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Priority Log - Part 1
Log 02 Priority (Part I)
The Mine Car
As characters enter the car, their phones will notify them of a new message…
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> OVERRIDE: TUTORIAL MODE DEACTIVATED.
> OBJECTIVE:
>
NAME: The Mine Car
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT: Gothic era
DANGER LEVEL: High
GENERAL STINKINESS: High
COMMON DENIZENS: Humans, ornithrops, bearkin
CUISINE: Peasant gruel, bird seed
There is no sender. Or objective?
But that's fine, probably! The car itself is completely functional, and features a fully developed society.
Passengers will arrive in this car and be immediately greeted by a fog that chills them to their core. The car around them is vast, and yet deathly silent. They'll find themselves starting off in a forest of petrified wood, the ground hard and unyielding underneath their feet, with flora and fauna in various stages of decay around them. While the fog around them is thick, the lights of a nearby village can still be seen from a distance, and as they travel, the dirt road will give way to cobblestone.
Eventually they'll be greeted with a signpost, welcoming them to the town of MINECRAFTIA.
While Minecraftia's denizens are harrowed and distressed, they're quick to warn the passengers traveling through of the ailment, a mysterious illness that is plaguing their town. It's been leaving even healthy youths bedridden, and while the town mayor has passionately declared that he will find a solution, it appears that there's no cure in sight.
Locations
Minecraftia is a foreboding little town, even in the daylight, with murky skies above and fog blanketing the roads. Still, the denizens persist through their daily routines, and won't stop the passengers from exploring.
Clinic: The town's only clinic with the town's only doctor. It's a small, rickety building that operates all hours of the day. Between the rapid spread of sickness and the steady depletion of supplies, it's a grim place to be nowadays. Anyone healthy who visits might be roped in to help, and those who look ill will be quarantined with an uncomfortable bedroll and thin blanket.
Cemetery: Located on the outskirts of town, the cemetery is home to dead bodies, even deader earth, and a deadpan gravekeeper. The exit door is here in a flower-covered plot, but cannot be opened.
Chicken House: A barnyard building home to the town's chickens. Lately they've been more worked up than usual, and taken to flying the coop and finding refuge by digging their claws into the scalps of bystanders. Agitating one chicken may cause a whole flock to descend on you!
The Dark Woods: The village is surrounded by what was once lush woods, but the trees now stand dark and eerie, an unusually thick fog rolling between them. While there are some of the usual, woodland creatures chirruping in the dense silence, they're hard to find. Monsters, meanwhile, are much more common.
The Mines: In the heart of the woods are entrances to the town's expansive system of mines. Stepping inside shows that the dirt and stone is laced with beautiful gems and minerals, but passengers will be shooed away by miners if they try to explore any deeper. It seems there's several dangerous mine shafts underfoot, as well as past attacks by what seems to be mole monsters.
Mayor's Mansion: The largest building in Minecraftia, situated on a hill. While Mayor Chadsef's staff welcomes guests, they will be cautioned not to explore past the lobby, which just smells a little like cleaning chemicals thanks to a diligent maid crew.
Denizens
Players may use denizens as convenient in threads, as well as these NPCs, except for the Mayor. He's a very busy man!
Madam Vermeer: The Madam is a human extremely afraid that she'll die before seeing her son marry. Which means that she is hunting the streets for eligible men and women, and whisking them in droves away into her mansion to be made over, trained in the art of serving, etc. before presenting them to her son.
Cassy Cassatt: Cassy is an ornithrop and the owner of the chicken house. She's shorthanded nowadays, but business-savvy enough to prey on considerate bystanders. She'll rope anyone she sees into helping out, whether it's collecting eggs, feeding or breeding.
Turner: Turner is a bearkin, and one of the nurses at the clinic. He's taken to drinking his weight in mead whenever he's off the clock, and it's not uncommon for his body to be seen unconscious on the road. He'll try to flee or swat blindly if anyone tries to help him, but he really does need help getting home.
Chadsef: The mayor of Minecraftia, who is notably wealthier than the rest of the citizens. He's young and inexperienced, but carries a Birds of Economics degree, and is determined to bring jobs to the town. He'll just need to make sure people are alive to do them first!
Other
The longer that passengers remain in the car, the more they'll learn, and soon they'll realize the following:
- They are not immune to the illness. They can't determine what it is that triggers it. At first it's a sense of fatigue, then hunger and irritability. Then, the numbness will begin, starting in their extremities and spreading up their limbs, until that numbness turns into pain. Eventually that pain will lead to madness, a state of delirium where they begin to behave erratically, endangering themselves and those around them.
- There is something in the woods. Though the passengers saw nothing when they arrived in the woods, at night they can hear growling. Venturing outside will reveal grotesque creatures emerging from the fog, rampaging into the town and tearing flesh and stone with their massive claws. These creatures appear rabid, familiar but warped, and they swarm the town with no regard for their own safety or benefit. Examples: (1) (2) (3) (4)
- Corpses are disappearing. Despite deaths, the cemetery isn't seeing any more business. Rumour has it that a certain wealthy denizen has been paying to have the corpses taken away. But to where, and why, remains unknown…
Numbers
Numbers! Everyone starts with one that glows on their bodies — as a fun thread mechanic, we suggest they're somewhere visible, but it's up to you!
Because while this is not IC knowledge yet, numbers are determined by how troubled your character is. This may be based on their past actions and crimes, but also alienating habits, regrets, personality flaws, trauma, etc — a higher number does not necessarily mean they're a bad person, but it may signify a difficult time in their life, or substantial personal issues.
As passengers enter this car, they'll notice that their numbers may begin to change in response to certain actions and decisions. The general rule is that numbers change as characters work through their issues. If they make a decision that serves to better themselves, their number will decrease. But if they make a decision that is ill-intentioned, their number will increase. Players can change their number as they see fit going forward.
OOC Notes
Exploration: Players may submit on-going threads here to get a short mod tag with further discoveries in any given location. Characters can potentially earn items or clues as to the car's objective this way. Please limit your explorations to one per player; we will let you all know if we have the capacity to do more!
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cw: suicide mention
[Rex zooms after her, far too quick to be escaped by a drunken lunatic, and urgently grasps her shoulder. The gesture isn't painful or hard, but he is fully prepared for her to retaliate. Water in a pitcher sloshes around in his other hand as he moves, and when he does manage to catch Toko and steady her fall, he attempts to hold it out to her.]
Drink this- The glass is from here, so you've gotta finish it before we blow this medieval popsicle stand. Ooh, and if you think you can be mean to me and somehow get rid of my ass, get ready! 'Cause I could do this all night.
Go slowly, okay? I know you wanna get out of here, and so do I! But before we find the friend or fucking babysitter that you're stayin' with, I'm gonna make sure that you don't kill yourself by doin' somethin' dumb as hell.
no subject
Her eyes, hateful and still wet at the rim, flick to the pitcher. Then to the faces of the patrons. People are staring. Looking away now that she's caught them, but the humiliation still burns. Bad enough that she's made a complete fool of herself (and of course this guy is not at all to blame, oh no, he's a man and he's good looking and he doesn't stutter, doesn't smell, so it doesn't matter what kind of trash spills out of his mouth), but now she's being cowed in front of them all. Made to drink like an animal. But there's no way out, is there?
Why does he keep insisting on following her?
Fine. Fine fine fine fine fine. They'll play it his way, at least while the audience is involved. Toko's standing straighter as she snatches the pitcher from his hands.]
L-like I'd ever die so easily.
[Bold words from someone who'd just beat her hip on a table while walking. She probably sounds psychotic. Probably looks it too. She's never felt comfortable eating in front of people, and she can't stand the thought of looking him in the eye while gulping down this entire glass of ditch water. As much as his grip allows, she turns away, and sets to the ugly task.
He told her not to rush, but she's clapped the glass on the table in record time. There's not even a burp. Spite is a powerful motivator.
Toko wipes her mouth with her sleeve and shoots him a hard glare.]
You better go now. B-before my stench gets all over you.
no subject
I'm honestly surprised goop that corrosive didn't rip right through the suit.
[It's true. The crowd doesn't phase Rex. If anything, his behavior would suggest that he's used to an audience. What he does observe, though, is the way that her teary eyes flit unsteadily around the room. It's a subtle gesture, but he straightens his posture and stands with his back to most of them, so as to block off some space for her. It's a tough crowd, and they are leery.]
I've said it once before and, oh, I'll say it uh-gain! You got a friend we can call?
Seriously. You can't possibly think I'd dump you out on your ass when you can barely walk two feet without bumpin' into the poor bastard in front of ya.
Honestly, what is with you and this bad attitude! If you think this is bad bitch energy? No, no. You are just givin' off bad and bitchy.
What happened? Your boyfriend break up with ya?
[It would explain the lack of showering and all the supposed man-hating... Or at least, by Rex Splode logic.]
Well, fuck him! Now you're free.
Even if they're valid protests I'm tired of just writing "go away", have a spooky sound instead
[If he won't, Toko's going to start their exit. She's had it. Never drinking again. It's clearly overrated, the company is boorish, and her feet are threatening to betray her at every step. She's managed in heels for this long, and now she's got to measure her steps like it's her first time.]
No. [She snaps. Have another glare with that, pal.] We're rock solid, thanks. H-he's just not here. And I don't need a b-b-babysitter! [She rolls her eyes and stalks ahead, arms wrapped over her chest as the nightly chill buffets them. The tavern had kept warm with hot coals and tightly packed tables. Now they're at the mercy of the fog. Toko tightens her grip, forcing her teeth not to chatter as she grumbles.] 'm not a bitch. I'm just...why should I bother...
[The thought never finishes.]
I'm staying over that way. [She gestures left.] It's not far. S-so...you can just get lost! I'm not bringing you home with me!
[As much a point as he's made about her being repugnant, and, infuriatingly, that he's responsible for her well-being, she refuses. She's a young girl, alone. He's a belligerent man twice her size. You do the math.
Except the streets are especially foggy tonight. Empty, too. And something — not close, but not nearly far enough — gives a guttural growl.
Toko seizes. She's upright like a startled meerkat, wide eyes darting around the street, hands clutched to her chest.
...This....could complicate matters.]
no subject
[He holds two hands up in front of him. Toko has a fair point- She has every right to worry. He is a stranger and strange men aren't to be trusted! If they were, he'd be out of a job, paycheck, and place to live. This much he gets.]
Y'know what? Fair point. I hear ya.
Wouldja feel more comfortable if I tailed ya? I can, hey, gimme a sec-
[He picks up a rock from the street and in a manner of seconds, it, and his entire fist, begin to glow. It's quite the bright heat lamp.]
I'll just make sure you get back to wherever you were and then leave you alone. But also?
Are you seriously plannin' on roughing it all by your lonesome? Liiiike, you wear glasses! You're supposed to be smart. Tell me that doesn't sound like a terrible idea.
Go on! Maybe I can be convinced.
no subject
He missed the necrophilia jab for one, or got so excited about his own anecdotes he bulldozed past it. Speaking of which, her imagination is already supplying every image she never needed of severed hands flying about, mass carnage. Toko's flapping her hands in the air as if to dispel them.]
Stop stop stop! Enough about bodies! I've had enough of bodies! I don't need your c-crap too!
[Which is when the other bit registers. Super-what? Her glaring gaze flicks over his skin tight suit, then widens as he sparks a flame in his hand. No — it's like a coal. How does the flesh of his hand not cook? How is he able to...
Toko groans. Long and loud and pinching the bridge of her nose.]
Of c-course that's what you are. [Perhaps that covers his dogged need to claim responsibility for her. But who the hell allowed such an absolute ass to go around "saving" people?! Professionally?!?!
She almost makes another barb about it but her head gives a mighty throb. The fog is teasing the gooseflesh on her arms. And who knows what's lying in wait in that pea soup cover. This town is a nightmare after dark.
Toko regards him. Assessing. At the very least, he was being reasonable about not going home with her. She doubts she could outrun him even from a distance.
And he's already made multiple notes of how horrible her company is, so how likely is it that he's going to trap her once they arrive? He could overpower her now easily, to kill or to rob or just bully until he's had his fill. But he isn't.
Superhero. The idea alone is taking hours off her lifespan, but then she'd taken her drink order from a five foot sparrow girl.]
...You can follow. You just c-can't come inside. I'll be f-fine, all right? I've b-been sicker alone before. It's not hard.
[Toko wipes a cold sweat from her brow, spins on her heel, and leads the way.]
...So what are you supposed to be? M-magma Lad or something?
[Magma-Ass.]
no subject
[Toko, surprisingly, has done a lot for herself by simply believing what he tells her. She doesn't ask questions, nor does she scowl or curse, asking, "You?" even if she may be thinking it.]
Rex Splode. I can turn just about anything into a ticking time bomb. Well! Anything that isn't alive. No people, plants, or animals. 'S not my only.superpower, but it is my main schtick! Blowin' shit up is my in-dividual bag.
[His most unique ability. In his own universe, at least.]
And, whoa-hoa-hoa, hey! You were the one who started the gallows humor bit! I just thought I'd play along. But you know what? I hear ya. If anybody around here gets what it's like to have seen just about enough bloodshed for one day? It's me.
[When she mentions that she had been sicker alone before, Rex softens considerably. He was right to assume that they had some similarities, and in a odd way, they really do.
"I won't die so easily."
Neither does he. Rex understands that it means she's lived through nightmares, although he's not sure yet what kind. He listens to her demands- They all sound reasonable. In fact, she's the only moron he hasn't crossed paths with so far. People here are so damn trusting it's disgusting. Idiots.]
I'd still feel more comfortable if you had a buddy, but how 'bout we settle for this- What you want? Sounds pretty damn fair.
But if you do need help, you call me or my friend, okay? I can vouch for him and show you who he is on the phone thingy-majig. He's an idiot, but he can fly, so. In the case of a real emergency, he'd probably get here faster. I may not be able to fly, but, yo! I'm pretty fuckin' fast too. Also a lot less of a klutz.
'Ey- You said you're not a bitch. Okay! I can respect that. So what are ya? Meaning... What should I call you?
no subject
What she does do is roll her eyes to the heavens. That is yet another mental image she does not need. His own power, while blissfully ineffectual on living things, still conjures up its own garish scenarios. No wonder he was rife with stories about flying limbs.]
Th-that's just "explode" with an extra letter! [It's not even clever? Not that she'd expect clever from anything to do with this guy. Or superheroes as a whole. She's not twelve, why the hell should she be entertaining this drivel?] Am I the only p-person from a sane universe? If it's not knights, or spaceships, or magic..."firebending"...talking d-dogs...
[She doesn't even finish the thought. It's too much. Her poor head. Her poor, sweet, mundane brain. Toko rubs at her face, reaching beneath her glasses to drag every inch of skin down. If only she could peel her face off and die. Right here. Just be done with it. Oof, this headache too.]
I don't...buddy? [It's hard to get a word in edgewise. Toko blinks at him blearily. Who would she call a "buddy" here? Anakin? No, she'd die if he saw her like this, she's already made herself a fool in front of him once. He couldn't forgive her a second time. Maybe Cal? He's dopey enough to let this situation slide. And Sylvain at least reached out to her. Let her speak her mind about their situation. And that jerk Dimitri. Ardbert was kind, but so composed, she'd feel just as mortified stumbling onto his doorstep as she would Anakin's.
She misses Komaru. Oh, that hurts. She misses her. Her first and only friend, and now she's how many lightyears away in some kind of twisted Wonderland. Gone through the Looking Glass.
Now all she has to rely on is Sir Rex Splode. And his, uh. Friend.]
I. Well. I dunno. I wouldn't l-like someone flying at my f-face... [Is she blushing? Her face feels hot. Boys don't pay her this much attention unless they're calling her names, or shooting paper wads at her. Or grilling her in a class trial. Just to be safe, she edges away another step. This guy is too much of everything all at the same time, and the booze is making it that much harder to string her thoughts together. She can scarcely rebuke him without getting brow beat by a monologue. They were at each other's throats just five minutes ago, why is this happening?] Will you leave me alone if I s-say yes?
[And now he — is he implying that he'd keep calling her a bitch if she doesn't give him a name?
There is a long pause. She needs space to give him a most incredulous look.]
..........
...........
...F-fukawa.
[That's all he's getting. It's more than he deserves.]
no subject
It's puuuur-fect, [don't you hate that he is intentionally rolling his R's], c'mooooon! Also, I chose that alias when I was fifteen, and you know what? I still stand by it! I like that it's kinda dirty. Makes all those uptight motherfuckers wanna Rex-Splode all over their jimmy-junk-pants real fucking bad.
[Oh, how he watches her fret and moan, now carefully eyeing her for any more fun, flustered reactions. When he asks about a friend, she struggles to come up with an answer, and while it's clear that he's having a far better go of things than he was initially, he can't help but feel for her.
If Invincible weren't here, he'd be in the same boat, and even then! Rex woud firmly stand to protest that they are not close.]
Okay, little miss Fukawa. Yeah! I'll stop talkin' your ear off once I see you climb inside that thing without bumpin' your nose, but now I've gotta make sure.
You're not feelin' nauseous, are ya?
[Unfortunately for her, the blush seems to indicate that she is feeling some sort of... Maybe it's embarrassment, mostly? But it might be attraction too, either way, Rex will take this chance to throw some feelers out and potentially ruin her life because that is a thing he does-]
Cause even if you puke just a little, you could choke, and I don't wanna turn my back and have that happen to ya. Also! You'd get it all over your lil' beauty mark.
[He gestures to his own chin.]
Which now that I'm lookin' at it is pretty cute, by the way.
[MR SPLODE!!!!]
Y'know some bitches get those things tattooed on, nowadays? Crazy.
no subject
Sad to say she's stuck in this one, where her withering glares fail to wither anything about this overblown jock in a leotard. The only mercy she's granted is that now that they've rounded the last corner it's but a forty pace walk to her Happy Home shelter. The end is in sight.]
No, I'm n-not—
[Nauseous. In fact she's not sure she has insides at all anymore. He's changed directions again and her brain comes to a screeching halt.
He mentions her beauty mark and she slaps a hand over it as if it were an exposed breast. Toko takes a step back. Her eyes have gone owlish.]
Wh...wh-why are you changing tactics all of a sudden? Is this a prank? [Her wild stare leaps left and right. It appears there's no suspicious persons ready to jump out and laugh at her. Not yet, anyway. She goes hot in the face and thrusts an accusatory finger his way.] Or! I get it! Y-you think because I'm so ugly I'll be grateful for the attention, right? You think I'd do any d-disgusting thing you ask because no boy in his right mind would ever sp-spend a second in my presence! HA!
[She skitters back again, ever closer to her front door.]
Well I won't fall for it! The j-joke's on you-HIC! Joke's on you this time! I'm n-n-not-HIC! I won't be humiliated ever again!
[With that, Toko bolts. She's through the door and slamming it shut in a flash. A single hiccup echoes on the deserted street.
Well. If Rex was worried she'd be incapable of taking care of herself, she seems plenty spry by now.]
no subject
[In his defense, it's not a leotard, but a two piece. A two piece jumpsuit! It's very functional. The high collar is just a lot. He yells after her, though the sheer volume is unnecessary seeing as she has just zipped herself into the encampment.]
YOU'RE NOT EVEN UGLY! JUST A LITTLE RANK! If you just took a goddamn shower...!!!
[It dawns upon Rex, suddenly, and especially seeing as she is a young woman alone, it may not be the best idea to attempt to bathe in the stream, at least not butt-ass naked. He was lucky to have Mark around so that they could watch each other's backs, and that too, they could easily fight off or at least escape most assailants. While it's true that she may have been drunk, she's not a combatant, that's for certain. Thank god too... Otherwise she may have temporarily mussed up his beautiful face.]
Ugh, never-mind...
This time? What the fuck?
[Rex's idiocy is primarily his own damn fault, as many of his mistakes are often the result of his own hubris as opposed to a lack of intellect. He does manage to piece together the hints that she's dropping, intentionally or not. So she is a little feisty because she was bullied- Makes sense.
It's not as though Toko will hear him think, but he hopes that she wasn't put in an uncomfortable situation. Filmed. Ridiculed. That's not only disgusting, but just not right.
Rex hasn't been to school in years, but the one thing that floors him every time is that, despite everything he's been through...
Why isn't there at least one person who speaks up on the victim's behalf? There always should be.]
Didn't she say she had a boyfriend...?
[Something isn't quite adding up.
Either way, it's over for now.]