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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?
cw: mild suicide ideation
A dam bound to break. The redhead's hands tremble.
It didn't matter to the stranger, but he still had the nerve to imply something bad would happen to his family in the event of the Harbinger's death. The smile he's given makes Childe grit his teeth, clenching his jaw.
How closed off his father had been with him since handing him off to a Harbinger. His visits home cut short--- They could never sleep while he was around their other children. They loved him. Not enough to have him stay.
Childe didn't mind being in the Fatui. It allowed him an outlet for his violent tendencies. He loved his family, his parents and elder siblings. He just wished... That maybe things were different. And maybe there was a little bit of quiet resentment in there, too, for being the one they gave up on.
He might be the Tsaritsa's attack dog, but it didn't mean he was disciplined, trained to bite only on command. He was volatile, reactive, in the right conditions. His patience ran thin, and he decided that no, he couldn't care less about needing to eat or sussing this guy out. He spits his next words out.]
And what the FUCK do you know?
[Childe slams his hands on the table with a snarl, pushing himself to his feet. Making a scene. He glares at the man in front of him. Electro energy lingers heavily in their immediate vicinity. He can feel it crawling up his arms.]
I'm stuck here with you, so I can't do shit anyways!
[The fatuus desperately tries to reel himself in before it's too late, before he does something he'll regret, closing his eyes and tilting his head down. Breathing deeply, slowly. Not looking at the other man, at least until he doesn't feel like he's going to lash out right now immediately.]
Yeah, I can't protect them if I'm dead.
[He had his dream vacation (the fight of his life), and they get theirs (a world where their violent son didn't exist). The thought is a bitter one, uncharitable and unfair to a family that loves him yet fears him all at once, and he shakes his head, wanting to be rid of it. His voice goes quiet, near inaudible.]
They'd probably be better off.
no subject
Huh, I didn't take you for the kind of guy who had self-esteem issues. That's who they're letting into the Harbingers now? And here I thought they were all malicious schemers with egos the size of Dragonspine.
[ Pot, kettle, black, something something, but Childe doesn't need to know any of the Wanderer's personal issues. ]
I'm sure they'll be better off without your protection. The Fatui will protect the family of a useless, broken tool, right? You sure have a pretty image of them in your mind.
[ He could go into more detail with his insults, but that would reveal that he has far more knowledge of the Harbingers themselves than anyone who isn't part of the Fatui ought to have. And he can't exactly risk his newfound anonymity just to taunt Childe. He has to be careful, even if it would be very cathartic to keep picking on the ginger. ]
no subject
[The other man's words don't reach the depths of the worst things ever said to or about Childe. But after being taunted, after spending days wading around in the dark, hungry and soaked through and dodging worms....
The wire snaps. It's not the line about the other Harbingers, it's not the dig about the words he'd muttered under his breath. Self esteem issues? If only it was that easy.
The breadth of his patience ends when called a useless, broken tool.
In a swift motion, Childe flips the table. He glowers at the drifter, electro energy gathering in the air, thick enough to cut. He's making a scene. He doesn't think that he cares, right now.]
Will you give it up? What the FUCK is your problem, dude?
[He knew the danger his family was in. It all came from him, in some shape or form. No matter how much time passed, he was still that violent child they couldn't handle.]
If I get home and find out that you've done ANYTHING to them, I will hunt you to the ends of Teyvat. You got that?
[The fatuus is pissed, but his glare is very sober, staring down the shorter man. He means every word. The air seems to crackle around him. Despite Childe's outburst, he held back the worst of his volatility, even as he wanted to grab the annoying little bastard and drag him into the depths of the ship with him and settle this for real.]
Keep it up and neither of us will be leaving this boat.
no subject
Ooh, how scary~ A Fatui Harbinger is losing his temper over some harmless words. Is that really how you ought to be behaving? Shouldn't you be far more composed? You're exposing your weaknesses left and right~
[ He sighs, shaking his head in mock exasperation. ]
Haven't I told you already? I have no connection to your family. Besides, what makes you think I'm strong enough to break through whatever protection you've put in place for them anyway?
[ The Electro energy crackles in the air threateningly, but the Wanderer has seen worse. Knows far worse, because nothing can be worse than the fury of the Electro Archon herself. Childe is nothing more than a puppy compared to her. ]
Come now, you're scaring the other passengers on this ship. You should calm down.
no subject
Unfortunately, the bridge is already burning, and it was hard to reel back. He still tries.]
I feel like any normal person would be pretty worried about their family after a stranger threatens them, asshole.
[The Harbinger has half a mind to step over the table and walk up to the other man. He considers grabbing at the drifter and tugging him close just to snarl at him exactly how dead he was under his breath.
Childe thinks better of it, simply glowering. There's a noticeable air of anxiety in the room, and he was making himself look completely unstable in front of everyone. And if they were going to fight anywhere, this was a terrible place for it. Too many people.]
Fine.
[He hisses the word between his teeth, leaning down to pick up the table and set it back upright with one hand, still glaring intensely at the Wanderer and his smug face.]
No connection, but you just so happen to know they're being protected. I'm on to you. Don't think I'll let this slide.
no subject
And who would this stranger be? I certainly don't recall threatening them.
[ He scoffs as Childe backs down and points out that tidbit as if it's solid evidence for the drifter's wrongdoing. ]
Please, use your brain a little. I know you've got one, even if it's about the size of a shriveled pea. You're a well-known member of an infamous organization that doesn't enjoy the most stellar of reputations outside of Snezhnaya. It doesn't take a genius to figure you've got more enemies than you can count with that peabrain of yours. Of course they would have protection.
[ He sighs in mock exasperation and shrugs in an exaggerated manner. ]
At least you're smart enough to settle down. Good boy.
no subject
I'm done. You have a weird thing for riling me up. I'm not playing around with you anymore, man.
[It wasn't a threat, but he knew way too much about the status of Childe's family for him to be comfortable about it. If they didn't want Childe around, he can't imagine them wanting this asshole around, either.
The Harbinger does not like this guy. Unfortunately they were stuck together on a boat, in a room full of uninvolved and innocent people, so he couldn't just start throwing punches without risking hurting someone else. The difference between here and the Opera Epiclese is that the opera had a whole stage to throw down on.
Childe was all but ready to just turn around and walk away-- was even in process of doing so, but the Wanderer's words bring him pause, for just a moment.
The scoff doesn't get his attention, and neither does the comment about his intelligence. Calling him a good boy, however? That has the redhead turning around to face the other man again, eyes narrowed.]
Okay, fine. I'll bite. My family has protection so long as I'm a Harbinger and veritably alive. You're right! You've figured it out!
[The fatuus places his hands on the table, leaning in close to the other man, voice lowering into a growl.]
So what is it to you? Why do you care if I'm alive or if they are? Is this some kind of weird game where you dangle the idea of my family over my head so I do tricks for you?
no subject
You think I care about you and your family? Have you considered that I merely find your reaction amusing?
[ In other words, he's just trolling Childe. Because of course he is. ]
You make yourself too easy to read. To tell what you treasure and what you fear. Anyone more malicious than me wouldn't have said anything, you know. You should be thanking me for revealing your weaknesses to you.
no subject
Apparently he was too easy to read, that his weaknesses were on display. Whatever that meant! Childe just saw no value in lying and plotting and hiding and pretending otherwise. He loved his family. He wanted them safe. He'd risk his life to ensure that. Childe didn't think that was a weakness. Even the strongest warriors crumbled when their loved ones were near.
This guy just liked being yelled at.]
Yeah, whatever, man.
[Childe waves him off, rolling his eyes and walking away. He'd embarrassed himself enough dealing with this asshole. The fatuus was done with this for now.]