[EVENT|4TH WALL] THE NEWCOMERS’ ARRIVAL | APRIL 15-22

[ironwood]

Characters: ALL and plus ones.
Date: April 15-22 2015 (2016 in-game)
Location: Farmlands outside the city walls, but this log can also be used for locations within the city.
Situation: Spring planting - fourth wall event, week one!
Warnings/Rating: Add warnings as needed.

The days for the festival dawn sunny if a bit chilly, but the air is clear and the soggy ground has dried enough that there isn’t too much mud in the lanes between fields and homesteads. The broad dirt path to the Woodsmen’s land leads past the tram-line construction, lined with waving ribbons on sticks along the sides. The Woodsmen’s territory circles the city, separated from the city’s walls by five hundred yards of neutral land.

The festival’s central area is Liangken’s Clearing, and this is where the festival will begin and end each day. Liangken is an ancient tree, among the oldest on the turtle’s back. Though it doesn’t flower or bear much in the way of leaves anymore, the kedan have cultivated it carefully and now it’s an excellent representation for the revitalisation of old wisdom.



The lanes between the fields and homesteads will house the stalls, contests and walking areas. The Woodsmen will be keeping an eye on these to prevent anyone from walking off the marked paths. The homesteads provide ‘hotspots’ in among the lanes and fields, with Woodsmen families lending their yards to the comfort and entertainment of their guests.

In general, the Woodsmen are a taciturn, soft-spoken lot who nevertheless take great pride in their work. Their lands are all but sacred -- they accept no attitude, no trespassing, no attempts to thwart their authority. This causes some noticeable tension with the Snakes, who are accustomed to being the sole enforcers within the city; but though there may be some ill tempers and raised voices, at no point will anyone come to blows. It’s hard to argue with someone built like a brick wall and carrying sharp farm implements.

The Woodsmen are a touch anxious about having strangers on their land and this shows in them being overly officious or bossy, but at the same time their pride shows clearly and they are eager to show off the state of their lands, their greenhouses, and their farming processes -- practically without being asked. The residents of Keeliai tend to think of the Woodsmen as ‘cowards’, and the Woodsmen are taking this opportunity to prove themselves otherwise with feats of strength and tall tales.

Due to the farmers’ hours of “early to bed and early to rise”, the festival ends in the early evening at sundown, but begins again before dawn -- usually by greeting the sun with a song.

---

LINKS
Heojin, Ran and Lin | Liangken’s Clearing | Stalls and Lanes | OOC Information post | 4th Wall Character Check In

OOC
While Heojin and his bodyguards are open to everyone (including fourth-wall characters!), they are not available for small talk and general directionless CR. For the integrity of the mod’s inbox, please only request a thread with him if you already have an idea of what you’d like your character to ask/do. Other NPCs can be requested by sending a PM to the appropriate journals directly, with the same guidelines.

The top-level comments are for the festival, but fourth-wall characters should feel free to use the rest of the post for anything within the city of Keeliai itself! Just remember to label the top-level comment for location and date.

Comments

Vincent Moore | CHAPPiE

[sadisticmoose]

"I'm dreaming."

These are the first words out of Vincent's mouth as he stares, slack-jawed, down one of the lanes. While, yes, that might be true, it doesn't make it any less real.

It still doesn't stop Vincent from squeezing his eyes shut and slapping himself across the face. He didn't need this, he had stuff to do. Important only to himself, but that just made it all the more urgent he gets back.

Anyone looking at him will see a tall man in cargo shorts and a polo shirt, combat boots, with a nice case of mullet, trying to will himself awake. Around his neck is an ID Badge on a "Tetravaal" lanyard. Eventually, he opens his eyes, blinking, frowning deeper. On his right hip is a, seemingly out-of-place, holster containing a side-arm. And, yes, it's loaded.

"Alright... Not a dream." He remarks in a thick, Australian accent.

[craftlife]

Deon is enjoying the festival, minding his own business, when he sees something that makes his heart stop cold dead.

He's frozen like a deer in the headlights, trying to make himself unnoticed, completely failing to realize that sudden cessation of movement in Vincent's field of view will probably draw his attention just as surely as his bolting like a rabbit would have.

[sadisticmoose]

And, of course, Vincent's eyes lock straight onto Deon's form, and he looks dumbfounded for the longest moment, before he snorts, laughing, it sounding a bit forced and definitely not amused.

"Fuck me, mate... Can't even get away from ya when I'm dreaming." Or hallucinating, or whatever the fuck this was.

oh fuck he's a t-rex

[craftlife]

deon_consciousness.dat has stopped responding. Abort/Retry/Fail?
> _

Deon takes a breath.

"Get away from me," he says, his voice shaking.

[sadisticmoose]

"Get away from you?"

Vincent laughs again. It's still sounding strained.

"This is... Hah..." He turns away from the other man, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Some fucking dream." He growls, before looking back at Deon. "Sorry, mate. I can't be playin' with any delusional hallucinations right now. I've got stuff to do."

And, with that, he's just going to start walking away, down the lane, in the opposite direction.

[craftlife]

Oh thank God, he's moving off. Deon is about to run in the opposite direction when Vincent's words actually register in his brain.

"'Delusional hallucination'..." He gives a start, chasing after Vincent. "This is real! You're not hallucinating, don't do anything stupid!"

So, basically, don't be you, you psychotic lug.

[sadisticmoose]

Vincent stops. This is probably the last thing that Deon wants, but... well, he asked for it.

Turning around, he fixes Deon with a look. "Not hallucinating?" He says, before laughing again, shaking his head. "Last I checked, I was in the hangar. Now, I'm in a country lane, looking at your sorry face."

He's going to fold his arms, looking at Deon, levely. "What about this situation isn't an hallucination, mate?"

[craftlife]

He did, and now he's deeply regretting it.

"You were in the h--"

A hand goes to Deon's mouth.

"Vincent, what's the last thing you remember?"

If he's lucky, maybe - maybe - he can avert a catastrophe. Sorry, Deon, that is not how this works.

[sadisticmoose]

Vincent shakes his head again. Alright. He'll indulge this delusion.

"I was headed to the hangar to put an end to your little Experiment. Once and for all." And he's going to shift to turn away. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to it."

[craftlife]

"You can't." Deon's voice is terse, even cold. "You can't do that. People will die."

Will die, have died, are dying. He remembers how the Moose had murdered Amerika, hasn't murdered him.

"And you can't go back anyway. You're stuck here. Just listen to me!"

[sadisticmoose]

"I'm stuck here?" Vincent says, incredulously. "By what? You?"

His laugh, this time, is more genuine.

"You're nothin' but a figment of my imagination, mate. I've fought off worse'n you." He sighs. "Look, just... piss off, will ya? Before I find out if there's a consequence to shooting my own hallucination."

And he's just going to turn to keep walking.

[craftlife]

You fucking walnut.

Being told he's a figment by the man who killed so many people, tried to kill him, and ruined his life? That fucking chafes, and Deon's blood boils.

When Vincent turns, Deon quite impulsively bitchslaps him on the back of the head.

Wait shit that was a bad idea.

[sadisticmoose]

Vincent flinches at the slap.

He actually flinches. It stings... slightly. Vincent straightens, before turning... and a fist is coming straight for Deon's stomach.

[craftlife]

That was dumb that was dumb that was dumb that was dumb--

He should really know better than to instigate with the guy who was trying to shoot him last time he saw him.

And the fist makes contact, and Deon doubles over, coughing, one hand instinctively going to his glasses to prevent them falling off his face. This is clearly not the first time he's been punched in the stomach. And now we know Vincent would hit a guy wearing glasses.

[sadisticmoose]

And then Deon will feel Vincent's head near his.

"Don't you ever touch me again." He snarls into the other man's ear. "You understand me?"

also whoops this whole thread should have a warning for chappie spoilers

[craftlife]

Deon wheezes, trying to get his breath back. He hasn't been hit in the stomach since secondary school. He's in pain, but he's angry, and the anger is overriding what little common sense he has.

"You killed Chappie's family," he growls, his voice hoarse, "you tried to kill me. I think I'm entitled to a little payback--"

And he swings wildly for Vincent's jaw.

Deon, you walnut.

your mullet is no match for my mullhawk

[punchykicky]

Doyle hears him muttering as he passes by, tossing his head and offering a wry grin. "I don't know what to tell you, man," he says, throwing up his hands in an exaggerated fashion. "I mean, passing out and waking up in another country is how all the best parties end."

[sadisticmoose]

Vincent shoots the other man a glare, before he's going to turn to walk away.

"There was no bloody party." At least, not yet. "I'm hallucinating." He concludes, mostly to himself. "Fuck... I need to wake up."

Excuse him, Doyle, he's just going to start walking.

[punchykicky]

"Wow, rude. What if you really are dreaming? Just doom me to nonexistence, why don't you?" Doyle shrugs, then adds, "To be fair, I don't think you're dreaming. But hey, if you wanted to check..."

He cheerfully slams a fist into his palm, grinning.

"Just say the word. I'd be happy to help out a stranger in need."

[sadisticmoose]

"I'd rather not be punched by a figment of my imagination, mate." Vincent remarks, raising his voice. "And if ya come near me, you'll bloody regret it."

Obviously not the most friendly of people, is our Vincent.

"Now, shut up. I need to think."

[punchykicky]

"Oh, sure. I try to be nice and offer free stuff, and this is the thanks I get. You know how much people back home pay me to punch things? I'm offering you a bargain, here."

[sadisticmoose]

Vincent stops, chuckling. It's not a nice sound. He turns to face Doyle.

"Listen here, mate, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once; I couldn't give a toss if you're the prince regent of the kingdom of Punchykicky land, I just want you to shut up and leave me alone."

And he takes a step closer, expression serious.

"And this is your final warning."

[punchykicky]

Doyle looks him up and down, sees he's armed -- but hey, Doyle's armed too, and his weapons are far less visible -- unless you recognize those things on his wrists as lasers?

Still, he cocks an eyebrow, looking Vincent straight in the eye and letting the playfulness drain from his smile. "You know, I was already in a pretty crappy mood, and I just wasted a great one-liner on you. I could use a good fight today."

[sadisticmoose]

He doesn't, but the gun is far from the only weapon Vincent has. He's an ex-SASR soldier, he's as deadly unarmed as he is armed.

Now, however? He wants nothing to do with this.

"I'm. Busy. Crowbar that into ya thick skull, why don'cha?"

And he's just going to turn and walk away again.

[punchykicky]

Actual five-year-old Doyle twists his mouth into a scowl when what he'd hoped would be a good adrenaline buzz fizzles out at the last second. He rolls his eyes, then turns to walk away as well. "Whatever. I haven't got time for this, anyway. Later, asshole."