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pluviosa2024-02-14 09:13 pm
pluviosamods) wrote in pluviosa2024-02-14 09:13 pm
Entry tags:
GAME OPENING LOG
GAME OPENING
There's still dripping everywhere, and the gurgle of standing water shifting and draining to somewhere further down...
... But the sound of the rain outside has stopped. And you haven't heard the thunder in a while.
Take a moment. Look out the windows, the glass doors leading out to the balconies - the world beyond is lighting up. Mountains stand out against the distant eastern horizon, breaking up the first of the sunlight into scattered beams. The ship chases that light, running eastward towards the glow of dawn. Its motion is easier to bear now that the storm is over - the wind no longer tries to blow it off course.
You've survived the night - survived the storm. You get the feeling it won't be the last.
The storm abates over the course of the night - by midnight, it's dropped back enough that water and wind are no longer forcing their way through the bubble barriers, and by about an hour before sunrise - just when the sky is starting to get light - the rain has stopped completely. The clouds persist a bit longer, giving characters a spectacular sunrise to look at. When the first rays of the sun are visible over the mountains, any characters still affected by hallucinations feel their minds clear.
Fifteen minutes after dawn - about when it's getting to be a pain to look directly in the direction the ship is travelling because of the sun directly in the eyeballs - characters who are sensitive to electricity may sense the power kick back on. It's just in the wires and cables spread throughout the ship, however - the lights don't turn on, although the elevators do.
Five minutes after that, there's a crackle that is audible to all characters, from speakers spread throughout the hallways and rooms of the ship. Not every speaker is functional - some of them just continue to emit static instead of the message that follows - but enough of them are that every character will be able to hear a single piercing beep, followed by an artificial voice in an androgynous tenor:
"ALL PASSENGERS, PLEASE REPORT TO THE AFT LOUNGE ON DECK R-ZERO FOR A HEADCOUNT."
There's silence for a moment, and then another, quieter alert beep, and the same voice adds, almost as an afterthought,
"Please follow the emergency lighting in the hallways for guidance."
After that announcement, strips of lighting on the ceiling of the hallways - the lights are also on the floor, but even after the rain has washed so much dirt away, you're unlikely to see them anywhere except close enough to the stairs that you don't need them - light up. They begin to move in a pattern of diodes that leads characters to the staircases and elevators near the back of the ship, in the somewhat drier part of it that has more decks above the one where characters woke up.
The stairs are now navigable - even if there's still a decent amount of water flowing down them, not entirely contained by the channels cut into the outside of the turns of the staircase - and the elevators are now powered. Well, sort of. Although the elevators have power, the buttons inside do not - all of them are dark. Instead, the elevators automatically move characters upwards after they enter, depositing them on deck R0 for the indicated headcount.
Other than the increasingly large number of confused "passengers," however, there doesn't seem to be anything here. Some furniture in varying states of decay, sure, and puddles and debris from the storm's flooding, but no indication of humans or any other form of sapient life. The space is wide and open, and decently well-lit even with the overhead lights off, since the majority of the walls to either side appear to be made of glass.
Once everyone has assembled - or at least everyone who is willing to come, as nothing forces characters do follow instructions from a strange voice - there is another crackle of speaker feedback. At least there's no blaring alert tone to start this message.
"THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION."
The voice is the same as before - and anyone from a semi-modern world would be able to tell, from the pattern of speech, that this is a synthesized voice, not a real person, or at least not a real person willing to reveal themselves to be such. It speaks entirely in the language characters discovered knowing when they woke up here. The volume of the voice decreases somewhat after the initial announcement gets everyone's attention, but it is still audible to everyone.
"Please excuse the inadequate accommodations. Your arrival was unexpected. This ship has not entertained new passengers in 317 years, 6 months, and 19 days."
"We will do our best to prepare appropriate accommodations as quickly as possible. However, the immediate priority is to supply passengers with meals and other appropriate provisions. Please accept this with our sincerest apologies."
At the close of those words, the elevator doors to either side of the lounge area open, and self-propelled carts - the kind you might see in industrial kitchens - roll out. Their lower shelves are stacked with bowls, cups, and those plastic utensil holders filled with spoons, while the upper halves are full of food and drink. Specifically, the majority are full of cafeteria pans of oatmeal, the kind with the metal lids that keep the heat in. In addition to the oatmeal, there's a wide variety of raw fruits and vegetables, and some additional options for throwing in your oatmeal such as cinnamon, honey, both brown and white sugar, shaved almonds, and other things that can be made from plants and stored for a long time. There are also two carts at either end full of hot drinks - one of tea, one of coffee - and one each of cold drinks such as fruit juice. There do not appear to be any meat or dairy offerings, although there's both almond and soy milk for your coffee if you can tolerate the substitutes. (It tastes somewhat metallic, like it was dehydrated for a long time, but the coffee and tea themselves taste quite fresh.)
Once the carts have wheeled themselves out, the voice continues from the speakers.
"In order to better serve our passengers, we would like to ask you a few questions. First: What is your locale of origin? Second: Why have you come?"
For OOC questions about this event, please use the OOC Questions header in the comments below. To respond to the Ship's questions, or ask it some of your own, please use the Talk to the Ship header. Otherwise, this post is a mingle, and players are encouraged to post their own top-level comments for their characters and reply to each other.
Following this post, simple food will be available in this area during "active" hours, starting from around dawn to two hours after sunset (the ship's days, at least at present, are about evenly divided). At night, the food carts roll away into one of the restaurants around the edges of this area. Instead, wheeled dumpsters with grabbing attachments collect up the old furniture and cram it into themselves, and starting the second night, 'new' furniture takes its place, mostly dining tables and chairs of various sizes.
Characters now have theoretically full access to the ship; however, the elevators are only mostly functional as debris is cleared from them. The rear elevators go all the way up the residential levels, but only as far down as deck 3. The front elevators only move between decks R0, 0, and 1.
More information on the schedule of shipwide upgrades will be available on the event plotting post in a few days. Until then - at least it's dry weather and smooth sailing for a while?
... But the sound of the rain outside has stopped. And you haven't heard the thunder in a while.
Take a moment. Look out the windows, the glass doors leading out to the balconies - the world beyond is lighting up. Mountains stand out against the distant eastern horizon, breaking up the first of the sunlight into scattered beams. The ship chases that light, running eastward towards the glow of dawn. Its motion is easier to bear now that the storm is over - the wind no longer tries to blow it off course.
You've survived the night - survived the storm. You get the feeling it won't be the last.
The storm abates over the course of the night - by midnight, it's dropped back enough that water and wind are no longer forcing their way through the bubble barriers, and by about an hour before sunrise - just when the sky is starting to get light - the rain has stopped completely. The clouds persist a bit longer, giving characters a spectacular sunrise to look at. When the first rays of the sun are visible over the mountains, any characters still affected by hallucinations feel their minds clear.
Fifteen minutes after dawn - about when it's getting to be a pain to look directly in the direction the ship is travelling because of the sun directly in the eyeballs - characters who are sensitive to electricity may sense the power kick back on. It's just in the wires and cables spread throughout the ship, however - the lights don't turn on, although the elevators do.
Five minutes after that, there's a crackle that is audible to all characters, from speakers spread throughout the hallways and rooms of the ship. Not every speaker is functional - some of them just continue to emit static instead of the message that follows - but enough of them are that every character will be able to hear a single piercing beep, followed by an artificial voice in an androgynous tenor:
"ALL PASSENGERS, PLEASE REPORT TO THE AFT LOUNGE ON DECK R-ZERO FOR A HEADCOUNT."
There's silence for a moment, and then another, quieter alert beep, and the same voice adds, almost as an afterthought,
"Please follow the emergency lighting in the hallways for guidance."
After that announcement, strips of lighting on the ceiling of the hallways - the lights are also on the floor, but even after the rain has washed so much dirt away, you're unlikely to see them anywhere except close enough to the stairs that you don't need them - light up. They begin to move in a pattern of diodes that leads characters to the staircases and elevators near the back of the ship, in the somewhat drier part of it that has more decks above the one where characters woke up.
The stairs are now navigable - even if there's still a decent amount of water flowing down them, not entirely contained by the channels cut into the outside of the turns of the staircase - and the elevators are now powered. Well, sort of. Although the elevators have power, the buttons inside do not - all of them are dark. Instead, the elevators automatically move characters upwards after they enter, depositing them on deck R0 for the indicated headcount.
Other than the increasingly large number of confused "passengers," however, there doesn't seem to be anything here. Some furniture in varying states of decay, sure, and puddles and debris from the storm's flooding, but no indication of humans or any other form of sapient life. The space is wide and open, and decently well-lit even with the overhead lights off, since the majority of the walls to either side appear to be made of glass.
AT THE CAFETERIA
Once everyone has assembled - or at least everyone who is willing to come, as nothing forces characters do follow instructions from a strange voice - there is another crackle of speaker feedback. At least there's no blaring alert tone to start this message.
"THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION."
The voice is the same as before - and anyone from a semi-modern world would be able to tell, from the pattern of speech, that this is a synthesized voice, not a real person, or at least not a real person willing to reveal themselves to be such. It speaks entirely in the language characters discovered knowing when they woke up here. The volume of the voice decreases somewhat after the initial announcement gets everyone's attention, but it is still audible to everyone.
"Please excuse the inadequate accommodations. Your arrival was unexpected. This ship has not entertained new passengers in 317 years, 6 months, and 19 days."
"We will do our best to prepare appropriate accommodations as quickly as possible. However, the immediate priority is to supply passengers with meals and other appropriate provisions. Please accept this with our sincerest apologies."
At the close of those words, the elevator doors to either side of the lounge area open, and self-propelled carts - the kind you might see in industrial kitchens - roll out. Their lower shelves are stacked with bowls, cups, and those plastic utensil holders filled with spoons, while the upper halves are full of food and drink. Specifically, the majority are full of cafeteria pans of oatmeal, the kind with the metal lids that keep the heat in. In addition to the oatmeal, there's a wide variety of raw fruits and vegetables, and some additional options for throwing in your oatmeal such as cinnamon, honey, both brown and white sugar, shaved almonds, and other things that can be made from plants and stored for a long time. There are also two carts at either end full of hot drinks - one of tea, one of coffee - and one each of cold drinks such as fruit juice. There do not appear to be any meat or dairy offerings, although there's both almond and soy milk for your coffee if you can tolerate the substitutes. (It tastes somewhat metallic, like it was dehydrated for a long time, but the coffee and tea themselves taste quite fresh.)
Once the carts have wheeled themselves out, the voice continues from the speakers.
"In order to better serve our passengers, we would like to ask you a few questions. First: What is your locale of origin? Second: Why have you come?"
OOC INFO
For OOC questions about this event, please use the OOC Questions header in the comments below. To respond to the Ship's questions, or ask it some of your own, please use the Talk to the Ship header. Otherwise, this post is a mingle, and players are encouraged to post their own top-level comments for their characters and reply to each other.
Following this post, simple food will be available in this area during "active" hours, starting from around dawn to two hours after sunset (the ship's days, at least at present, are about evenly divided). At night, the food carts roll away into one of the restaurants around the edges of this area. Instead, wheeled dumpsters with grabbing attachments collect up the old furniture and cram it into themselves, and starting the second night, 'new' furniture takes its place, mostly dining tables and chairs of various sizes.
Characters now have theoretically full access to the ship; however, the elevators are only mostly functional as debris is cleared from them. The rear elevators go all the way up the residential levels, but only as far down as deck 3. The front elevators only move between decks R0, 0, and 1.
More information on the schedule of shipwide upgrades will be available on the event plotting post in a few days. Until then - at least it's dry weather and smooth sailing for a while?
no subject
Anyway, the guy comes up behind him, making just enough noise that he’s not actively trying to sneak, unless he’s very bad at it, so Shang Qinghua doesn’t bother to startle when a tap comes on his shoulder, just turns to face him.
“Stressed? I suppose so, haha, wouldn’t anyone be when suddenly trapped on a mysterious walking ship with no sign of how they got there or how to get home?” Though honestly if the ship is going to feed them and provide beds and have company as nice as Casper and most importantly have his system offline, he’s not actually really complaining. It’s not like he’s stuck in the Endless Abyss. But it sounds better than ‘I’m scared of that five foot tall lady over there because she’s a lawyer’. “Are you not worried about getting home?” Maybe he can feel out the other guy and get a sense for what exactly he’s working with here, whether that qi means that he’s someone to truly be afraid of. In a room full of people, some of whom he hasn’t met and one of whom is Casper, he doesn’t want to jump straight to thigh hugging, if at all possible.
no subject
Childe decides to sit near him, elbow propped up on the table, his chin resting on a closed fist. The redhead offers the other guy a smile, as if that would help his nerves. He wouldn't bite. The poor guy was just unfortunately the most interesting person in the room at the time.
Home.
Childe pushes away the feelings that word stirs in him.
"Oh, no. I do wanna go home. But this is a nice little addition to my vacation time. And I'm kind of interested in finding out what's really going on here, you know? It's like an adventure."
And he felt there was no use in moping around. If they were all stuck together, he might as well get to know some of the people he was with. The fatuus figures after he rests up for real, he's going to take another trip back into the depths of the ship. It'd be good to know if there was anyone he might be inclined to ask to join him.
"Anyways, the name's Childe. Yours?"
no subject
“You, on the other hand, seem very calm, haha! You’re not bothered by being surrounded by unknown quantities? For all we know, someone here could be a… serial cannibal, or something. Or the ship could be planning to use us as a power source.” Back up, Airplane, don’t start listing reasons to be afraid of strangers, you’re trying not to look like a coward for five seconds.
“You must take interesting vacations! I admit this is warmer than where I spend some of my time, and I can think of worse locations.” Like the Abyss. Or, frankly, being outdoors in the Northern Desert. Ice demons like Mobei-Jun were adapted for it, but humans decidedly were not.
“I’m Shang Qinghua.” The other man gave just a name, no titles, so he elects not to staple his own on. Eying the man’s orange hair and odd sort of anime European outfit, he adds, “Family name Shang, courtesy name Qinghua, I suspect you’re from a culture that does it the other way around.” He’s still not over the ship calling him ‘Mr. Shang’, a title he mostly associates with spam emails trying to sell him a more impressive penis. But like, hey, points for trying!
no subject
A little violence and elbow grease did wonders on a threat that was very human in nature. The ship using them as backup power? Well... That was a little different.
...After a moments' thought, the Harbinger decides it really isn't any different. Just break shit until it no longer works. Imagine that. Violence really did solve anything.
"My last one was pretty interesting, yeah. You're right though, this could be a hell of a lot worse." Childe is just glad they're being fed. Eating weird boat fruits were interesting, but the risk of making himself sick and therefore ill-prepared to handle any possible threats was a little too high for him to do it consistently. And also death, but that was a whole other thing.
The man next to him seemed to be wearing something almost Liyuean, and offered his name, with a quick clarification. Childe was already relatively familiar with the idea, but appreciated it anyways.
"Nice to meet you, Shang Qinghua. You're right, I come from a much different culture, but I get the concept. I travel a lot on official business."
no subject
no subject
"I feel that. Not much to fight here so far, I'm not sure what I'm going to do if the Ship's already got food covered." He laughs, this time a little softer.
The other man seemed to be grasping for the right word--- It was hard when you weren't from the same world. But his at least seemed... Almost adjacent? Similar enough that maybe they could find something to connect?
"Yeah, I am. I spent some time in a place called Liyue. I have a...." Childe isn't sure how to define his relationship with Zhongli. Instead, he opts for a different person, whom he knows is a friend of his. "A friend who lives there named Xinyan. She travels all over the place to play her music."
"I've also been in a place called Inazuma, and have a friend named Yoimiya. I actually met them both there on separate occasions. Very different nations, but they both have that similar name structure."
Shang Qinghua asks him what he does, and Childe thinks about his words and chooses them a little more carefully. He's wondering if starting off saying he saw himself as an object that creates violence was probably a bit frightening for others. This guy seemed skittish enough already.
"I'm a Fatui Harbinger--- That is to say I am one of the 13 closest people to my region's god. I'm often sent on missions abroad, to get things moving in other nations, if there's some kind of standstill."
It was nicer to say than 'the Tsaritsa's living weapon'.
no subject
Aren’t harbingers like… a bad thing? Heralding destruction or something? Hm. He wants a dictionary. Interesting title, anyway. “That sounds very important!” He’s trying so hard to not talk too much and hand the Harbinger information on a platter.
no subject
"Yeah. We aren't from the same region, but I know him."
Knowing him in the barest sense of the word. They'd talked like, twice. Childe ultimately decides that he won't bring up that the guy threw him in prison. That whole thing was over and done with, now.
"It is. At least to me. It doesn't wholly matter here. No one to take orders from."
The Fatuus turns his attention back on the other man, not wanting to take up the whole conversation and make it about things that Shang Qinghua didn't know or care about.
"So. Logistics, huh? What's that like?"
no subject
“A lot of paperwork?” Shang Qinghua offers. I am very boring and nonthreatening. “My sect has twelve peaks, and mine, An Ding, is responsible for making sure everyone gets what they need. Food, clothes, medicine, weapons, alcohol, paper, musical instruments, wood, building repairs, laundry—everything the sect needs to run. Someone has to keep track of everything and balance the budget and… that’s us.”
no subject
Childe sighs, yeah this guy is probably just freaked out because he was so... Normal. Definitely not used to being thrown into the thick of danger.
"Good, honest work then. No wonder you're scared out of your wits."
He grins at the other man, friendly.
"You ever need help, don't hesitate to come find me. I can solve most problems pretty quickly."
Ah, the power of incredible violence.
no subject
Hah, honest work. That's certainly not a phrase often applied to him. He's pretty sure if he told Cucumber-bro that he did 'good, honest work', his shixiong would try to choke him with his own paperwork. Liu-shidi or Qi-shimei would just give him such a withering look that he'd drop dead on the spot. "These are certainly unusual circumstances! I am... unsure what to make of them. And who knows what dangers have yet to present themselves!" He's perfectly willing to play up cowardice, because he is a coward, and he has no dignity.
Except maybe if Casper is looking, but that's really more of an aspirational thing, given how incredibly undignified he's been around Casper already."I will keep that in mind, gongzi, thank you!" The Harbinger is now so friendly it's honestly sort of unsettling, but he'll take it! And he will absolutely take random offers of help predicated on him looking pathetic and breakable!no subject
It was exciting! He couldn't wait to see what the Ship really had in store.
"Of course. It's no problem. I'm not really a fan of people who are unused to conflict getting involved, anyways."
Everyone here had something to return to. He did, too, but Childe knew what he was capable of. He wasn't an easy guy to beat.
Childe didn't care if his words meant half of the people on the ship were under his own protection. Fighting was his hobby, as well as his passion, and he understood that it wasn't for everyone. And that he could be a bit... Frightening.
Shang Qinghua was right, it was hard to tell what they could encounter here.
The Harbinger could take being the scary guy if it meant that those weaker than him were safe.
no subject
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Childe was happy to protect people that weren't wholly able to protect themselves, and that didn't mean he had to like the people he offered help to, but this guy seemed to be... milking the idea. Maybe he was just nervous.
"Er.... Yeah. As most people do."
Childe decides it's really not his job to judge, he barely knows the guy. So he doesn't think too much of it.
"Anyways, glad to be of service. Just give me a shout."
no subject
“Appreciated, gongzi.” The guy is clearly put off, so it’s time to practice Shutting The Fuck Up before he decides Shang Qinghua is annoying enough to hit instead of protecting. He sketches a vague bow from his seated position and attempts to find the table interesting.
no subject
"Well, uh, see you around. Nice meeting you."
He walks away, leaving the poor man be.