Something Sinister in the air...

[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.

"... since X-Day, it would appear that activity of both the Friends of Humanity and the Mutant Liberation Front have been largely contained. Authorities still urge caution, of course, but as far as the continuing violence is concerned, the streets are a little safer now. However, the leaders of both organizations are still at large. The FBI, along with SHIELD, have requested that any information to the whereabouts of MLF or FoH leadership be brought to them as quickly and discreetly as possible..."


"... holding her first concert since the violence broke out and her original tour was cancelled. Tickets to victims of anti-mutant violence were given entirely for free. Dazzler herself was quoted saying that now was a needed time for healing, and music plays an important role in that. She wants her fans to know that she is here for them, and she will do everything she can to help mutants still struggling in the wake of hatred and violence..."


"... Stryker has said that his vigil, continuing again after being released from the hospital, will continue until Claudine Renko, whom he holds personally responsible for the death of his son as well as the X-Day riots, is brought to justice. Senator Graydon Creed and the other Last Stand lawmakers have said they will stand with Reverend Stryker for the same goal. Creed went on to say that the only way from preventing something like X-Day from happening again is to pass the Mutant Registration Act, finally..."


"... Gabrielle Haller claiming that she and Genosha leadership have come to an agreement to stall potential international aggressions. The Passover Accords, as they are being called, were signed by both President Kelly and President Lensherr, sealing an agreement of non-aggression between the two powers, even if only temporarily..."


"... was released from SHIELD custody today and will stand trial for multiple accounts of fraud as well as the attack on the Xavier Institute of Higher Learning. John Sublime plead guilty to all charges, and expressed his regret that his obsession lead to such horrible acts. He reiterated that all he wished for in his Third Species movement was for peace between human and mutant, and a better understanding of each other..."

[[ 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

[martyrerkomplex]

There must be some people here who can play something... I never learned, but I can sing a little.

[It passed the time, when she had no one else to talk to and could get far enough from her family not to bother them.]

What can you play?

[garganteren]

Maybe. I would sing. I could play the guitar a little, too, but I'm not very good. It was just for fun. We'd all get together and sing old songs and hymns.

[Eren talks about it like it all happened years ago. It was another time altogether.]

I'm not musical or anything.

[He wouldn't do that by himself.]

[martyrerkomplex]

[Krista tries to imagine what it would be like to make music together with someone. All she can really think of is elementary school music classes, but that doesn't seem the same as doing it for fun, together with friends.]

It sounds like a lot of fun.

[garganteren]

Sure, it was fun. We were always doing things like that.

[He doesn't think he'll ever do anything like that again.]

I don't think we were much good, but we had a good time.

[martyrerkomplex]

[She smiles, warm and soft and gentle, the way she's always trying to be.]

That's more important than being good at it, anyway, isn't it? If you had a good time together.

[garganteren]

You're right. That's what's most important. The people you care about.

I'd rather have that than be good at anything.

[martyrerkomplex]

I've met so many kind people here. I feel really lucky.

[She's just going to not talk about basically anyone she knew before.]

[garganteren]

[Eren's quiet about this for a moment. How to be diplomatic...]

Most people here don't like me. But that doesn't matter. I don't care about being liked.

[He's not really that diplomatic, as it turns out.]

I'll support the people I do care about no matter what!

[martyrerkomplex]

[Krista is quiet for a moment. She isn't offended, exactly, but something feels strange. She's a little jealous of the idea of the luxury of not caring if people like you -- the sheer strength that must take, or of the privilege to just take it for granted. For her, being liked feels like a matter of desperately fought for survival.]

Doesn't everyone care about being liked?

[The rest is worth thinking about and comment, too, but that's what really hits her at first.]

[garganteren]

What?

[Even after thinking for a moment, he'd simply blurted the first thing that came to mind, so he hadn't been expecting any specific response. Now he has to think about it again.]

It's not like I don't like being liked, when it happens, but there are more important things. Like my principles. Even if no one in the world liked me, but I stood up for what I believed in—I'd think I made the right choice.

I guess I meant... I don't care if people dislike me.

[martyrerkomplex]

I think I understand better now.

[She still can't agree -- being disliked again is the last thing she ever wants to do -- but she thinks his position is a little clearer.]

...But why would they? I mean, if I can ask... You don't seem so different than a lot of people here.

[He seems like the kind of boy a lot of people like, really -- honest, strong-willed, principled, and so on.]

[garganteren]

I don't worry about that. If I'm myself, that's what matters.

[He doesn't disagree with her comment, but he feels different from everyone—here and everywhere else, too. At some point, he stopped fitting in anywhere.]

My politics. I don't agree with most of the people here. I'm not going to try to make them change their minds, but I'm not going to be quiet, either.

[martyrerkomplex]

[If I'm myself, that's what matters. Krista doesn't think she's ever heard a single thought that's so completely alien to her.]

[She's... just going to play off the wide-eyed innocent thing a little more. That seems to be serving her well in general, so far.]

Is that really something to dislike someone over? Everyone can't agree about everything, can they?

[garganteren]

If you take something seriously, and you believe in it more than anything, and someone tells you you're wrong—when they stand for everything you're against—

Some people will hate you for that.

[martyrerkomplex]

Maybe.

But shouldn't we at least try to understand each other a little better than that?

[She doesn't really understand anyone, she often feels. But the idea of trying seems important, at least important enough to pretend to believe in.]

[garganteren]

I'm not against understanding people. I'll talk to people, but as soon as I tell most of them what I believe, they argue with me and call me a terrorist—even though I'm not! They don't try to understand me.

I have a right to my opinion, too.

[martyrerkomplex]

...Why do they think that?

[There's a limit to how blindly accepting she can reasonably pretend to be.]

[garganteren]

Because I support the Mutant Registration Act.

[He might have changed his views somewhat, but he hasn't altered his position in that regard.]

What I don't support is hurting innocent people! On either side!

[martyrerkomplex]

Do you think that will stop people from being hurt? It just seems like...

Well, the whole idea scares people.

[And people are more dangerous when they're scared. They lash out. She knows that all too well.]

[garganteren]

I don't think there's ever going to be a way to stop people from being hurt, but I do think you can do whatever's possible to protect people!

Mutants not being registered scares people, too.

[martyrerkomplex]

Why?

[She toys with the idea of just... putting some sympathy in his brain. It's largely worked out for her, except for that one time at the riot when she was too unsubtle and got punched.]

[No, the old-fashioned Puppy Eyes method is probably safer for now.]

[garganteren]

[That's probably a good idea, because few things would make Eren madder than using powers on him without his permission.]

Because people are dying. Innocent people are being killed by these dangerous mutants, who are much more dangerous than ordinary people, because of what they can do.

[martyrerkomplex]

I know some mutants are like that, and we need to do something about them.

But innocent people are hurt by people who think all mutants are to blame, too. I don't think I can really agree with something that seems made to help those people, more than anyone else.

...But I don't dislike you. It doesn't sound like your heart's in the wrong place at all.

[garganteren]

That's right, we do.

I think you're wrong. It's only by knowing who these mutants are and what they can do that we can really protect people. Terrorists on both sides should be stopped. They're dangerous agitators who just confuse the issue.

[But he doesn't get angry, since she's not being hostile to him.]

Most people who want to register the mutants don't want to hurt anyone! They want their families to be safe.

[martyrerkomplex]

But so do most people who don't want their name on a list like that. I don't think those innocent people's safety should be ignored.

[She seems a little distressed at the prospect of anyone getting hurt, but calm otherwise, and certainly not aggressive.]