ximilian: (Default)
ximilia mods ([personal profile] ximilian) wrote in [community profile] ximilialog2021-06-08 08:11 pm

LOG.01

L O G . 0 1

// PART I. summer cleaning  


The more days that pass on the station, one thing becomes increasingly apparent: the station is woefully unprepared for so many people arriving there at once. While the materials found in the lab or the armory are lacking, and characters don’t have many sets of clothes to change into, the most glaring problem is food: after days and days of nothing but dried jerky and canned beans, things may start to seem a little… well, dire.

But one morning, those who completed the tasks in the training room with the promise of a boon will wake up to a message on the network:

Congratulations! You have earned one (1) boon of your choice. Please enter your desired item here.

After they have entered whatever item they wish to get — well, at first nothing seems to happen. But after some minutes, those who are either in the living quarters or the kitchen area can hear the unmistakable whir of power turning on… and clatter. Lots of clatter.

1.0   Congratulations, it seems that the teleportation devices have finally stored enough power to send in a variety of items! On the platform near the living quarters, there is everything one might imagine from different planets: piles and piles of clothes in different styles, books, tools… oh, look, a headband and a comb! And that sure is a yoga mat. Best go sort through the pile and get what appeals to you, before someone else does.


2.0   For those characters who requested an item as their boon, the good news is that whatever they requested is there in the pile! The bad news is… it’s there in the pile, so good luck finding it — and convincing others it’s really yours, so give it back, please!


3.0   It’s not just the platform near the living quarters that is functional, now: it’s also the one near the kitchen. And that one is brimming with produce: fresh fruit, coffee beans, bread, different cuts of meat, cartons of milk and juice… there’s even some ice cream, though best get that to a freezer quickly! Enjoy the variety in your dishes, for now.

TOP


// PART II. lights out  


Two weeks before their first mission is supposed to start, in the middle of the day, everyone’s earpieces start to crackle with static. It starts faint, a sound barely there, but it grows into a persistent buzz that nothing seems to help — not attempts to contact someone else, mute the sounds, nothing.

Just as you’re about to go crazy and chuck the earpiece as far away from you as can be, the static suddenly stops.

And all the lights on the station suddenly go out, leaving nothing but darkness behind.

The static starts again, and finally, Viveca’s voice filters through.

// VIVECA.AI
It’s no good, the platforms took too much power, we need ——. I’ve tried fixing it, but it’s not enough. I —— the backup ——.

The characters may try to answer, but their comms aren’t connecting — it’s as if they’ve tuned into a radio channel they’re not supposed to be hearing. And perhaps more surprisingly, the next voice they hear is not Viveca at all.

// ?̴̳̥̱͎͓̼͇͖̫̄̉̐̇̄̋̇?̸͙̼͎̙̙̳͖͈͆̓̈̓̊͆́̂͗̆́͠?̴̛͓̬̮̏̈́̃̍̍̌͗̈́͘̚̚͠?̸͙̼͎̙̙̳͖͈͆̓̈̓̊͆́̂͗̆́͠?̴̛͓̬̮̏̈́̃̍̍̌͗̈́͘̚̚͠
Sorry, —— will have to keep ——————. Try to ——... emergency mode?

The crackle keeps getting louder and louder.

// VIVECA.AI
I’ll —— but —— help! They have to ————

With that, the earpieces go silent… and even if characters attempt to contact Viveca, they will receive no answer.

4.0   Left in the darkness, minutes stretch into hours without a flicker of light. The hallways are eerily quiet, with only the faint hum of machinery assuring you that the station itself is still functional and not dead. Of course, you may stay where you are and hope that the lights miraculously return… or you can navigate your way through the hallways and rooms with nothing but your memory to help you. It may be a good idea to get someone to go with you so you’re not bumbling around in the dark on your own.


5.0   Those optimistic about the lights returning will have to be disappointed. After several hours and nothing but radio silence on Viveca’s end, it seems clear that this is a problem she can’t fix on her own. If you don’t want to be left in the dark (literally) forever, it’s best to try and do something about it.

If you’re technologically inclined, the lab is the place to be: you may be able to connect to the station’s system, at least enough to figure out what’s wrong and try to fix it. But perhaps you have other abilities, those of more magical origin… with those, you may be of assistance in helping to replenish the station’s diminished power supply.

TOP


// PART III. mad world  


Eventually, everyone’s efforts will pay off and the station seems to regain some of its power back — at least enough for the lights to flicker back on, first in the living quarters, and then around the rest of the station. The resurgence of power also affects the simulation room as well, quiet and unassuming at first … but something seems a little off, the longer you remain in the space. For one thing, it flickers colour and light in a way that isn’t worrying, exactly, but doesn’t feel all that stable. And just when you think you should probably head back out, the doors close and a world builds up around you in meticulous detail — is it something you recognize or is it something altogether unfamiliar?

6.0   Creature Comforts: The simulation room picks up on the cues of its inhabitants, snatches of memory and knowledge of worlds that it isn’t wholly familiar with but seem to fit within the parameters of its code. Whatever world you’ve come from, you might note the familiarities, might even feel a little homesick. And so, the world around you might resemble a historical time period befitting of swords and gunpowder and large dresses with too much frill. Or maybe the simulation goes back even further than that: lush jungles and prickling heat, the sharp buzzing of hard-shelled insects hidden in foliage and the hiss of something else that seems a little ominous. Maybe the simulation slowly materializes into the place you’ve just come from before waking up here — all the way down to that coffee shop you like so much, the one with the really perfect latte.


7.0   A Fish Out of Water: It’s hard to say whether the simulation room has a sense of humour of its own, or if the power outage has made it a little unpredictable. Either way, the space around you fills up with images entirely unfamiliar to you, putting you completely out of your element. If you’re from a small town or a place where life’s a little simpler— castles, large stretches of field and open sky, say: what you see will be futuristic skyscrapers with all the lights on, and colourful bright screens everywhere. Is that a flying car? Geez, you’ve never seen one of those things before (not that you can reach it from that height). Or maybe you’re from a Dystopian wasteland: if so, welcome to experiencing an idyllic paradise with just the right amount of density, the right amount of kumbaya to fill in the questions you might have had of what life was like before you were born. The simulation room is here to put you out of your natural element without you realizing it.


8.0   101 Ways To Break Out (J/K, it’s 1): Of course you’re not stuck in this room. There’s always a way out, a lock to pick, the slight shimmer in the air that guides you to the seam that unravels the whole thing and lets you out. Depending on the setting your character happens to be delicately trapped in, it might take a bit of doing to find the One Thing Slightly Off anchoring you back to reality— a totem if you will. Find that thing, find the shimmer in the air and stick your hand through it, and you’ll find the room going dark around you, but in a ‘Hey, You’ve Completed this Simulation! Congrats!’ kind of way. The doors will slide open and you’ll be free to go, maybe on slightly shakier legs but in one piece nevertheless.

The TL;DR: Due to the power outage aboard the station, the simulation room is temporarily on the fritz. Here you’re free to choose the manner of simulation you want your character to stumble into, all the way down to the most minute detail. Go crazy! Remember whatever happens in this simulation stays only within this simulation and the room; it cannot and will not affect the rest of the ship. Simulations may have the possibility of changing halfway through, and depending on how many people enter the room after you, could end up changing more than once. The constant will be to find the exit trigger once you’ve been locked in.

TOP


F Y I

The events in this log span the month of June.

No one will be able to contact Viveca after Part II, even after the lights come back and the station’s power supply has been replenished. If your character wants to talk to her before Part II, feel free to use the Ask the AI page.

For Part I, those who completed the tasks in the TDM will be able to ask for one thing they want to receive here. It can be an item from their home, or something else they’d like to have. If they ask for something living (like a dog, for example), they’ll receive a plushie of said living thing instead. Note that you can handwave completing the tasks on the TDM — we're not going to demand links to threads or anything!

For Part II, those who want to try and connect to the station’s system can ask questions and suggest what they’d like to try to do here. How your attempt goes is up to chance, as the mods are rolling the results. Note that this is not mandatory and the mods are fine with handwaving what exactly gets the power to come back, and it can (and likely will) be a combined effort of many characters. There is no one right thing to do, but if you’d like to ask questions of what your characters would be able to do or find out when connecting to the system, feel free!

Throughout the month, remember that all the locations in the two wings and the center of the station are available to use, even if they’re not detailed in the prompts in this log. So feel free to make your own wildcard prompts using the training room, the armory, the living quarters, the infirmary, the sunlight room etc.

For those who didn’t get to play out their character’s arrival on the TDM, you can read more about what the characters see upon arrival here. Feel free to make your own prompts for that!

NAV

chrysology: (There's still)

[personal profile] chrysology 2021-06-18 08:11 am (UTC)(link)
I guess that depends on who you ask.

[Sure. This guy has no stakes on things back home. But it's still kind of second nature to Ed to not go blabbing too much. He's still figuring out the details exactly on all that's going on with the military. Who exactly is involved and all. He gives a shrug, glancing down briefly, shifting his items he carries in his arms a little, that fidgeting and all probably making it obvious he knows more than he lets on. He always was rather an open book.]

I'm only a Major. Not like I have a huge amount of clout with the military or government exactly.
totheright: (chill)

so sorry for the delay!

[personal profile] totheright 2021-06-18 04:04 pm (UTC)(link)
[ draken might be the bossanova type, but kaoru knows how to deal with that! ... well, maybe. kasanoda had always just wanted to show up to spend time with haruhi, and they're definitely missing a cute natural-type now.

either way, kaoru flashes him a smile and jaunty salute from where he's sprawled over the couch. ]
We used to run a host club, back in high school. If you don't like the annoying type - [ he gestures at tamaki, obviously ] - we totally understand.
callada: (sun is shining in the sky)

[personal profile] callada 2021-06-18 04:40 pm (UTC)(link)
A Major? Should I be addressing you as "Major Elric," then?

[He allows his surprise to show, accompanied by a smile. Even if he's decided to keep his own military background for wraps until he knows exactly who these people are and what their sympathies are, it's probably all right to allow his own feelings to show through in a case like this. Ed doesn't read like he's lying, after all.

That exact rank isn't one they use in the Marines, though. A few minor non-World Government nations use it in their armies, but he's not sure exactly how it compares.]
cruelyethuman: (028)

[personal profile] cruelyethuman 2021-06-18 06:58 pm (UTC)(link)
I'll-

[Once he manages to kick his way to the surface, arms and legs working ferociously just to stay afloat.}] -do my best.

[And he grabs her arm, pulling himself closer to her, letting her carry some of the weight. It's still almost impossible to stay above the waterline, to not suck down big gulps of sea water and no amount of telling himself that this isn't real, is helping.

The raft is closer, and he swims with her.]



cruelyethuman: (Are you sure?)

[personal profile] cruelyethuman 2021-06-18 07:01 pm (UTC)(link)
My world has myths about magic. About the Science of creating things out of nothing. We have no stories about- [there's a pause as the Darkling chooses his words and a sharp intake of breath.] this place. About living among the stars.

That's one worry less, I suppose. You seem to know a lot about places like this. Did you come from here?
chronosynthesis: (❖ Illusionary Wave)

[personal profile] chronosynthesis 2021-06-18 07:14 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh--" Syrlya raises his brows in turn. "I believe my people are only native to Tyria, so if you come from anywhere else..."

He trails off a little considering, actually, there are probably people on the other side of Tyria who will have no idea what the hell he is, either. Even though he was thinking of other worlds across the universe. "I am Sylvari. We are... plants, born of the Pale Tree."
chronosynthesis: (❖ Mirror Images)

4

[personal profile] chronosynthesis 2021-06-18 07:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[The level of darkness in a powered down spaceship among the stars is... disorienting. Syrlya, too, is forced to run his hand along the wall to attempt to navigate the hallways (as if he knows where he's going anyway) while his other hand rests on the hilt of his blade. Just in case. No idea what's going to pop out of the shadows.

Like a hand that grabs his arm before he can properly focus on the approaching sound in lieu of his vision. He jerks back, his first instinct to teleport away and create space between them--to assess, draw his blade--byt when he tries to trigger the spell... nothing happens. Not even the flash of magic reacting to his will.

So he just stumbles over, smacking into the wall in his botched attempt to pull free. "Ow! I'm a friend!"

Okay, he doesn't know that yet but he's really hoping this is one of the other conscripted and not something about to put a knife in him.
coordination: (THIS IS NOT FOR SEX I AM GENUINELY ALONE)

[personal profile] coordination 2021-06-18 07:55 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm as in the dark — that was not a joke about our current situation, eugh — as anyone else about this specific situation and location we're in.

But I am familiar with living and traveling in space. My people primarily live on space colonies.
chrysology: (And you feel)

[personal profile] chrysology 2021-06-19 12:38 am (UTC)(link)
Right. Yeah, we've had fighting back home too. I'm well aware there's the risk that I might get called up to if things were desperate, in me joining the military for access to their research documents.

[So. He knows all that can be complicated. That it takes time and work in calming things down in the aftermath, in having grown up near the borders of Ishval and seeing the soldiers around on occasion. On hearing from Riza and Scar about the fighting there. Meeting an Ishvalan in the Amestrian military up North. It's complicated and a fragile thing to progress and keep that peace in the aftermath of fighting.]

I'm sure the others back home will be doing what they can. All we can do is try focus on things here, so we can figure getting back. Dealing with these missions.

[Dealing with their regrets. What they are willing to do to absolve those.]
chrysology: (I don't know)

[personal profile] chrysology 2021-06-19 12:43 am (UTC)(link)
Just Ed is fine. I mean. It isn't like it really matters, here. This isn't Amestris.

[At least. He figures. So he isn't expecting that anyone really cares about his status. Nobody here would even be aware of the significance of his pocket watch. Which, in a way is refreshing in a sense in that he has some anonymity here after people always having heard of him back home and the trouble that brought him at times. Though time would tell how long that would last exactly.]
callada: (me abandonó sin avisar)

[personal profile] callada 2021-06-19 01:38 am (UTC)(link)
A plant? A talking, thinking plant? Now that's new. The surprise on his face settles into a sort of muted joy.

"Didn't know there were plant people. Wow. Is Tyria an island, or a - somewhere else? One of the other worlds?"

As much as the vastness of the universe is shocking, there are aspects of it he does enjoy. The sheer diversity of life beyond the seas he's familiar with is stunning.
callada: (just the usual heroics)

[personal profile] callada 2021-06-19 01:44 am (UTC)(link)
Some people might be particular about things like that. Had to ask.

[He shrugs, but also, he gets it. He certainly isn't going around introducing himself to anyone here as Commander Donquixote.]

So, military life, huh? Sounds dangerous. Unless you're in peacetime there back home.

["Peace" is tenuous and never safe either, because people have to work to keep it that way, but for now he'll continue to play clueless civilian just to see what he learns.]
chrysology: (Twenty one)

[personal profile] chrysology 2021-06-19 02:13 am (UTC)(link)
It isn't like I joined for the title. I don't care what my rank is. But -- yeah. We aren't in active war that us State Alchemists have been called in to fight at the moment.

[He's only heard about that back then with Ishval and remembers seeing the odd soldier around with living out East in Resembool growing up. As a kid though it wasn't something he paid a huge amount of attention to exactly, growing up. Not until he was older and having to decide whether to join to access the military's research records.]
callada: (lurk moar)

[personal profile] callada 2021-06-19 02:46 am (UTC)(link)
That's good. You seem a little young for war, if you don't mind me saying so.

[Not that age always dictates who fights and who doesn't, and after sixteen, most kids can't be told to stay home anymore, anyway. He's one to talk, he enlisted as early as he could, but he can't help but think of Baby 5, and Buffalo, and Law and all the rest, all being raised to kill for his brother when they should have been able to be in school and lead normal kids' lives.]

Alchemy, that's a type of science, right?
hikachiin: (hika001)

[personal profile] hikachiin 2021-06-20 12:15 am (UTC)(link)
(honestly, just watching yzak lose it is much more fun than to try and escape it for now. they're gonna have to fix it eventually, won't they? it's only fair that hikaru finds a place to sit and watch the show.)

Do you have any idea what you're doing?
hikachiin: (hika006)

[personal profile] hikachiin 2021-06-20 12:17 am (UTC)(link)
... No. I just tried to cook it...

(nothing other than the truth. it's probably the first time hikaru's hands have even touched uncooked meat, please give him a break while he coughs and pinches his nose to avoid breathing in all the smoke.)
hikachiin: (Default)

ALL OF US ARE HERE NOW

[personal profile] hikachiin 2021-06-20 12:29 am (UTC)(link)
(yeah, absolutely missing her right now, especially now that they're face-to-face with a place where so many memories were created. next to kaoru, the older twin crosses his legs, speaking at the exact same beat and tone, at the same time, down to the gesturing:)

If you don't like the annoying type, we totally understand.

(hikaru even shows his tongue towards their one and only milord, shrugging shoulders. at least being stuck here isn't that bad.)

... Do you think they have our snacks?
coordination: (you swallowed my husband)

[personal profile] coordination 2021-06-20 01:12 am (UTC)(link)
[ He does seem to be putting in certain numbers, 0808, 0920, and 0927, but none of them appear to work. ]

Of course I know what I'm doing! But I'm trying to see if this works, first.

[ He glances over his shoulder at Hikaru. ]

Hey. What's your birthday?
chrysology: (Open up)

[personal profile] chrysology 2021-06-20 07:26 am (UTC)(link)
Maybe. I joined when I was twelve. But I took the exam and all knowing there was the risk, the chance I'd be called up to fight.

[He just. Doubts if he could really go through it but it hasn't actually happened, hasn't actually come up in him being called to war so. It's Fine. Even in defending himself, Ed went too soft on Kimblee and got impaled because of it. He may end up facing that sort of situation again here in being expected to go against his morals. But he tries not to think on that, giving a nod.]

Yeah. It's a science. Analyzing, deconstructing and reconstructing matter. It's basically simple once you know the ingredients you are working with.
cruelyethuman: (Are you sure?)

[personal profile] cruelyethuman 2021-06-20 12:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[It's hard to tell what is happening in the dark. Noises get distorted, ones sense of direction fails in the face of it. That's why it's a great weapon in a fight, also why it's pretty much useless if shadows are all that surrounds them. He grabs someone and there's a startled sound and a short time later, there's the sound of something smacking in to the wall.

The Darkling brings his hands together anyway, the Cut should work here as well as any other dark place.]


Ow? What are you doing in the dark?
cruelyethuman: (Well alright then)

[personal profile] cruelyethuman 2021-06-20 12:14 pm (UTC)(link)
You live- [there's that pause again, and he hates that it happens. That he's this far out of his depth. Constantly on guard and left wrong-footed by everything.] in space.

With the stars. How do you even- no, nevermind that. That's not important right now, but I have questions. From what you know about traveling in space, what do we do? Is there anything to be done, or is this a failure so great that the promise I was made, is void?
heartoftoman: (3)

i'm sorry this is so late! ;;

[personal profile] heartoftoman 2021-06-20 01:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Woah, dude, chill. I didn't mean it like that.

[ He's caught off-guard by Ed's comment, though maybe he shouldn't be. In hindsight, what Draken said could be taken as rude, but... "so tiny he can only be seen with a magnifying glass?" ...Does this guy get his height made fun of a lot?

He doesn't look weak, though. Just small. Draken wonders if he knows how to fight. ]


The name's Draken. How about you?
chronosynthesis: (❖ Continuum Split)

[personal profile] chronosynthesis 2021-06-21 01:46 am (UTC)(link)
"For you, I'd assume another world." It's also a continent but details. "It does seem as though those responsible have a reach far beyond any one world. That takes a lot of power."

If only they knew who exactly was wielding that power.

He gives Rosinante a once-over. "As for you, you look human. Are you?"
chronosynthesis: (❖ The Pledge)

[personal profile] chronosynthesis 2021-06-21 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
[Syrlya leans off the wall, rubbing his head.] I wasn't inclined to sit in a room and wait for this to pass... so I came to see why we appear to have lost all power.

[Especially given that ominous conversation that wasn't meant for them, before everything cut.] What are you out for, if not the same?
chrysology: (And all that)

It's okay RL happens.

[personal profile] chrysology 2021-06-21 07:24 am (UTC)(link)
[At the least, Ed seems to calm down easily enough, quickly enough, even without Al there to placate and restrain him from actively raging. Probably in being distracted with the belated introductions. He shifts, pouting slightly but seeming to relax in giving a nod at the introduction of the other, gesturing with a hand in pointing to himself.]

Ed. Edward Elric.

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