( 0 0 1 » ENSEMBLE ) welcome to the inaugural log

[reveriemod]

» WHO? everyone
» WHEN? may 1 onward
» WHERE? all over the station
» WHAT? introductory log feat. waking up, exploration, meeting over food and noises in the walls
» WARNINGS? potential for body horror, psychological horror, hallucinations, physical injury

( 0 0 1 ) » WAKE UP

Were you asleep or were you unconscious? It doesn't matter: when you come to, there's an odd taste in your mouth and there's a low-level mechanical hum in the air. Your head hurts and you feel nauseous. You aren't anywhere you know: everything around you is metal, from the floor you lie on all the way to the ceiling. You are dressed in a jumpsuit you definitely weren't wearing before.

"We tried to save the world. I think— I think we did the opposite."

The message repeats on a loop. If you look for its source, you find a comms device on the floor next to you. The logo on its wallpaper says REVERIE TERMINAL. Upon closer inspection, you find the same logo on your jumpsuit.

Welcome to your new home.

( ♪ )

( 0 0 2 ) LOOK AROUND

You've woken up — but where have you woken up? It may be time to explore your new home. Rifling through a crew quarter will make the room's terminal lock to the comms device you're carrying; the room becomes yours. That includes everything in it, from the additional jumpsuit to the two extra sets of underwear. In some quarters, you may find remnants of whoever was here before you: a book on the nightstand, a coffee mug still on the table, a lonely sock on the floor.

A look around the shared areas will reveal the bar, some of its bottles already open, the mess hall, observation deck and the gym area with its dirty pool. An even closer look around these areas might reveal basic first aid kits as well as basic tool kits and fire extinguishers. The kits are located near the fire extinguishers in compartments in the wall that are not immediately visible. Hopefully, nothing's on fire and no one needs first aid... but that tool kit might come in handy.

Every now and then, as you explore, you might find yourself standing before a door that is locked. Try as you might, you will not be able to get it open.

( ♪ )

( OOC: What items characters find of those who were there before them is up to players, but please limit it to a single item that is mundane and somewhat useless in nature. )

( 0 0 3 ) HAVE A BITE

Sooner or later, all characters will have to make their way to the mess hall if they want to eat. In the mess hall, here are a number of replicator-like devices that sometimes work and sometimes don't— but after a recent malfunction that some characters may have noticed, they seem to work just fine... or at least as well as ever: nothing is particularly palatable, but at least it's nourishment, right?

So why not sit down at a table, whether it's already occupied or not, and have a meal. Maybe use it as an opportunity to introduce yourself, or just to complain about what passes for coffee around here.

And if coffee isn't your preferred beverage, well. There's always the bar.

( ♪ )

( 0 0 4 ) NOISES IN THE WALLS

For some, it's been over a week on the station. For others, merely a day or two. For all, things are starting to change: maybe you were asleep or maybe you weren't, but surely the scream that reverberates through the station will startle you. Was it human? Whatever it was, it seems to be coming from the walls of the station. Banging, clanging, then more screams.

Are you going to chase the sounds? Hide away from them? Try to investigate?

If you follow the sound of screams through the station's corridors and halls, you might feel someone - or was it something? - grab you from behind and pull hard. But when you turn around or turn your head if you've fallen, there's nothing and no one there. If you investigate and perhaps put your ear to a wall to see if the noises really come from there, or bang on the wall, you might hear something other than screams and clanging. Strain your ears and you might hear nothing at all — or you might be able to make out a soft "help me". It's barely above a whisper. Did it sound familiar? If you try to take apart the wall, two things will happen: you'll feel uncharacteristically weak and lethargic all of the sudden, and you'll find nothing at all but wiring and more metal.

Whatever you do, you'll find that the noises stop after a while, with no discernible source other than "the walls". And then hours later, they'll start again. Stop again. Start again a day later— and then stop for good.

( ♪ )

( O O C ) ACTIONS

Hello Reverie Terminal Operators! Welcome to our inaugural event. We hope you'll enjoy it!

To help exploration and interaction with the station, we have put together ten (10) 'actions' that you can request. These actions range from very minor, such as receiving a small piece of information about the station, to major, which may be a more vital piece of information or something far less pleasant, and are completely opt-in. These actions can help get your character involved in the plot, jump into the plot and its mysteries, and have more of a personal prompt to jump off of if you so wish.

Please note if you would avoid particular kinds of consequences (for example, if you'd rather your character not be injured), and we'll try to accommodate that, but please be aware that heavy themes are in play and the actions may feature body horror, injury and hallucinations.

If you'd like to receive an action, please reply to this comment with the following:
» Character: » Type of action: minor, medium, major » Notes:

In the future, actions such as these may be "bought" with bonus AC.



Please use content warning in your top-levels wherever necessary.

Comments

iii

[subplot]

[It's just pure luck that has Karen exploring this deck. She's really not expecting to see someone walk out of their room with only a towel on. The fact that he shouts for a knife shocks her even more, to the point where she just stands there staring for a few seconds before reacting. ]

What's wrong?

[Because clearly the only reason someone would walk out half-dressed and needing a knife is if something's wrong. So she strides across the hall and down toward him, only realizing that she recognizes him from her first day here. Instead of smiling at that recognition, she frowns in concern, hand reaching into the pocket on her jumpsuit so she can palm at something she's found in her room that may be of use to him.]

I found something in my room. It's not a knife, but you could probably use it like one.

[tumang]

[ Amos wouldn't exactly walk out of his room without any clothes on if it wasn't what he'd consider an emergency, either. But not only does it not occur to him to put something on before getting whatever is squirming under his skin out, but it's also squirming all over his stomach and he doesn't plan on losing vision of it.

He recognizes the woman - the one with the electrical panel that he taught how to use the patches. She'd been quick, and useful, and she might be again, so he gestures at his stomach, swallowing. ]

You see it, right?

[ Just checking. It's not moving as much now, but it's still forming a strange, foreign bump right under his skin, where only his muscles should be. He'd rather that his shoulder wound still had a bullet in it, than this. ]

Only need something to get it out.

[subplot]

[She realizes about then that she really doesn't want to be involved in this. But now that she's barged into the situation, she can't exactly back out. He clearly needs help.]

I see it. How did it get there?

[It's asked as she pulls out the nail file. Its definitely not a knife, but it's sharp enough it can definitely be used to stab through skin. With it in hand she's already moving forward, eyes focused on his stomach. ]

I can get it out if you want me to.

[tumang]

Hell if I know.

[ His working theory is his bullet wound, even if it doesn't exactly make that much sense. The biggest hurdle is the fact that he didn't see, or feel anything. The definition of 'woke up like this'.

And, cool, she has a sharp object, and she looks determined, but Amos holds a hand out, seeing the mildly worrying look in her eyes. ]

Hey, no, I can do it myself. Not my first rodeo. You don't need to get bloody.

[ It's partly for her sake, but it's definitely for his own, too. Better to make sure a steady hand does the job. ]

[subplot]

[That nail file is the one thing she has here to defend herself. It's just an added bonus that it will help her keep on top of her flawless nail game while she's here. And while she wants to trust Amos, she isn't sure that he won't take it and run. So she grips hold of it tighter, giving a shake of her head. ]

I don't mind getting bloody.

[But in the end her grip on the tool relents and she hands it over.]

Let's go back into your room. You can't do this out here.

[tumang]

[ His jaw ticks in mild annoyance. Fucking stubborn people all over this station - he could be done with this in two minutes flat if she let him.

He could take it from her, easy. She's not big, and he's got a few inches, and a lot of pounds, on her. But after a moment, she relents, hanging over the nail file. Amos nods gently, fingers closing around hers. If she's worried he's going to run off with it, she's welcome to stay and watch the show; he can find a better blade.

He walks back into his room, bare feet padding silently on the floor, different from the usual click and whir of magboots. He goes straight to the tiny bathroom, pulling another towel and throwing it in Karen's direction - the lower gravity makes it arc gracefully through the air, an easy catch. ]

Here, if you wanna help. Going to need to put pressure on the wound once I'm done.

[subplot]

[She easily catches the towel and nods, frowning a little as she watches her tool in his hands. It's not that she's paranoid that he's going to take it, it's more that she knows she can't overpower him if he does. Even with something squirming away inside him, he's at the advantage. Frank would literally kill her if he knew she was doing this.

So he probably shouldn't ever find out.]

You're also going to need some kind of antiseptic. Make the cut as clean and small as you can.

[Because of course she's going to tell him how to cut himself open using a nail file. Still, she's ready with the towel for when it's her time to shine.]

[tumang]

[ Amos tends to think that if Frank was aware of this, it's Amos himself that would be in danger of getting killed, not Karen. Standing there with his girl, almost naked, ready to cut himself open? Pretty sure the guy wouldn't like it one bit.

Not that Amos cares very much. ]

I've got a bottle of... something - here. [ He gestures at the foot of his bed. He'd taken a bottle from the bar without asking anyone about it, because no one was there to tell him not to, and he needed to sleep.

Without waiting any longer, he puts the nail file to his skin, just above his hip bone, where he can feel the thing, now barely moving, definitely there. It's a bit of effort to actually cut through through, but he manages, breathing sharply through his nose as he does, pain radiating up through his body. ]

[subplot]

[She arches her eyebrows when she spots the bottle, but doesn't say anything about it. She just nods and takes hold of it, grasping it tight in both hands. It helps to brace herself for when he actually manages to cut into himself with a tool that shouldn't be used for cutting. A wince starts but she doesn't let it come to fruition. She's strong enough to handle this. She isn't even the one being hurt.

Shifting the bottle in her hold, it's tucked under an arm so she can reach out to place a steady hand on his shoulder.]

Almost there. [Is he really though? She has no idea. She's just being supportive.]

cw: blood, body horror, injury

[tumang]

[ Her touch feels foreign and not quite what he needs right now, but he's too focused on not feeling the pain that he doesn't say anything. The nail file is sharp but it's not a knife, and it's a lot more effort and pain to cut through. He goes for an inch or so, just enough for him to reach in.

It's not a pleasant experience. He pushes two fingers inside the cut, blood gushing down his hip, soaking into the towel as he grunts, whatever's inside him slippery, hard to hold on to. But he manages, and starts pulling it out, hissing through clenched teeth as the pain turns into a burn all up to his ribs, making him breathe hard. ]

[subplot]

[Surprisingly, she holds it together without finding this whole thing to be extremely stressful. It's a little weird, but her concern for helping him weighs out over any discomfort.]

My fingers are smaller. Tell me if I need to grab and pull.

[She keeps the towel in place, pressing it more firmly against him to help with the blood situation. There's so much of it that it soaks her hands and she worries he might pass out from blood loss or something if they don't get whatever it is out of him soon.]

[tumang]

[ He's not going to ask Karen to push her fingers inside of him, that's a bit much on a second meeting, but as soon as he manage to pull something out, he nods, gritting his teeth. ]

'Kay, pull on that.

[ He's doing well, considering the pain shooting up along his side, feeling like half of his body is throbbing. it's not so much the cut - that's nothing, but it's whatever they're pulling out of him, the two of them with bloody, slippery fingers - that is dragging against his insides, making him feel slightly nauseous.

He can take a lot of punishment, but this is not exactly something he's used to. ]

[subplot]

[Slender fingers coil and grip, puling firmly in a way that betrays her delicate appearance. Her jaw sets as she concentrates on making things better, on easing up the pain that he's feeling. It takes some time, and her having to readjust her grip, but second by second she pulls more and more free.

This is one hell of a way to get to know someone up close and personal, and all she can do is repeatedly apologize as they're locked together by whatever it is that's inside him. Worry floods her, fearful she won't be able to do enough in a timely manner.]

[tumang]

[ It feels like it goes on forever. Hours and hours of Karen pulling whatever it is out of him, but actually, when she does get the last of it out and Amos releases a loud, almost shocked breath out, he realizes that it can only be 8 or 9 inches long. ]

What - is it?

[ He's breathing hard, taking in the relief he feels as the pain subside. Both of them are bloody, there's sweat on his brow and chest, but, at least, whatever is it is out, now. ]