( 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

[possidetur]

( the prolonged look of confusion would indicate that it hadn't cleared anything up for vanessa. what was a computer? she doesn't act on it, switching to the sentiment that vanessa does share )

Someone mentioned to me about looking for tools -- that not all locks required a key of sorts.

[oddbod]

[Okay, so this woman is definitely from a pre-computer age, Clara is guessing. Clara crosses her arms, trying to think how best to explain something she's known about her entire life.]

Yeah. I mean, most still do where I'm from, but the doors on this ship run on electricity, and are probably controlled from a central panel. [A pause.] What, uh. What year are you from?

[possidetur]

( ah, there it was. it was only the second time that it had come up, and vanessa didn't know if it was something that should be known more -- was it important? )

1892. ( given how amos had responded when she'd mentioned that, vanessa feels the need to add on: ) But I'm aware that it isn't still that year.

( it's not space 1892 it's... some far distant future )

[oddbod]

[Ah. Now that's a time period Clara's familiar with, even if the memories are hazy and incomplete, blocked by a brain too human to absorb them. She remembers living in Victorian London as she'd remember watching a film once, ages ago.]

Where did you live?

[possidetur]

London.

( there's a fond sort-of smile, despite anything else that has happened london remains her home )

Have you been? In your time, of course.

[oddbod]

I have. I lived there for quite awhile.

[Died there, too.]

Almost ten years.

[possidetur]

What is it like? I imagine it's not how I remember it.

( how much had changed, or rather how quickly had it changed to when this woman was from? vanessa realised now that she hadn't even asked when that was )

[oddbod]

Still big and busy and noisy, a bit too much so in places. My dad and gran always preferred it up in Blackpool, where I'm from. A bit quieter. They could never come visit me without complaining about the traffic and the smell. I liked it all, though. It was exciting.

[possidetur]

I don't know if it's comforting that little has changed. ( at least in the big sense of how london feels. vanessa assumes that much has changed. things were constantly changing )

What year were you from?

[oddbod]

2015.

[She says it "twenty-fifteen", keeping inline with how previous centuries were spoken, trying to lessen the shock of it.]

I was born a little less than a hundred years after your time.

[possidetur]

( it would probably be more surprising if vanessa hadn't already met people from three hundred years after clara, though it still wasn't that much easier hearing it )

It's still so strange, knowing that wherever we are is no longer my own time, perhaps no one's that has been brought here.

[oddbod]

We'll get you back there. If this place won't, then I will.

[possidetur]

( though she appreciates the gesture vanessa isn't certain how clara can promise that )

How can you do such a thing?

[oddbod]

I've got a time machine.

[ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ]

[possidetur]

( ...

...

slow that down. vanessa knows those two words but together? )

I'm sorry?

[oddbod]

[Whoops........]

A time machine. It's... Well, it's a machine that travels backwards and forwards in time? Takes you to the past, or to the future.

[possidetur]

( colour her intrigued. she didn't know that such a thing could exist, though perhaps that was how they'd arrived here )

Do you have it with you?

( if so why hadn't clara just used it already? )

[oddbod]

No. [Very unfortunately.] I was in it when I got dragged here, and it stayed behind.

[possidetur]

( and here you see her hope disappear )

Then you can't get anyone home. As noble a suggestion as it was we're stuck here.

[oddbod]

[She shakes her head, unwilling to back down.]

I don't give up like that. I'll find a way. You can trust me.

[possidetur]

And until then? How can you make such a promise when there's not even an exit from this place?

( vanessa knew the determination that she saw in clara but in this situation she couldn't feel the hope )

[oddbod]

There's not one we know of. But if there's an entrance, there's an exit. There's always a way to win.

[Inspiring speeches are one of her things, sorry.]

[possidetur]

( there's a shake of her head. sorry, clara, you're not getting her this time. props for effort )

This isn't a game.

( the words come a little sharper, a little less patience. it isn't frustration at clara so much as this situation and the hopelessness it fills her with )

Whoever did this is dead. Perhaps there is no way.

( she didn't truly believe that, not with how much she'd believed despite not understanding their situation. she'd been searching for information to no avail and felt a little defeated. some days she wanted to give up )

[oddbod]

[Fortunately, Clara's patience is isn't thin, not for someone like Vanessa who's only trying to understand the world around her. She knows this is a stressful, terrifying experience.]

I never said that it was. At least, not to us. What it is is a battle. A battle of wits, of strength, of endurance - we have to get through whatever this place throws at us. We have to beat it, but first we have to know how.

[Her voice is gentle and even, but there's a fire behind it.]

We know so little, right now. Maybe it's not enough to give us hope, but it's not enough to prove failure either.

[possidetur]

( vanessa looks a little guilty. for snapping, for jumping to the worst solution. she felt so worn down but giving up wouldn't change her situation. she knew that )

How are we supposed to find out how to beat it when there is no one? When everything is closed to us.

( it was a genuine question, wanting to know what clara would do, how she would try to win this battle. the ideas that vanessa had were limited, coming to nought. no library, no information sources. where else could they learn? )