The Brink of War [OPEN]

[astonishing_xmods]

WHO: Everyone
WHAT: The news of the world, brought right to your school!
WHERE: On any television, radio, or computer screen (assuming they're on a news site)
WHEN: All week
WARNING(S): if a thread goes into warning label territory, either throw it in the subject line or take it to a separate log.

"... the hashtag has inspired several high profile mutants in the entertainment world, particularly mutant pop star Dazzler, to put up personal accounts of the discriminations they've faced growing up as mutants. However, the Mutant Liberation Front, or at least hackers claiming to be them, have seemingly hijacked the movement on several social media sites, using the hashtag while "doxxing", defined as "sharing the private personal information of an individual or group, anyone that has publicly spoken out against mutants. The internet has become a battleground like any city street..."


"... special diplomat Haller faced many questions arriving back in the United States today. She has stated she had no comments on Genosha's threat of war against the US. President Kelly's diplomatic relations with Genosha have largely been criticized as failures, and many in congress and in the public in general seem to be in favor of preparing for the inevitable..."


"... Reverend William Stryker, uncle to the late Donovan Zane, has lead a vigil lasting several days now on the steps of Congress and refuses to be moved until Mutant Registration has been passed. Public support is turning overwhelmingly in favor of registration as the nation mourns the young man, Donovan Zane, whose life was taken in the midst of a violent protest..."


"... with the coldest temperatures on record. Volunteers are urging everyone in District X to be extra careful as the season progresses, to regularly visit the shelters and soup kitchens, and to not try to brave the winter storms alone. They have also put out a mass call to anyone willing to help out, with food, blankets, and/or warm clothing..."


"... a nation on the brink of war. President Kelly addressed the nation saying that 2019 will not be a repeat of historical mistakes or tragedies. He says he refuses to believe the spirit of the American people are so willing to give in to bigotry and surrender to what is perceived as an inevitable war with Genosha. It can be stopped, he urged. He said we all have to look at ourselves and find the courage to do the right thing and love our fellow person, no matter what the circumstances. President Kelly continues to believe in his vision of hope for humans and mutants..."

[[ ooc: Students and teachers are free to start their own threads in this log in response to one or more of these news clips, or even to things related but not specifically posted here. ]]

Comments

[anythingwithstrings]

Is it wrong I don't care if the Good Reverend freezes to death on the steps of capitol hill?

*Maya is a bastion of sypathy for people trying to tag her like a wild gazelle.*

[friendofdorothy]

They'll just make him into the Ice Sculpture Of Freedom, or something like that.

[Or Weekend at Reverend Stryker's or something like that.]

[turbedon]

If he did, they'd say one of us did it.

[mouflon]

That's kinder than what I would suggest.

[loveswaffles]

Whether or not it's wrong, you wouldn't be only one wishing that on him.

[wholovesyou]

Oh sugar, freezing to death is too good for the likes of him.

[Not nearly enough pain to it. Not for him.]

[nobodysweapon]

*If anyone is looking at Laura, she's currently calculating how many winter supplies she can buy off of a portion of her savings for Mutant town. Next to it is the calculations of deaths probable from the weather and Friends of Humanity being active in Mutant Town attempting to cause deaths without leaving evidence it was murder. As well as likely funds she could gain beating up and robbing Friends of Humanity that attempt anything with her, or looting their usual meeting locations.*

*Yes, this is what it looks like when Laura tries to help.*

[friendofdorothy]

[This makes Liir do a double take. But he's definitely interested. At least she's not having any illusions about the situation.]

What can we expect?

[endurancepoint]

[Alex happens to glance over her shoulder, and a grim smile forms on his face as he realizes what she's writing.]

Need a hand?

[defibrillating]

...I'm not sleeping until summer, am I?

[The giant purple medic takes the news in the rec room with a deep sigh. He was already spreading himself thin over the school and District X, and now Winter was Coming.

The rest of the news are taken in with a deep sigh.]

HI i'm going to tag you on newsreels forever

[thirdarrow]

[ Takakage had been sitting in the room as well, a cup of tea in his hands. There are definitely dark patches under his eyes, and his complexion has only gotten worse. ]

Don't rely on coffee, it eventually messes up your sleep schedule.

[ He shakes his head slightly before continuing. ]

The hospital hasn't seen more than a few mutants - for obvious reasons - but even the civilians are getting affected. I haven't had to cut classes short yet, but...

[eternalprincess]

[If there's one thing she was certain she'd never quite get used to, it'd be the climate here. Naturally, she expects to freeze her butt off.

It's starting already, of course, and the end result was one Californian mutant bundled up in a blanket.]

It's looking really bad out there...

[soundandfurry]

-Which probably explained why Kagerou looked particularly fluffy.- It's not too bad... It got worse back home sometimes.

[stardustreverie]

[Someone is off in a corner in a thick hooded sweatshirt and thick jeans, far from the windows. The cold always has given Marisa issues and now is not any exception. So she's slightly grumpy about the whole thing.

Although she is watching the news like a hawk though, Just trying to stay out of the discussion for now.]

[musou_tensei]

Is there even a person in all of that bundle? -Reimu teased, plopping down next to her.-

[mouflon]

I. Gym
[Rin is all about staying in shape, and with the way things look to be heading here, she's not about to give up on her training regimen. Almost every day, she can be found in the gym, stone-facedly working her way through a fairly rigid routine of exercises.

...Well, usually stone-faced. Today, some way or another, she has devolved into angrily wailing on a punching bag, making garbled, furious noises with each strike. It's an odd sight, considering she actually knows quite a bit about self-defense.

Normally, she wouldn't let anyone see her like this, but right now she's so worked up she doesn't even notice anyone else who might walk in. Maybe the malfunctioning radio—the second one she has broken in two days, by the way—sitting nearby has something to do with it?]

II. Common Room
[Rin, despite utterly approving of the MLF's tactics, has mostly kept her mouth shut on the topic. She's lying low in America after her own less-than-legal mutant activism went south; it's not like she wants to give anyone even the slightest hint of dirt on her. But today... Today, after weeks of hearing about it on the news, she's finally had enough. She looks up from the magazine she has been reading, turns to the person nearest to her, and declares:]

I don't see what the big deal is. Bigots deserve worse than doxxing.

[She's fishing for people who get it, but someone to take her frustrations out on works too.]

III. Library
[Here's Rin, seated at a table with one of her textbooks open in front of her, an expression of deep concentration on her face. So disciplined and studious, right?

Except, no, closer examination reveals that what she's studying is an extremely nerdy deck of cards. The textbook is to hide them, naturally.]

II

[eternalprincess]

[Sadly, that person just happens to be not only her room mate, but someone that believes whole heartedly in Professor Xavier's ideals. Perhaps that was why they were paired together to begin with?

Rin puts her in mind of a former friend and now member of the Brotherhood before she came to the Institute.]

...By attacking them, we'd only be proving them right.

[totallystoned]

[Common Room]

[Reki has her chin in her hands and a frown on.]

Well, time to find hiding places for them...

[She opens her cell phone, stops with her thumb over a contact named 'Prof. Washi'. She closes it again. Not yet.]

[Outside]

[True to the weatherman's predictions, her vespa is iced over. She looks at it with her arms folded, gives it a little kick to see if anything shakes loose. Nope.]

Damn, how am I supposed to get anywhere now?

[outside]

[turbedon]

[Dick notices the kicking and comes over the blink at the poor vespa.]

... Don't we have anyone who can set themselves on fire? Maybe they could help thaw it at least.

[fathoming]

[Naija can be found outside, singing at the ice to break up the biggest chunks, shattering its crystaline structure. Just hope she doesn't break something important in the process.]

[soundandfurry]

-With build in resistance to the cold, 'Shadow' was one of the few students who didn't really mind being outside in the deeper cold. After all, in the mountain town she was used to, it got way colder than this... And she found herself watching Naija work with rather rapt fascination.-

[shiningscales]

I. Cafeteria
[You know what's good on cold days? Hot drinks! Caelius has stopped by to snag one with the intent of heading straight back to his office, but he winds lingering to check the weather report.]

You know, earlier in the year, someone suggested I look into the idea of a self-heating coat.

[He almost sounds...wistful? It was a simpler time. A better time. A time when he could walk outside without wearing three coats over a sweater.]

I should have done that while I had the chance.

II. Counseling Offices & Surrounding Hallways
[Cooking and baking weren't exactly foreign activities to Caelius, but in the case of the latter, most of his experience came from when he was still living with his family. Even then, it had largely been to assist his mother when she needed help rolling out pie crust or cookie dough. Cupcakes were not something he had ever dabbled in.

So, considering his relative inexperience, he had made a batch to test out the recipe first. And then another one. By the third, he felt satisfied with his work, but then that felt like a lot of cupcakes to give one person, even if that person was Reimu. And he was sure that with everything that had been in the news lately, other people could use a pick-me-up, and...

Anyway, long story short, there's a plate of cupcakes sitting outside his office. They're fairly plain—chocolate on chocolate, with some colorful sprinkles added on top when he thought that looked too drab—and not spectacular, but they're pretty tasty and made from scratch.]

I

[musou_tensei]

It's not too late to get one. That's what Amazon is for. -Reimu, of course, offering the least helpful suggestion.-

[gloriousandfree]

[Teachers Lounge]

What a cross to die on. [She sips some coffee, shaking her head] Like camping out there will really change anything. No one makes policy because someone pulls something out the playbook of a kid waiting for the next iphone.

...Well at least I hope not.

[By the Lake]

[There are bright sides to frigid cold and snow storms. The lake has finally frozen over. Things are looking worse and she's having a hard time justifying staying here when this all looks like it might go to shit on them again. Cold and ice are easier to deal with than more talk of politics. She tests the ice with the edge of her skate, chipping at it to try to find the bottom. When a few moments of that yield nothing, she deems it safe enough and slides out over the ice. She had had the foresight not to wear her best pair in case this ice turns thin.

At least she had the common sense to stay within sight of the mansion.]

Don't you dare break. [Is she talking to the ice. Yes she is]

[fathoming]

[Naija, is by contrast, staring at the ice, looking forlorn. All her stuff is down there!]

What are you doing?

[Her curiosity is automatic but she still looks and sounds sad that she can't get into her den.]

OPEN, multiple choice, flexible locations

[niepokonany]

[Just as usual, Feliks can be found checking the news periodically throughout the day, whether it's in the boys' dorm common room, a more communal rec room, or on his phone just about anywhere on campus.]

[Hashtag Activism]

Ugh, I was totally planning to write one of those... It's like, can the MLF just, like, not sleaze something good up for once?

[Some people are actually trying to make things better, and they're totally not helping! On the other hand... He cracks a slightly mean little grin.]

But I mean, God, must be hard for them! Like, can you even imagine what it would be like to have someone taking away your privacy and exposing you to the whole world like that? Oh, wait...

[Genosha]

[This is the only segment he's quiet during. He'd been hopeful for Kelly's attempts to keep the peace, but Magneto can be such a hardliner. Just because Feliks refuses to see war as an inevitability, what good does it do if the heads of state involved don't?]

[Something has to be done. But what?]

[Of course, if anyone calls him on how weirdly quiet he is, the odds are he'll just make some kind of excuse!]

[Stryker]

Ugh.

[He wrinkles his nose, giving a toss of his hair.]

Because all of us have to be persecuted for what some of them did? Doesn't this guy have, like, literally anything non-bitchy to do?

[Winter Weather]

[He tilts his head a little, thoughtful.]

We could totally round up some people to hit the soup kitchen on weekends! Right?

[Kelly]

[Feliks smiles a little. This was just what he needed to see after some of the earlier news -- proof that sometimes, people can be changed.]

Right, totally! Like everyone's just gonna shut up and accept the worst!

[Winter Weather, Part II]

[In the late afternoon, there is... what looks to be a miniature fortress out in one of the gardens, decorated with colorful banners like a fairytale castle. No one appears to be inside, but anyone who wanders near is likely to find snowballs flying at them from over the parapets!]

[There's nothing like a little joking around to get your mind off heavy things, after all, and what better way right now than a snowball fight?]

[Styker]

[teufelskerl]

I am not any more fond of Herr Stryker's politics zhan you, Feliks, but even still, you should show more respect. Zhe man has lost family, and in his grieving he has been put to madness.

OPEN

[koukai_kirai]

[It's always been Hijikata's habit, when he's done with his other work for the day, to set up camp in his usual classroom and map out the day's news for himself on the whiteboards, drawing patterns and connections, making as much sense of it all as he can.]

[Today is no different. He goes to his classroom, he takes out his markers, he begins writing in Japanese...]

[And somewhere in the middle of it, he runs out of energy. Leaving the kanji he was on half-written, he sets down the marker and takes a step back from the board, feeling dwarfed by the enormity of the words and their weighty implications.]

[War isn't an inevitability. But the conditions are there, and belief in inevitability can be a self-fulfilling sort of thing, and for all that he can see, he can't see a way out of it. When he gets down to it, his mind isn't built for amicable resolutions. He has a logic that's good for winning, at any costs.]

[But that isn't Xavier's way. And after so long here, war isn't something Hijikata can accept, either.]

[If it came to that, what would they do? He can't abandon his place here -- the students he mentors, the community he serves, the leader he looks up to with all his heart. But Souji is still so damaged from the last glimpse of war the school endured. He can't control himself, and Hijikata can't in good conscience keep him in a war zone -- any more than he can leave his side in good conscience.]

[He feels trapped, and all he can do is look at the words on the whiteboard like a cornered animal looking for a way out.]

[bluishgreymatter]

"O war! Thou son of hell,
Whom angry heavens do make their minister,
Throw in the frozen bosoms of our part
Hot coals of vengeance! Let no soldier fly.
He that is truly dedicate to war
Hath no self-love, nor he that loves himself,
Hath not essentially but by circumstance
The name of valour..."

... It is in times like these we realize how truly small we are in the great scheme of things.

[endurancepoint]

[Alex glares at the television in the common room as it airs the piece on Stryker and his ~vigil~. There went his good mood for the rest of the day. He mutters to himself as he tries to remember the answer for an American History assignment.

If only there'd been a way to pin it on the Friends of Humanity. This could have gone the other way. Then again, they'd probably still blame it on mutants and scream for Registration.

[littlewhitelies]

[Guess who has the bad luck of walking between that glare and the television set?

M’gann flinches for a second when she catches that look, causing her previously levitating textbooks to all fly into her arms for an added barrier. A second passes by as she tries to stammer out something; an apology or a question about that look, when she picks out the news report and glances at the screen.]

“Not good news for studying? That’s what you’re scowling over, right?”

[Might as well double check that to make absolutely sure.]

open, flexible locations

[thirdarrow]

a;

[ Takakage isn't often seen in the corridors of the Institute anymore, instead spending every minute of his free time at the hospital or District X. He seems only to return to teach classes and sleep - while the quality of his lessons haven't gone down noticeably (save for the occasional factual slip), the exhaustion is evident in his features and his paled complexion has only gotten worse.

It's evening when he finishes up his last class and locks up the classroom, textbook and notes tucked under one arm. Uncharacteristically he fumbles and drops the key, picking it up again with something mutterred faintly in Japanese. Sleep deprivation hasn't exactly been kind to his constitution.

A few steps down the corridor he seemingly trips over thin air, half-collapsing against the wall and inadvertently scattering a dozen sheets of paper on the floor. ]

b;

[ He looks much better the next morning, showing up in the staff lounge with tea. The television is turned on, screening the news that had been flying about the previous few days. ]

Even the political situation is growing worse. With Genosha so hostile and the activists stirring things up - perhaps we have played entirely into the expectations of those who seek to profit from our exploitation.

[ As the news program progresses, his expression becomes more grim. ]

When a human is hurt by a mutant, it makes headlines worldwide. But when humans get violent towards mutants, the act is unnoticed if not celebrated. There is inherent bias here, compounded by the obstinacy of a significant part of the population.

But how do we overcome basic human psychology?

[ Is there truly no option left except to prepare for the worst? ]

A

[icy_heavens]

[And one of the students from his advanced biology class will see this on his way out of his final class of the day. It's uncharacteristic to see the man stumble over himself like that. Toushirou blinks owlishly, bends to pick up some of the teacher's scattered papers.]

What's wrong with you? [No harshness or accusation in the tone. Really, he's just asking if Takakage is all right. We remember Toushirou's lacking social skills, yes?]

Open!

[idkmybfforin]

[As much as Utsuho hated, hated this kind of weather--her wings were feeling cramped. Way, waaaay too cramped. And flying aimless circles around the gymnasium wasn't really cutting it any more.

So she had ventured outside! On a clear day, for...relatively short forays, just around the main campus and back, rather than the grounds themselves. Her wing feathers were fluffed out as much as possible while still maintaining any kind of flight surface, and there was occasionally a reddish glow from beneath the feathers on her forewings. There seemed to be an even smaller heat distortion around them when she did that, and her breath puffed out almost smokelike.

Each time Okuu made a circuit she started ending it sooner and sooner to rest and crowd a heat vent indoors. A door here and there and hopefully there was no one behind them before Okuu tried barging into the common buildings again.]

Re: Open!

[tiamaris]

Tiamaris was sitting outside, and probably confused her as much as she confused him. He had no clue why she was flying around outside like that, where as he...

Tiamaris was sitting under a tree, wearing a shirt he borrowed from Alric and his last pair of pants. Nothing else. No coat against the cold air, no blanket to huddle under. He just sat under the tree, occasionally glancing down at the book he had brought out with him, but mostly staring into space, trying to come to grips with his life here, and his constant question of if he should still be living.

His eyes were a dull orange, though they shaded more towards gold, watching her.

Heading to the soup kitchen - Open

[eileaneathompson]

She had done this for Thanksgiving, she could do it again now. Given the cold, she doubted too many volunteers would be out, and it's not like she had anything better to do...

She went to her closet and pulled on some warm fleecy pants and a loose warm blouse over a thermal undershirt. She looked at herself in the mirror and nodded. Good, didn't look a thing like herself from the neck down.

She pulled her hair, which she almost always wore loose or mostly loose, up into a tight tight bun at the back of her head. She then sat and did up her makeup to make her face look older, but mostly just to make it look different. She had bought herself some colored contact lenses and put those in, making her eyes a dull brown. She finished her lipstick and looked in the mirror again. She shouldn't be recognized.

Pleased with her efforts, she stood and spun off a clone, dressed and looking as she did. She sent the clone off to the soup kitchen, while she changed into a dress, pulled down her hair, and undid her face, looking once more like herself. She spent a small fortune in makeup that was intended to hide who she was.

The problem was, she still didn't know how good deeds were viewed in this place. She wanted to do good, but more, she wanted friends. So if she had to sneak around and use disguised clones to do good like she did in high school, so be it.


The clone, hair in a tight bun, wearing baggy pants and warm shirts, headed for the soup kitchen. She planned to help out as long as she could. The plus side to being a clone was she didn't have to save energy for the walk back, she could just fade to nothingness. So, girl without a coat, but clearly not starving to death, heading for a soup kitchen, if anyone wants to intercept her....

[garganteren]

Gym:
[He's been keeping to himself a lot lately. Every morning, he wakes before dawn and goes to the gym, and today is no different, save that he goes back again, later in the afternoon. He likes the pre-dawn hours betters when there aren't as many people around, but he believes he can go to the gym any time he wants. If he has to be here, he can at least use the facilities to train. His fists strike the punching back again and again, until he doesn't feel anything but a dull ache in his muscles and his fists.]

Hallways:
[Can Eren be found in class? No, he's still boycotting all his classes.

But no one can accuse him of being lazy, as he's been working all day. He's currently in the hallways, mopping up tirelessly, a grim expression on his face.

No surprise there. There's usually a grim expression on his face.]

Lounge:
There are wars that should be fought.

hallways

[soundandfurry]

-Kagerou was doing her best to keep up with the boycott as well. At the very least, Bigby said he'd respect her wishes... but for the most part, she was really only still doing this out of solidarity with Eren. She didn't follow the news, as it was often going right over her head, but she noticed somber moods all around... She greeted Eren with a smile, once again bringing him some snacks.-

Hey, wanna take a break?