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

Entry tags:

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

» 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:

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

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I hope it doesn't cause hallucinations.

[ He had managed to keep it together for the brief time he was haunted by his slaughtered family. But he can't keep up the irony, and his expression softens. ]

Allah doesn't want you to starve, my dear. But we can say a blessing over the food just in case.

It can cause hallucinations?! [Yes, that's what she is latching onto first. Kamala sees that soft and frankly rather dad-like expression and she immediately calms. It helps to be validated too.] I know He doesn't. It just sucks that we're in this position at all.

[She exhales audibly. Now really isn't the time to complain about being kidnapped agan.] Which is my way of saying thanks and let's do this, mysterious stranger.

It did cause hallucinations, a few days ago. Either we've become accustomed to it or the fabricators have self-corrected somehow.

[ There is a lot he doesn't understand about how this is all working. It is deeply galling. He hums low and nods, agreeing with her assessment of their current state. ]

Not so mysterious. I'm Henryk Gurszky.

[ It's there again, the tug of guilt at lying. He reminds himself it's for a purpose. He's not misleading her out of spite but self-preservation. Even the most innocent can turn on you. He isn't able to predict and prepare for the reaction when his mutant abilities become known. He can't tell if these people have heard of him. And if they have, what they know. So until he can answer some of those questions, he will be Henryk.

But there are other things he can tell her about. He tugs up his sleeve slightly, revealing the tattoo on his wrist. ]

I've had to do my best to keep kosher in the past. We can get through this. The important thing is to survive it.

[Kamala looks rightfully horrified. Maybe her healing ability would make her immune to whatever is in the food. She still thinks it's scary all the same especially for people who don't have abilities to fall back on. She knows she needs to suck it up because he is right. God doesn't want her to starve even if there is a bigger risk here than sinning against Him.

She is about to introduce herself and thank him for the advice when she catches sight of the tattoo. Kamala immediately pales. It's safe to say she knows what it means. She looks up from it to him in wonder. He looks so young, too young to have survived that. On the other, he survived that. While her mother's side is no stranger to surviving times where your neighbors try to kill you for being different, Kamala has led a charmed life. She knows it too. She cannot imagine how people like her great-grandmother or Henryk managed to go on after experiencing so much horror. She feels like a spoiled kid despite the fact she's currently being held prisoner in space for no discernable reason.]

How...? [She shakes her head. It really isn't appropriate to ask why he looks so young right about now.] I shouldn't be complaining to you of all people. I am sorry. That was really insensitive of me, Henryk.

[ He waves his hand, dismissing her apology. Though he does arch an eyebrow at the question she snatches back. ]

I'm not telling you this to shame you. By some standards, yes, I've been in worse situations. But that doesn't make this situation any less difficult. The point is that those experiences mean I can offer some advice on how to handle the food issue. If nothing else.

[ At least there, he was on Earth. If he could just survive long enough, there was the possibility of being freed and living some sort of life. The Nazis seemed all-powerful, but they were just men. And men can be defeated. As they were. ]

We just need to make ourselves into sterner stuff than those who imprisoned us here.

[Kamala hears him out. Her mortification at being so... something to a survivor quickly morphs into respect. To her Henryk seems both wise and caring. She always appreciate kind, worldly people even at her most selfish growing up. It really isn't easy to be good to others after you've been hurt.]

I understand. You're right, Henryk. [She scratches the back of her head.] Sorry, I was just a little surprised. I know there's a chance this could sound crazy, but bear with me and don't answer if it makes you uncomfortable. It's just where I come from Holocaust survivors are really, really old. Like to the point where most of them have passed away from old age kind of old because it's 2015. Is the year different for you or are you just... different?

[She holds up her hands.] You don't actually have to answer the second one. Everyone I've met so far has been incredibly kind, but this is not the time to find out who is the exception.

[ His eyebrow lifts slightly at the second question. ]

I don't answer questions I don't want to.

[ He hardly needs the girl's permission for that. She's still so earnest that he can't help but tease her a little. His lips curve slightly. ]

What, you don't think it's rude to ask somebody their age? Or is being polite changed so much in thirty years.

[Kamala freezes because it's actually super rude. Like unbelievably rude. She's half-expecting for her mom to materialize out of nowhere to scream BETA at the top of her lungs.] It.... hasn't. Don't tell my mother, okay? Ammi totally has a complex about being rude to strangers! Seriously a vein pulses and everything. It's like a 90s anime.

[ He laughs softly. ]

I won't tell your mother.

[ He winks. It's possibly the most innocent secret he's ever promised to keep from somebody's mother. ]

To answer your question, I'm 53. When I was taken from Earth it was 1983. I hope that clears up some questions.

[ Probably raises more, but he's prepared for that torrent. ]

[She actually sighs in relief. Wow Kamala your mom can't get you here!!!] Oh. Okay. I think it isn't rude to point out you look really good for your age!

[Kamala smiles before adding abruptly.] But, it actually raises like a million more questions. I don't think it'd be fair to me to pester you about the whole 'we're from different years' thing.

[ Your mom would probably be a lot more concerned about the company you're currently keeping than whether or not you were rude to him, Kamala. ]

Thank you. [ He smiles and shakes his head a little at the silliness of this conversation. ] You as well, I'm sure.

[ He doesn't spend that much time with young people, she seems like she could be anywhere between fifteen and twenty. ]

Why wouldn't that be fair? Granted I would not be able to answer most of them. I couldn't answer questions like "How did this happen?" or anything involving anything that happened after 1983. But other than that, I can try.

I hope so! I'm only sixteen. I better look good for my age! [It's all bark. She doesn't really care how she looks anymore having successfully beaten the boss known as self-loathing that every teenager encounters.

Back to a more serious topic.] Oh because you can't answer most of them. To be honest you should be the one asking me questions. The fact that we met probably messed up the timeline anyways. I can totally give you spoilers!

[ Erik tilts his head, considering this. ]

What timeline would it mess up? Most of the people I've encountered aren't from my... version of Earth.

[ There are many universes, as he has discovered. Only one with mutants. What happened to them in all those other places? Did they never exist in the first place? Or was it something even more sinister? The thought is sobering, and he can't shake the uneasy feeling that it's the latter. ]

[Kamala holds up a finger. She gets that. Maybe she's being over cautious, but it can't hurt to be in these circumstances.] Well that's the thing. We don't have any way of knowing whose Earth anyone is from. Our world is too big to know everyone in it and we know for sure some stuff is the same.

[She pauses to think about what thing is distinctly from her world around Erik's time. Something immediately pops into her brain.] Have you ever heard of Captain America, the Invaders, or people getting super powers when they hit puberty?

I've never heard of Captain America, but I live in Poland and that sounds like the sort of propaganda that wouldn't make it across the Iron Curtain. There's been a countless number of invasions, I'm not sure which one you mean.

[ He hesitates just a moment on that last one. ]

Define "superpowers".

Oh I meant a group called the "Invaders." I think it was supposed to be ironic. They were famous for running around and rescuing people during World War II from the Nazis in some circles, but if you haven't heard of Captain America you definitely didn't hear about them.

[She's moving on to the more important explanation.] Like telekinesis? Basically on my world some people hit puberty or have something bad happen to them and that sets off a gene which gives them abilities. Some are awesome like flying or super strength. Some make it really hard for the person to live a normal life because they're covered in spikes or they could kill anyone they touch. Other times people get those powers because of experiments or accidents which sort of falls under experiments when you think about it?

[She finally takes a breath.] Does that make sense?

No. We didn't have anybody like that. Probably could have used a few.

[ The only person with powers he knew at the time, other than himself, was Shaw. Or Herr Schmidt, as they knew him. He listens closely as she explains. Some of it sounds familiar. ]

I've heard of that first one. The abilities emerging around puberty or times of great stress. But not from experiments or accidents or anything else like that. It's a genetic thing.

Then we're different. Probably. [Kamala sighs loudly. So confusing!!!] We should probably just pray and forget about it.

[ There's something in the girl's sorrow that touches a nerve in him. He looks at her a moment before speaking softly enough that it's unlikely anybody would overhear him. ]

Are you gifted, my dear?

[Kamala looks away from immediately. She sucks at lying, but also to see if anyone is listening. Surprise everyone is too caught up in their own problems to notice them. She lets out a little sigh. If anyone wasn't going to freak out on her, it'd be a guy who survived what he has.

Kamala reluctantly looks back at him and nods. Her voice is probably quieter than it's ever been.] Not for very long. To be honest, I'm not too sure what I am. Just different.

[ He swallows his coffee and sets it down, then wipes his mouth with a napkin. ]

Let's go for a walk.

[ He speaks in a normal volume. This is a sensitive conversation, and having it in the mess hall is unwise. He puts his tray back in the appropriate receptacle and waits for Kamala to catch up before they go. ]

[That sounds so ominous. A part of her thinks about booking it then and there before she dismisses it. He's being smart. He's getting away from anyone who may freak about the kid with weird powers.] Yeah, sure.

[She goes through the motions even if she hasn't been around long enough to memorize them. Kamala falls in step next to him looking visibly nervous. She can't help feeling like an idiot even if this was the right person to confirm it, she thinks. She needs to get better about this.]

[ It doesn't even occur to him that she might not follow, that she might not trust him. He's quiet until he's satisfied they're far enough away from anybody who might hear them. And to give him a minute to figure out what he's going to say.

And then it comes to him. Of course. ]

You're not alone.

[ He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a few metal bits and pieces he's picked up around the stations. Nail clippers, a few paperclips, a coin in a currency he doesn't recognize. They lift from his palm and rotate lazily in the air a few inches above his hand. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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

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