ximilialog | LOG.01

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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.

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// 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.

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// 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.

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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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

01:

[Edward sure is searching through the collection of stuff. He's....mainly pulling out some changes of clothes (simpler things. Shirts, pants, a hoodie. Some sneakers that will hopefully fit? Another pair of boots.). But he's also found some books and he sure is just....kind of distracted enough to block out most everything else as he sits and reads. Just. Right there with the pile of stuff. Because apparently he's just that into his reading or research. And here there's no Al to ground him in reminding him of the time or that....you know. Others might want to get by him to get something amid that pile.]

03:

We got food?

[Of course the teenage boy with the appetite in feeding two (himself and in supporting Alphonse's body through his eating and sleeping) notices the food. It's. A lot though. More than he's used to dealing with given at best he might help make meals for three or four people when he stays with Winry and Granny or with Izumi and Sig back home.]

This is a lot.

[Then again. Ed himself isn't the lightest eater. Let alone others, actual adults. He's unsure how long this food is supposed to last for but it sure looks like there's plenty to go around. And actual food too? So he can't help but be glad even as he helps to haul it to the kitchen area and attempt to help stock the pantry and such with the others.

During which if he sees the milk....he passes it to whoever is nearest to him.]

You can have that. Unless it's stew, I'm not touching it.

[Yup. Still such a child, for all that he's seen and been through.]

04:

Wh -- what was that?

[The static. That conversation that was so garbled? The lights? Ed will definitely be fumbling as he attempts to figure what's going on. If it was just this particular room or the entire ship? At least, after it doesn't seem to come back on within a few minutes. Of course, that he can't see might. Kinda hinder that attempt to find out what is going on. Or seeing who might be nearby at that, possibly. He's used to simply using candles for the most part, or lanterns or such if he had to but he isn't anticipating this so obviously doesn't have something quite at the ready.

It unfortunately might mean he just straight up bumps into whoever might also be nearby wondering what is going on. If somehow his muttered cursing in annoyance are not heard and enough of an indication he's around nearby, that is.]

Dammit. The heck is going on? Emergency mode? Tch.

5.0:

[Ed. Has no idea on technology but he will find his way to the lab if anyone needs him to transmute something at least. Offering his assistance if someone says they need something. He can at least try help even if this sort of thing was generally more Winry's thing. He can fix things with alchemy, or create, but he has to have the materials to work with in the first place, he will explain. He has to know what it is made from.]

6.0

[Ed can sort of guess? On what a simulator is supposed to do. He's just not anticipating it to show him home. Or. Well. The scene initially is what he last recalls. The mines after they collapsed in the fight against Kimblee. The rubble as it had all fallen down below with him. The pool of blood from him having been impaled in the stomach. The evidence of which would be the rather bloodied rebar Ed transmuted and pulled out in two parts. His expression here would be a raised eyebrow as he winces and glances down, a hand to his side.

Or maybe it's simply Resembool. the Rockbell's auto-mail shop and home. The closest thing he has to a home left given he burned his own one down. It's rural so the next house is a while off, if it even can be seen. Surrounded by lush greenery, animals in other paddocks with the farmers nearby and such. Ed gets a fond, softened look across his face at this, pulling out some earrings from his pocket of his jacket in his hand.]

--

Wildcard:

[Ed can probably alternately also be found exploring during the month:

- Probably around the kitchen because he's a teenage boy of course he's gonna spend time there eating.
- Napping. Possibly in random places because he's used to it with getting sleep where he can back home given all the travel.
- Training/sparring because he does this daily back home in keeping himself fit and ensuring his auto-mail is fine.
- At the lab, possibly poking around curiously, given all this tech etc is new to him. That and he's possibly on the look out for someone that might be able to help if he needs it with auto-mail repairs.
- The infirmary after he inevitably gets in some disagreement with someone or goes against someone in sparring that gets some hits in.
- Reading, researching space and such. As if that will help prepare him for any of this, really. But he's trying. To learn about space stations, possible other planets they might end up going to.
- At the armory, attempting to see if he can transmute some basic parts for auto-mail in case his breaks, from the scraps of metal there. At least in figuring the outer casing as best he can figure. Focusing more on the arm than the leg given that breaks the most often at least. Or maybe he's transmuting a spear, or a dagger. Complete with skull or dragon sort of motifs because he's Extra like that with his aesthetics (he takes after his father in that. Unfortunately.)]

[Pistol, check. Cigarettes? Got those too. Clothes in his size are a little harder to come by, but finally Rosinante sees a long stretch of black fabric that might just be pants and might just be long enough -

Except they're stuck under the seat of some... kid? Young adult? Who looks completely oblivious to what's going on around him.

With that guy seated and Rosinante at his nine feet in height and covered in clothing that's a few sizes too big and covered in bullet holes and dark red-brown stains, he looms over the reader with hands on his hips and clears his throat.

And when that doesn't work, he speaks.]

You're sitting on something I need. Can you get up?

[And if that doesn't work, well, maybe he can just... pick the guy up and move him to the side. Not the ideal solution, but he'd rather not risk tearing what might be the only pair of pants in the whole room that could actually fit him by pulling on them.]

[It's the combination of the other being riiiight in front of him and him speaking that has Ed finally notice. He glances up at the other, raising an eyebrow before seeming to register what the other is saying. Ed glances down and shifts to his feet in stepping aside, apologizing and looking sheepish as he then puts the book under his arm with his clothing collection to see then if there was anything else he wanted to claim.]

Guess I got a little distracted.....

That's all right.

[But also pretty strange, given the circumstances. Still, everyone handles stress differently, don't they?

Rosinante leans down to pick up the pants, then gives them a shake and holds them up to his waist. Hm... Close. A little short. He might not get to be too picky.

He looks back over at the smaller guy and nods toward the book.]

What were you reading? Must be pretty good.

Something about space. It's -- I'm from the 1910s so. We didn't exactly have this stuff. This technology.

[Sure. Telescopes were a thing and they knew of other planets? But that idea of going to them and all, that was not yet a thing as far as Ed was concerned or aware at least. Things weren't advanced enough for something like this space station. So he figures he has a lot to read up on to try and learn, to try make up for his lack of knowledge in this area. He glances around in seeing if there's anything else that catches his eye, but seems to yet stick to what he has. Changes of clothes that may or may not be slightly big on him, his book and boots or sneakers.]

Oh yeah?

[The 1910s are still a solid several hundred years in his future if they're even talking the same calendar, which he's no longer certain of. The date doesn't matter, maybe - what matters is they're both fish out of water, so to speak, when it comes to their new surroundings.

Rosinante folds the pants under his arm and waves for this guy to follow him off to the side a little, to make way for people trying to get to the pile.]

Me either, though last I knew, the date was 1511. I might have to borrow that when you're done with it.

1511? Yeah. You might need it more than me. You can have it once I finish.

[It isn't like it is his from home? So it's fine. The only book he himself specifically owned was his alchemy research notes and even then that was coded. So well, even Alphonse couldn't read it. So Ed doesn't mind giving it to the other to borrow after him. This stuff just kind of showed up so it isn't like it seemed to belong to anyone in particular? He follows to the side when the other gestures for him to move.]

Thanks. I'm Rosinante, by the way.

[And he extends a hand downward to shake. He'll skip the surname until he can get a better read on the people around him but so far, not a single one has claimed to be from anywhere or any time he recognizes. Until he's sure, though, best to leave it off. No need to draw unwanted comparisons with his brother.]

We have stories where I'm from about people visiting the moon, but they're just stories. Nothing like this.

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F Y I

Edward Elric l Fullmetal Alchemist

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i'm sorry this is so late! ;;

It's okay RL happens.

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