ghoulking: By asdagfsd (DNS) (Normal - pic#10793446)
Ken Kaneki ([personal profile] ghoulking) wrote in [community profile] maskormenacelogs2019-01-13 09:11 am

JANUARY SWEAR-IN: DEATH ISLAND

WHO: Everyone!
WHERE: Death Sacrifice Island, New Zealand
WHEN: 13th January
WHAT: SWEARING-IN TIME, on the beautiful Island of New Zealand, Sacrifice Island.
WARNINGS: None so far

Welcome everyone to Sacrifice Island, once known as “Death Island” (and still called so by many). Located in the beautiful country of New Zealand, and under their government’s jurisdiction, Sacrifice Island is a place where investigation and scientific development happens: it’s the headquarters for Onward Research Station, laboratories that hope to learn how to neutralize the effects on humans/animals of chemical/biological weapons.

But this island holds dark history as well. It was in this very same place that seven young imPorts permanently lost their lives on October 3rd 2008. This tragedy deeply marked the history of United States and all Heroes of the nation, and is remembered with heavy heart. With hopes to never forget these painful events but to also look for a brighter future, United States of America and New Zealand both joined their hands and decided to raise a memorial for the lives lost at the island.

This memorial will be inaugurated on the 13th January along with the Swearing-In ceremony for the new heroes who have arrived this month. Media has been invited as well as this is too a political event to strengthen relationships between New Zealand and USA. Old and new imPorts are all welcome to come and pay their respects to the Heroes who are gone, swear their allegiance to the US government (or not), forge relations with a foreign country or simply show their presences during this event. Whatever reason one has, they will be welcomed.


TRAVEL
Thanks to the interest of many, an airbus has been generously loaned for free in order to fly the imPorts to Death Sacrifice Island. The airbus includes a dining area and each imPort has their own little cubicle, with chairs that can be converted into a bed. The trip will take a while for sure, so the travelers are welcome to mingle while they are on air, meet the new faces, and try some delicious airplane food. Or they can try sleeping, if other imPorts are quiet enough.

Because it's a long flight, there will be many movies to choose from: there is a strangely big collection of Adam Sandler movies, and apparently the big hit has both Adam Sandler AND Jerry Seinfeld and tells the story of a Wasp that falls in love with a Human, while it leads a rebellion against the humankind. If you aren't into Wasp movies, well- good luck picking something else that isn't as amazing.


ISLAND
Miss the hot summer weather? Well, New Zealand certainly has a lot of it to offer. The weather is the kind that would invite anyone for a swim, even though it’s not one of the activities offered during the Swear-In; in fact, the island has no beaches as it’s surrounded by cliffs. The island itself is beautiful, with a lot of greenery indigenous to the country, forming large forests through the island’s surface and surrounding the research center. There are no animals roaming around, with the exception of some birds (do not expect Kiwis, though), but imPorts are warned not to go too deep into the island’s forests or they might get lost.

At the east area of the island, stands the top of the art Onward Research Station, near the only beach the island offers. The airbus will land not too far away, in a small flight track that crosses the green forest, and imPorts will be directed to the center where they will be greeted by scientists, politicians and, of course, a lot of media.

Onward Research Station is white, clean, and shiny. Everything looks like it has been double or triple sterilized and visitors can almost see their reflections on every surface. The technology is probably the best you’d find in the entire nation: quick silent hoover carts that transport people and objects from a section to another, trays that hoover with food, snacks and drinks, and holograms of several scientists that made a difference while working at the Research Station can be found on specific marked areas. ImPorts that wish to know a bit more about the place will have the chance to press a button for a holographic guide who will tell them the story of the Center, their researches and hopes for the future.

However, since Onward focus on chemical and biological weapon studies, much of the area is very much Off Limits to prevent accidental contamination. There will be security (physical and electronically) to stop people from snooping around and causing huge accidents.

The center has allowed local tourism to be part of this. New Zealand certainly wishes to show their own culture, and thus there will be many who are eager to share it with the new comers. Talks of their fauna and flora, their national bird as well, history of Maori who voyaged across the Pacific, good old Rugby, and of course mentions of certain really popular fantasy movies that have been filmed there – one can certainly become immerse in this lovely world. Not so far away, there is also a buffet area with a lot of variety, all typical New Zealand dishes, including Maori dishes naturally. Try Hangi, or lamb, or delicious sea food, and end your meal with good wine and cheese.

Photographers, journalists, paparazzi will be everywhere. Not just for US ImPort Heroes, but due to the political connotations this meeting has as well. It’s no surprise that apart from “who are you wearing”, heavier and much more serious questions will be asked, involving politics, past events, current political feelings, where and for whom imPorts stand for.

The nearby beach isn’t amazing, but they worked really hard to change that. The whole area was cleaned as well, with new, white and shiny pavement that leads visitors to a special area: the memorial. There is a huge marble wall with the names of those imPorts who’ve lost their lives; there is a screen as well, and whenever someone touches one of the names said screen will activate show a video of the selected imPort while a voice tells the visitors a little about their life and death. Nearly, there is another holographic guide who, when activated, will tell the story of Death Island.


MEMORIAL
Anyone can access this history by checking out the Memorial, but in the afternoon, everyone will be invited to the beach. Here, imPorts and everyone else will be taught the dark history of the island by a spokeswoman dressed in white, while the screen on the Memorial Marble wall shows the lost imPorts.

“A scientist who held hatred for the imPorts used this island as his private base of operations, where he built a deadly ray and threatened to use this weapon against the United States. Seven imPorts heroically followed to investigate, only to find this ray permanently end their lives. These heroes and their tragic deaths are today remembered by us all, a memory of a dark and sad past – but we too hold on to hope, hope their deaths were not in vain, and hope we can rebuild and move forward.”

The speech is met with solemn nods and soft applause, while the names of the Heroes show on the screen:
DAVID GREEN; Chosen, age 19
MAGENTA MOVELLO; Mauve Avenger, age 17
IRA BRAUNSTEIN; Power Prince, age 21
JUDE BYEON; Bludgeon, age 17
CAROL "CARRIE" KING; Reign, age 18
MASON LOCKLEAR; Entropy, age 16
MALIK ISAIAH MARCHETTI; Journey, age 40

After, the woman will give stand to few more people who will give their own words about the memorial and the events of Death Island, including a New Zealand Minister and also an imPort: Tohru Adachi.

Once speeches have been spoken, people are welcomed to leave white flowers near the marble wall and learn more about the personal lives of each lost hero by touching their names and watching the movie about each. For those who don’t wish to stick around, the buffet area is always open, and people are more than welcome to return to their activities.


RETURN
The event will be over late night, and all imPorts will be brought back to the airbus. Since there are records who came on the airbus, it’s better not to try to stay behind – as welcoming as they were, those who work at Sacrifice Island have no plans to accommodate everyone more than necessary.

Media will be the first to leave, followed by imPorts and finally every politician involved. Once up in the air, the airplane lights will be turned to minimum, to allow imPorts some well needed rest. That is, if they want. Sorry if your neighbor is noisy.
sleight_of_hand: (Can't be anymore disappointed)

Tohru Adachi | Registered

[personal profile] sleight_of_hand 2019-01-21 09:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Memorial ]
To say that Adachi was nervous would have probably been an understatement. He couldn't even remember the last time he had to talk in front of a group of his peers (though he had a general idea, considering he distinctly remembered Dojima sighing and pinching his nose as he got everything wrong), not to mention in front of a large crowd of people he didn't even know. It didn't help that he knew this whole ceremony was just one Big Distraction, and he needed to keep himself together enough to not seem suspicious.

Still, he felt a heavy lump settle in his throat as the New Zealand Minister finished his own speech and introduced him. As soon as he stood, he felt that lump relocate itself to his stomach, and his feet felt like lead as he stepped toward the podium, leaving him looking out at the crowd. There was an awkward pause as his nerves took over, his mouth going dry and his insides feeling like they were shriveling up.

"I-I guess I shouldn't put on my glasses right now," he finally let out, getting a few chuckles out of those gathered. Adachi let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding in a rush, especially as he looked down at his cue cards with a pained looking squint, earning himself another chuckle as he gave in and pulled out his glasses. He could imagine a few of the younger individuals gathered bweeting out #relatable at his nervousness, and weirdly enough, it helped his insides stop trying to fold over on themselves.

"None of us ask to come to this place," he finally began for real, taking the occasional gaze up as he read from his cards. "We all have lives back in our respective worlds, lives that sometimes we really can't be separated from. But as much as we complain and argue, eventually we come to realize that we were brought here for a reason, even if that reason isn't entirely clear to us.

"Still some of us come to realize an important calling, one that we may or may not have followed in our old lives. But we're given the power to change things, something these heroes realized when they came here to fight and defend this world.

"Their deaths mean something, not just the fact that they died in this world where we can't die. They died with no one back home knowing. They died without knowing what kind of impact that would have on the people and worlds they left behind when the porter brought them here, and we too, have no way of knowing. Despite all that, they died doing what they could to protect this world that took them in, even though they had no ties and no obligations to this world. They protected it with their lives, and we offer this memorial to them, so that such a sacrifice may always be remembered by the people of this world, and those that will follow in their footsteps."

Adachi knew he wasn't done, but as he turned around to be the first to place flowers on the memorial with the other two speakers, he felt a little bit of the tightness in his chest ease up and his insides start to cooperate once again.

[ Return ]
He knew he hadn't done anything major, but that speech took a lot more out of him than he cared to admit. Adachi was happily curled up in his seat next to Iris on the way back, part of him really wanting to drift off to sleep, but he knew he had to keep an eye out for Kaneki and the others. He had to know just what they were able to find while he was busy pretending he knew what he was doing when it came to fancy speeches and shaking hands with the crowd.
eloquentness: (upset)

return;

[personal profile] eloquentness 2019-01-23 12:55 am (UTC)(link)
Rather than congratulate Tohru in public, and in front of all media, Iris had opted to switch with someone so that she could thank him here, without native eyes watching. (Also, selfishly, she wanted to curl up next to her boyfriend.) As she lies there, resting a hand on his chest casually, she can sense that something's off.

So she looks up at him, furrowing her brow. "Everything okay, babe?"
Edited 2019-01-23 00:55 (UTC)
sleight_of_hand: (Totally at ease)

[personal profile] sleight_of_hand 2019-01-23 01:00 am (UTC)(link)
Adachi let out a faint breath, turning his attention back to Iris and offering her a small smile. He shifted a little, wrapping his arm a little tighter around her.

"Everything's fine," he promised. "Just still a little tense after being in front of everyone."

At least it wasn't a complete lie.
eloquentness: (thinking about it)

[personal profile] eloquentness 2019-01-23 01:09 am (UTC)(link)
"Yeah?" She relaxes at his touch, though she can't help giving him a slightly skeptical look. If it were the speech alone, the long flight back - and the yummy food - should've relaxed him.

Something else seems to be bothering him. She knows better than to pry, given how prying leads to lies, and lies lead down a road neither of them want to travel... But as of right now, she doesn't know what angle to take. Best to play it safe.

"If it's tension you're looking to relieve..." she squeezes his hand, resisting the urge to smile. "I think I could fix that."
sleight_of_hand: (W-well then...)

[personal profile] sleight_of_hand 2019-01-23 01:16 am (UTC)(link)
For a moment, he stared at her, uncomprehending. After a moment, a slow blush rose up Adachi's face, going from pink to bright red very quickly.

"Iris!" he exclaimed softly, his head jerking around, checking to see if anyone heard that.
eloquentness: (coy)

[personal profile] eloquentness 2019-01-23 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
"What?" She draws out the question, knowing exactly what he thinks she means. "I was going to call us some wine. Who knows when else we're going to fly in style?"

With that, she gives him a triumphant smirk before pressing the flight attendant call button. Given her cuddling, it's incredibly fortunate that it's on the remote attached to their TV.
sleight_of_hand: (I'm toooootally a good guy!)

[personal profile] sleight_of_hand 2019-01-23 01:54 am (UTC)(link)
Adachi stared at her for a moment, before he let out a half laugh, half whimper, covering his face with a hand. He gave her another squeeze when she was done with what she was doing, shaking his head.

"You're terrible," he teased, dropping a kiss on top of her head.
Edited 2019-01-23 01:55 (UTC)
eloquentness: (sly smile)

[personal profile] eloquentness 2019-01-23 02:03 am (UTC)(link)
"I know, but you love me anyway."

Iris can't say if her antics - partially in jest, partially serious - have alleviated whatever's going on in Tohru's head, but she at least feels like she's tried. That's all that matters, right?

She pauses, her expression softening, "I was really proud of you out there, by the way. You did a great job."
sleight_of_hand: (You've backed me into a corner now...)

[personal profile] sleight_of_hand 2019-01-23 02:08 am (UTC)(link)
Adachi let out a breath, slumping slightly in his seat.

"Did I?" he asked softly. "I feel like I didn't do enough. That there was more to be said, and I couldn't come anywhere near to articulating it properly."

He paused a moment, half burying his face against the top of her head.

"Maybe I'm really not cut out for this political thing."
eloquentness: (say that again?)

[personal profile] eloquentness 2019-01-24 01:58 am (UTC)(link)
"Babe. Your worrying about this makes you eons better than oh, I don't know, 95% of the people that enter this arena."

If she had truly felt that his speech wasn't 'enough,' that he hadn't thrown his whole heart into the matter, then she would've - well, she would've sugarcoated her response. Yet absolutely none of those feelings resonate with her, even if she gets why he might feel this way.

Her expression softens as she feels his touch, "That makes you perfectly cut out for this. Most of us, no matter what we're doing, don't know if we're doing enough... but we keep going out there."
sleight_of_hand: (Totally at ease)

[personal profile] sleight_of_hand 2019-01-30 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
He smiled softly against the top of her head, shifting a little to plant a kiss against her hair.

"Thanks, sweetheart," he murmured softly. "I guess we'll have to see if I can keep this up."

But he knew he probably didn't sound convinced. It still didn't feel like enough, even if he did manage to get an ambassadorship, or whatever else he could try to run for. There had to be something more; something that he felt could actually work against people like the OTO.
eloquentness: (listening)

[personal profile] eloquentness 2019-01-30 04:09 am (UTC)(link)
"You will, but talk to me. What's really got you down - and don't say the speech?"

At the end of the day, Iris is a reporter, and her big scoop is her boyfriend's internal worries. She may not know what he's thinking, let alone what drove him down that path, but she had promised to be by his side.

If she's cuddling a little harder, that's only a happy side effect of getting to share a 16 hour flight with him.
sleight_of_hand: (Er... if you say so)

[personal profile] sleight_of_hand 2019-01-31 01:14 am (UTC)(link)
He glanced down at her, trying not to look a little exasperated. He probably should have told her before they even went off on this little mission, but... well, Kaneki said the fewer that knew the better. Nevermind Iris probably would have been helpful in the whole thing.

"There... might have been something else going on during the speech," he finally admitted softly, glancing around again. It didn't seem like anyone was wandering around. In fact, everyone seemed a bit out of it, not that he could blame them. Time changes alone were a bitch and a half to deal with. "I don't think I'm getting an update on it now though."
eloquentness: (folded arms)

[personal profile] eloquentness 2019-02-01 04:35 am (UTC)(link)
Of course there was something else going on. Iris lets out a soft sigh, furrowing her brow together in contemplation. Given the rare opportunity to visit New Zealand, let alone the research station, she can take a stab in the dark and figure out what they were doing.

Reconnaissance, espionage, intel gathering by any other name... she couldn't blame the imPorts who wanted to dig deeper, given the history, but also: she was kind of grateful she was left in the dark. She got to network with the reporters from New Zealand Herald and Auckland Star, and write up a fluff piece from her POV for them. That wouldn't have happened if she had been dragged along into unraveling other, darker to find threads.

"Probably not until I leave you," she says, after a moment of contemplation. "But also, I kind of don't want to leave. You're too comfy."
sleight_of_hand: (Bonds really are a pain...)

[personal profile] sleight_of_hand 2019-02-03 01:45 am (UTC)(link)
Adachi smiled softly, planting another kiss on top of her head.

"I don't want you to leave either," he said softly, nestling down a little closer to her. He was tired anyway; he could put off dealing with serious stuff until much later.
eloquentness: (sly smile)

[personal profile] eloquentness 2019-02-03 09:43 pm (UTC)(link)
"Good, 'cause honestly..." she stretches her legs a little, "I could fall asleep right now."

She won't, because jetlag is real and they're still waiting on their glasses of wine, but she could fall asleep beside him more often. A dangerous thought - about asking to move in with him - pops into her head, but she ignores it for now, sitting up only when the flight attendant returns with their wine (and some chocolate for them to share).

"To the best boyfriend ever," she grins, once her glass is poured. "Even if he can be a little impatient."
sleight_of_hand: (W-well then...)

[personal profile] sleight_of_hand 2019-02-03 11:46 pm (UTC)(link)
"Heeeey," Adachi whined at that, puffing his cheeks a little as he clinked his glass against hers. "M'not impatient."

He leaned over, stealing a quick kiss, before sipping at his wine.
eloquentness: (not gonna say it)

[personal profile] eloquentness 2019-02-06 03:08 pm (UTC)(link)
She relaxes at his kiss, even as she’s scrunching up her entire face at him.

“Oh, you’re very impatient,” she insisted, keeping her voice light as she takes a sip, “It’s one of the many, many reasons I love you as much as I do.”

Page 2 of 2