( 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

[neuralnet]

[ He would breathe a sigh of relief... if breathing wasn't nigh impossible right now. The only thing coming relatively easy to Haruto is his mental connection to the network-- his lifeline to Hank. ]

I'm not hurt, but I can't move.
It's hard even to breathe.

I'm on deck 3. Can you find me? Send help?

[lostsymmetry]

You need—

[—to breathe? That's a really terrible design, friend. Also, seriously confusing

But he's got a fix on Haruto's location, and the next words come not over the network, but aloud: an active console just a little way down the hall.]

Gotcha. Okay, calling in help. It shouldn't be more than a minute.

[neuralnet]

Thank you.

[ The relief he feels when he hears Hank's voice issue from the nearby terminal is palpable. Still, his heart is racing with anxiety as he is forced to just stand there and wait until someone comes to rescue him. ]

[newroutine]

[Deck Three has never felt like such a long walk, with someone in enough trouble to contact the administrator and the magnetic boots slowing the Butler. He considers shutting them down and trying to float, for extra speed, but the unfamiliar process would probably only slow him further. He can run, though, one boot at a time, fast as a dignified butler isn't really meant to. This is an emergency.]

[He calls ahead of himself, down an empty hallway.]

We're almost there. Try not to worry. The young man who needed help earlier showed signs of improvement in only a few minutes.

[The Butler could certainly give a more exact count, he was counting every moment, but he doesn't wish to discourage this quite different young sir should anything take longer, doesn't wish to distress the only ally here who cares to help him clean the station.]

We can guard you here until you recover or we can carry you somewhere safer, sir, whatever you prefer.

[Even if the gravity does something else unexpected, the Butler is certain he can keep this slight figure from impacting anything.]

[neuralnet]

[ Haruto hears the Butler call down the hallway and he would smile, if he could. This way he doesn't have to explain himself unnecessarily. ]

Thank you, Hank.
Thank you, Butler, too, if you can read this.

[ He isn't sure whether the Butler is connected to the station's systems the way he and Hank are.

He struggles to take a breath, grateful for the aid of his artificial friends. ]

[lostsymmetry]

[Connected, yes. But where Domesticon's mainframe was always meant to access widespread systems, the Butler is using these as a relay. Which puts Hank in the role of translator—not that he minds.]

No problem. I'll pass it on.

Do you want to stay here, or...?

[The Butler asked, but he's not sure Haruto caught it. Meanwhile, the Butler's wrist communicator flickers, Hank's voice emerging as the Butler turns the corner.]

Haruto sends his appreciation.