( 002 » ENSEMBLE ) gravitational.

[reveriemod]

» WHO? EVERYONE
» WHEN? JUNE 1 onward
» WHERE? ALL OVER THE STATION (literally)
» WHAT? Gravity is always on, until it isn't.
» WARNINGS? zero g, paralysis, the vacuum of space, possible asphyxiation, possible character death

0 0 1 » LOSS OF GRAVITY

The outer rings of Reverie Station rotate around the shaft of the station, using inertial forces to simulate gravity. One moment, this works fine — people are walking along corridors, sleeping in their beds, eating in the mess hall or having a drink at the bar. The next moment? In some parts of the station, a crunching sound can be heard, like metal against metal, and shortly thereafter, the rings cease to spin, causing a jolt to go through all rings.

And then what passed for gravity just stops.

Your food, drink or blanket might have floated off after the jolt. Remember to engage your mag boots, if you're wearing them, lest you follow suit. Good luck getting around in zero g.

( ♪ )

0 0 1 . 1 » UPSIDE DOWN AND FLOATING

The lack of gravity may be disorienting at first for those not used to operating in zero g environments. Fortunately, mag boots mean you can continue walking along corridors — though the boots will engage with what used to be the ceiling of the corridors as much as what used to be the floor. No matter which part of the corridor you're attached to, if any, better make sure to collect anything that may be floating around, lest it becomes a dangerous projectile whenever gravity turns back on.

The mess hall and the gym area in particular are in a significant state of disarray. In the mess hall, some cutlery (of the grey, hard plastic variant) has been left unsecured and is floating harmlessly through the air. The same holds true for a large amount of protein powder. In the gym area, meanwhile, the entirety of the dirty water from the pool is no longer in the pool.

( ☺︎ )

0 0 1 . 2 » PARALYSIS INDOORS

One moment, you’re walking — or maybe you’re floating, mag boots disengaged. Either way, from one moment to the next, you become unable to move. Your arms, your legs, even wiggling a toe becomes a thing of impossibility. There’s a heavy weight on your chest, despite the fact that gravity is still not back on. Taking a breath is an ordeal. You can’t call for help, you can’t signal to anyone, you can only stay still.

( ♪ )

OOC: The length of paralysis is up to players.

0 0 2 » TAKE A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

It isn't clear why the rotation of the rings has stopped and gravity ceased, but one thing is certain: life on the station is a lot more difficult without gravity, especially for those not used to living and working in a zero g environment. The sensible thing would be to fix whatever is wrong, but in order to do that, you have to figure out what's wrong first.

One way to get an idea might be to put on a suit (if required) and go out an airlock to have a close look at the upper ring, where the crunching noise could be heard the loudest. The objective is to identify the problem and, if possible, fix it — but unless you have the power of flight and can breathe in the vacuum of space, the walk from the airlock to surveying the ring will be taxing in and of itself.

Better not lose hold of the station or each other and whatever you do, do not disengage those mag boots. Hopefully, no debris will come flying at you. The station may be built to withstand it, but you aren't.

( ♪ )

OOC: There are some 20 vac suits with oxygen packs and small thrusters for (weak) propulsion available in the spaces currently accessible to characters; these can be found in various airlocks.

0 0 2 . 1 » FLOATING AROUND

The station may be built to withstand debris, but you aren't — which makes it all the more unfortunate that some debris does catch you. In the side, in the face or in the legs, it doesn't matter: what matters is that the impact is strong enough to disengage the mag boots, which means you are now floating in space.

Did your suit take damage? Do its thrusters still work, or not? Is your oxygen pack still connected properly? If your connection to the station network is still intact, now would be a good time to call for help and hope that someone's close enough to get to you in time before you float too far from the station to still be reached, before your oxygen runs out, before any possible injuries you may have sustained take their toll.

( ♪ )

OOC: With this prompt, the extent of possible injuries, the time before rescue and factors such as oxygen or damage to the suit are all up to players. Please keep in mind that character death is very much a possibility — but that death means relatively little. Should a character die from their injuries or lack of oxygen, they will awaken again. As per the death mechanism outlined in the FAQ, characters are brought back to life (possibly repeatedly, if rescue takes a while), but they lose something. What they lose is up to players as well (a limb, memories, senses, social skills, ...) and the duration of the loss can range from a few days to permanent loss.

0 0 2 . 2 » PARALYSIS OUTDOORS

One moment, you are walking along the hull of the station. The next, you're frozen. Your arms and legs no longer move and there's pressure on your chest. Even taking a breath becomes an ordeal. You cannot move forward. You cannot move back. You can't even signal or call for help.

What choice do you have but to wait out this paralysis and hope that it loses its hold on you before your oxygen runs out? Better not panic, lest you use up more of it.

( ♪ )

OOC: The length of paralysis is up to players.

0 0 3 » WORK IT

For those who've successfully made the walk across the hull of the station to find the problem, it will soon become obvious what has happened: debris crashed into the station and got lodged between the uppermost ring and the shaft of the station, where it is stuck, preventing the spinning of the ring.

You will need to work together to cut through the debris or dislodge it. It's heavy, and you have little leverage in the absence of gravity.

Keep in mind also that if you successfully dislodge the debris, the outer ring will start moving again. Be prepared, especially if you're still connected to the ring by your mag boots. Inertial forces can be quite strong, so you will need to brace yourself or risk being dislodged yourself.

( ♪ )

Comments

rogue | xmcu (cw: character death }

[theycalledmeacurse]

all the kids cried out please stop, you're scaring me // who is in control? ( c l o s e d » ♪ )

[ Twice a day, Rogue makes the short walk from her room down the hall to the gym. Progress has been slow, but with each passing day, it's a little easier to breathe, she can run a little longer, her arms don't shake quite as much as she pulls herself up. The routine is one she revels in as much as the feeling of simple unhindered movement. After all of those years of not even being able to walk around, the station has been a gift.

The jolt that morning is enough to prompt her to turn off the treadmill she'd been running on, seconds passing before she understands just what she's feeling - the cloud of water beginning to float up out of the pool is a pretty good indication of the present situation. This isn't good. Remembering Amos's words of warning, she moves carefully, keeping hold of the handles of the treadmill as she tries to step off and activate her boots against the metal floor, but the treadmill itself isn't secured to the floor and is already beginning to lift up. The combined motion leaves her just missing the floor and instead floating off toward the end of the room, just above the floor and out of reach of anything.

Not that she could grab hold of anything anyway. It's instantaneous and terrifying when, in the span of a single breath, she can't move even one muscle, even breathing becoming a struggle. She floats slowly, almost purposefully along, away from any other gym visitors, toward an unused portion of the room near the pool... and into that cloud of water. It clings to her, slowly melting into her jumpsuit as she struggles to move, to get even vocal cords to respond to cry for help, but nothing helps. She can't even see through the water to have any sort of hope, and in her last moments of consciousness she realizes: Finally, this is how I die... ]

come and find me in the dark now // everyday by myself i'm breaking down ( o p e n » ♪ )

[ Everything is dark. It's oppressive, not even a haze of light to guide her as she ever so slowly makes her way down a hallway. One small step after another, heel then toe, just the way Amos had said, each far more careful than the way one would usually walk. There is nothing casual in her movements, bare hands kept close to her body as she practically hugs the metal wall, the fingertips of one hand pressed to that wall just beside her leg. A tension is laced through her every muscle, and any sound or sense of movement has her stilling, searching out the source, even leaning further into the wall.

She's terrified of hurting someone, but she can't bring herself to stay in her room alone. Her legs work just fine now, and while she's certain that someone would bring her some food if she only asked -- she can't justify taking them away from the important task of getting the station back in order. Going slow is just fine, it's not too difficult to hear when other people approach, and hopefully no one will bother the woman with the weird hair and strangely vacant eyes that are no longer able to see the world around her. Perhaps someone will even tell her if she's heading in the right direction, or sit with her in the mess hall and witness as she tries so very hard (and often fails) at not knocking over her cup of coffee. ]

there are times when I miss the light // i'm not afraid of the dark ( w i l d c a r d » ♪ )

[ Come up with your own prompt or get in touch and I'll write something specific! If you haven't, check out Rogue's permissions and let me know if you'd be interested in an Accident with her powers while she's out wandering. ]

[rickitikitarr]

[Ricki is at the next table over, sitting with his own tray- not with her, exactly, but near enough to witness the first fumble, the second. The coffee cup eventually goes completely over and he makes a surprised sound, and moves to his feet.]

Here now.

[Tweaking the napkin off his tray, he leans over to put it at the closest edge of the table to keep the mess from seeping ontot he floor.]

Everything all right?

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ It's not the coffee cup tumbling over that makes her flinch, though there is an exasperated curse under her breath at it. No, it's the sound of that voice, so dangerously close. She has a napkin of her own that she picks up, having left it just to the side with a clear map of the space in her mind, and her free hand carefully inches along the table until her fingertips find the edge of the puddle for her to mop up. ]

I'm sorry, sugar, I'm a bit more clumsy than usual right now. [ Her southern drawl softens the words but makes them no less sincere. She's sorry to have bothered him, period. ]

[rickitikitarr]

No, my dear, please don't think a thing about it. We're all a little out of step these days, aren't we?

[A few sweeps with the napkin, while he watches her fingertips search the table. Thinks, ah. So.]

Let me get you another cup. How d'you take it?

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ There's a part of her that wonders what this gentleman thinks of her situation, what he's assuming from her actions and how he might act accordingly. If he's noticed and put two and two together, he might try to be helpful and-- ]

Just black is fine, thank you so much.

[ Please don't touch her hands. She keeps them as steady as can be as the napkin soaks up the coffee remnants, but as much as she longs to feel the touch of someone, she can't let him get hurt. ]

[rickitikitarr]

[He's not completely sure, not yet- but whatever it is he's seeing she seems like she could use a kind word and a cup of coffee.

He doesn't touch her. He clears his throat and sets it down with an audible click.]

Quite the week we're having, isn't it?

[In the polite tone of typical weather-commentary.]

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ She smiles softly, a ghost of expression that does little to ease the tension in her. It's nice to talk to someone, to have a flesh and blood person nearby so she doesn't feel quite so alone, but it isn't safe for him. Part of her can't help but feel selfish for taking this risk and putting everyone on the station in danger. All it would take is one wrong move... ]

It certainly hasn't been the smoothest, has it?

[rickitikitarr]

I came here from Paris.

[He admits, settling back down into his seat, sipping his own coffee.]

Not the good part of it. The slummy corners, in the year 1976, which isn't even pretty through rose coloured glasses. Roaches, rats, muggings, Frenchmen everywhere, and I'd still take there over here.

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ Paris. Lord, she misses it, misses hearing people speak French amidst the smell of fresh baked bread. She misses the sight of a city that isn't burning. ]

It sounds like paradise compared to where I came from.

[ Her accent thickens slightly with the words, and she reaches out to very carefully feel for the cup he'd set down for her, wrapping her hands around it before pulling it back toward herself. ]

[possidetur]

( it's easy to recognise the woman, the friendly face, the shock of white in her hair. fear, or perhaps that something is wrong with this woman is also easy to spot. the slow steps, the lack of meeting anyone's gaze.

it concerns vanessa and whilst she didn't know her well rogue had been kind to her when they'd both first arrived, explaining things gently to vanessa. it was something she appreciated, and knowing that kindness means that she can't simply ignore her need now )

Are you alright?

( vanessa knows that she isn't but it feels politer to let her ask for help herself rather than decide it for her )

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ That voice. It takes only a few second to place it, moments in time where she goes still and waits for the recognition to come. When it does, a wisp of a smile curls into existence and she turns toward the other woman. ]

As alright as I can be, I suppose. In my current condition.

[ She appreciates that game of politeness, the show of manners that's distinct from Vanessa's time and still very much present in the high southern society Rogue had witnessed growing up. Back when she'd still been Marie. ]

[possidetur]

What can we do to change that?

( the words 'current condition' only served to make vanessa concerned. she didn't want to pry too hard, not if rogue didn't want to talk about it, but she wouldn't simply let her go without trying. and, perhaps, even if rogue didn't want to talk about it vanessa may try and do something else to take her mind off of it )

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ Oh sugar. It's sweet of her to ask, and it means the absolute world to Rogue when she feels like she doesn't really have anyone on the station. There's a constant worry in the back of her mind that she's being a burden on others, so she never asks for help with anything, but when someone offers like this... ]

I could sure go for a cup of coffee. Would you care you join me?

[possidetur]

I would be delighted to. Hopefully it's tastes nicer than some of the things that I've found here.

( vanessa reaches out to her, intending to rest a hand on hers in comfort )

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ Rogue is just about to comment that that's not very likely when she feels the air shift near her hand a fraction of a second before the gentle pressure of a hand on her own. Her reaction is instantaneous: a full-body flinch backward, her back hitting the wall with a jarring thump as she hides her hands behind her. ]

I'm sorry. [ It's blurted out, the words tumbling over each other. ] You can't touch my skin, sugar, it's not safe.

[possidetur]

No, I'm sorry.

( rogue didn't need to apologise. though vanessa was curious about why it wasn't safe the other woman didn't need to explain. they all had secrets )

Your arm is covered. Would that be safe?

( she waited for confirmation before reaching now to grasp her elbow, a hopeful steady hand to guide her along )

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ That steady hand made safe by a layer of fabric between them is more comforting than Vanessa could ever know. She should have told her the last time they'd met, but she'd been more concerned about the other woman to delve into her own troubles.

Well, no time like the present. ]

Thank you. I've told most people I've met, but it just didn't come up last time. I mentioned before that I was a mutant, but I didn't say that my mutation is in my skin. When I touch someone, it can hurt them real bad.

in the dark

[lostsymmetry]

[Hank's fairly certain this face has passed his cameras before now. (And appreciates deeply that this station is populated enough to throw that into even the smallest bit of doubt.) But the halting steps, the rigid tension—everything about the human's posture screams fear. It's enough to draw his focus in. And, after a moment's hesitation, to prompt speech.]

Hey. Are you all right?

[The voice is male: a cautious, concerned overture. Possibly it would be reassuring... if the sound weren't coming from that wall that Rogue is touching.]


[[ooc: I don't imagine Rogue's powers would do much to a computer, but if you think otherwise, I'm game! Just let me know if I should fill out the permissions form.]]

hallways.

[revvedup]

[ max has finally broken down and accepted that's she's probably not in the best shape to handle monitoring people, so she's started wandering the station and trying to grab whatever's floating around so it doesn't come crashing on anyone's head once the artificial gravity starts to work again. she's walking similarly to rouge, concentrating on moving her feet the right way and occasionally needing to lean against the wall for support.

and speaking of rouge, she eventually sees her moving towards her, on the parallel side of the hallway, and she looks even worse off than max feels. the space sickness is momentarily forgotten as she studies her movement and expression. she looks terrified, but there's something absent in her eyes - an awareness, max realizes. she can't see where she's going. ]

Hey, are you all right?

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ It's not the first time someone's spoken to her while she's wandered the station, trying to find her way by memory and touch alone. It isn't easy, but she's been getting pretty good at it over the last few days. That doesn't mean she doesn't go completely still at the sound of that voice she doesn't recognize - it's close, but maybe not too close? ]

I'm just fine, sugar. I'm headed toward the mess hall, I hope.

[revvedup]

[ she's maybe ten feet away, but comes a bit closer - slowly and deliberately, so the woman can hear her coming. ]

We're not too far, I don't think. Do you need help getting to it?

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ It's easy to tell with just a bit of concentration that the other woman is moving with calculated purpose, and it's something Rogue appreciates immensely. Those measured steps let her relax a little while the woman approaches. ]

I can manage on my own, but it would be a bit easier with some help.

[revvedup]

Yeah, no problem.

[ well, slight problem, since it's the sick novice leading the blind knowledgeable, but they can manage between the two of them. probably. max reaches the woman's side, her hand hovering by the sleeve of her jumpsuit. ]

I'm gonna take your arm, okay?

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ With the voice so close now, Rogue very carefully moves her arm out away from her body just a bit. Enough where it won't be overly awkward when the other woman takes hold of her. ]

Just don't touch my skin, sugar. It isn't safe for you.

[revvedup]

[ oh, well. that sounds familiar. fortunately, she's had some practice with this in the past few months. max's mouth presses into a line, but she's careful as she takes her arm, careful only to touch fabric and keep a safe difference from the rest of her body. ]

Okay. I'll be careful. [ she's quiet for a moment as she starts moving, careful and slow. ] Do you mind if I ask why not?