performing delicate trick shots.

At your approach, she casually pretends like she wasn't aiming for a cup some meters away, and pops the mint in her mouth, nodding in sage acknowledgement.]

4. BUGS IN THE SYSTEM (May 18th~)

[After six consecutive EN-Line breakdowns in one day, Shepard had had enough. After a lengthy discussion with some station attendants, one Line captain, and some careful research and investigation, Shepard is riding an EN-Line train outbound to a lesser-used branch, expression determined. Accompanying her is... a mysterious technological-looking device, wrapped in plastic.

Are you on the train, mystified by this determined, body-armored woman with a gun going somewhere? Or were you recruited to help her take on her hunch?]

5. BONUS DLC: HEALTHY COMPETITION

[There's plenty of gaming arcades scattered throughout Kauto, in each of the regions. Some big, some small, and all of them garishly lit with various games. Some physical, some mental, and some...

Driving. Maybe you recognize the wild, red-headed woman at the steering wheel of the game, maybe you're just drawn in by the play unfolding. Her style is certainly... well, "erratic" would be putting it nicely.

But somehow, she's winning. The game's format seems to be a different kind of race — delivery of customers to their desired locations, rather than a distant finish line. And through some miracle of insane driving abilities, ramping off things that should definitely not be ramped off, she's beating record after record in "INSANITY CABS".

Do you comment on her performance? Or sit down at the identical booth next to her, and challenge her to a chauffeur-off?]

6. IN-APP PURCHASE DLC: BEE DEATH 2: BEE HARDER

[Having previously had considerable experience with the terrible Clownbees of Deslora, Normandy Securities' contact line is smashed with calls from Kauto Region 3 residents, begging someone, anyone to come out and destroy the hives of awful creatures. They're aggressive, outright dangerous, and prone to destroying actual beehives, which is easy, considering one Clownbee is the size of a full-grown human.

So, here's Shepard, out in R3, taking this one personally. Are you assisting? Or are you the person who called for pest removal? Whatever the case may be(e), the exterminators are on the job.]

[Hit me up at nijikai if you want anything special!]

6 to bee or not to bee

[gh0stamidstthec0mbat]

[So seeing as Zer0 kind of lives in R3, the invasion of the killer clownbees was pretty hard to miss. He's found himself a nice perch high up in a tree, and by the time Shep rolls in, there's already a good number of clownbee corpses littering the ground in a few places. Many with their heads blown clean off.

He's a little preoccupied with sniping, but once he spots Shepard he takes a second to send her a quick message:]

:3

[-before blasting the face off a clownbee that was attempting to hover up all sneaky like behind her. Sorry if she gets splattered in bee guts.

but not really.]

Sara Ryder | n00b | OTA

[ryderonthestorm]

Arrival; Kauto R1;

[Her head hurts. That's the first thing she thinks upon waking, even though it's a common enough occurrence lately. She keeps her eyes closed for the moment, taking stock of her body. Head throbbing like she drank too much last night (she might've, or maybe someone just knocked her about a lot, that happens too); her left arm underneath her and tingling a bit (when she rolls off it, she knows it'll be pins-and-needles enough to make her eyes water); everything else seems more or less fine. She's taken worse beatings.

And yet, something feels off. Something is entirely wrong, and she can't quite pinpoint it. SAM? Did I sleep through my alarm again? she silently asks her AI companion,
and it's only when no answer comes over their private channel that she realizes what's wrong. There's a ringing silence in her head where SAM usually is, and that is what gets her to blink her eyes open, shift to sit up, and frown at the unfamiliar surroundings. What is this? Where is she?

Sara scrambles to her feet, licks her lips, glances around. ]

SAM?

[ She tries it, her voice a little hoarse, but still serviceable. And yet, no answer. Somehow, she's been cut off from SAM, and she has to swallow down the rising panic in her throat. Shaking the numbness from her left arm, she accesses her omni-tool, turns on her scanner. Everything reads back as "UNKNOWN TECHNOLOGY". Shit. Shit shit shit. This may be even worse than Habitat 7. Where is her team? ]

Where the hell is my ship?

Later; Kauto exploration;

[ Ryder is, perhaps, a little more calm now, despite the fact that SAM seems to somehow be disabled or disconnected, and she has no idea where her ship or her crew are. She knows better than to simply panic, though, and instead she adapts - and part of adapting is figuring out, well, the ins and outs of where she's ended up.

That means, finding the people, and finding out what they spend their money on. ]

This is better than Habitat 7, at least. [ She mutters the words almost to herself as she browses the shops. It's weird - she's been here for more than a day and no one has asked her to help them just yet. It's almost as if she has no responsibilities here. ]