logsinthenight | INTRO LOG: AUGUST

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INTRO LOG: AUGUST

characters: everyone.
location: all over beacon!
date/time: the first part of august.
content: a few new faces, the teleporter is up to old tricks, and overall just loving not being trapped in an underwater science station right about now.
warnings: n/a.

welcome to beacon.

The first thing you're aware of as you come to is the glow of a lantern, just within reach. Hazily, you start to recall the events leading up to your arrival. You died, somehow, but how does that equate to you being wherever you are?

The second thing you're aware of is that you're being handed a slice of cherry pie by a six-limbed masked creature with a hairnet. Looking around, you find yourself inside a school cafeteria. The school looks to be in decent condition, despite being dark and clearly abandoned - except by whatever this creature is. Stick around long enough and they will also serve some chicken nuggets and a box of milk. Wander a bit, and you may find a memorial wall for dozens of unfamiliar names and faces. Where is this?

A few answers can be found if you pick up and look through the tablet that's settled right beside the lantern. Some of the information is a little out of date at this point, but the most important details are still there: yes, you're really dead, keep your lantern close, and watch out for the spirits. You might notice mention of a ferry, but that's odd, especially if you're nowhere near the lake...

Leaving where you are and using the provided map on the tablet will help you find your way to town, and along the way you might find some out of place items, like crates of food or toiletries or clothing. Feel free to grab what you find as you make your way there, your new neighbors are sure to appreciate it.

Luckily for all the newcomers, the tablet and the town have some resources available for getting acquainted with their new situation! In fact, as soon as they're prompted to enter a network username, an app containing all sorts of useful welcome information will launch. It's still a little messed up (maybe someone might want to record a new message?), it has plenty of important information to share. Newcomers can always check out the weekly bulletins and the records that were thankfully saved from the bad storm a few months ago. If that's not enough, there's many long-time residents of Beacon that will be happy to share how things go around here. If not in person, network works too.

hide and seek.

The teleporter repair team has been hard at work, and their hard work has paid off. Items have arrived in Beacon aplenty! Only, the aiming protocol is still a little off and it's still all over. Whoops. While anyone with a specific request will find a spirit guide to help them find their wares, everything and anything else is fair game for a little fun.

The spirits are in a playful mood, and have taken the liberty of locating all these lost sundries and supplies. And of course, after that, they chose to hide them around town. Spirits vary from great at hiding things (lining a hollowed out trunk with swim trunks) to downright terrible (is it really "hiding" that sheet of plywood when you put it behind a streetlight that is smaller than it is?), though they seem to enjoy the experience either way.

Need something in particular and don't know where to start? Don't worry, spirits will be happy to give hints. If you can understand their esoteric forms of communication, that is. Others give away the game in the fact they hide with the items themselves, and find the prank so hilarious that little snuffles and giggles are an easy clue to the stowed stash. If characters play along long enough, the spirits will give up the game and will show the poor things with no seeking skills what they've hidden. Still, why not have a little fun with it? The spirits sure are!

ooc.

Hey there, wonderful players, and welcome to The Next Night! We're so glad to have you with us, both new and old. For a run-down on what's upcoming in August, please see the August gameplan, or check the calendar for a quick overview!

As a reminder, things like newcomer arrivals, item deliveries, and lantern repair all depend on the help of the characters in the game! If your character would be interested in assisting with the equipment at Dr. Solis' Lab in any way, please let us know!

DELIVERIES

The newly ported in items have arrived, but as in July, they're still kind of everywhere. Learning to use this portal technology is hard, and more hands helping out are always appreciated! As mentioned above, the spirits will readily help find people's personal requests, but the general resupplies? Guess you'd better be willing to play the spirits' latest little game. The following can be found, one way or another:

The monthly store restock, which provides enough food, general sundry items, and basic supplies to comfortably last the group a month. You can check what kind of items to expect in a monthly restock here.

For Elektra Natchios: several slightly oversized t-shirts and sweatpants made of comfortable materials, a bottle of black nail polish (chip resistant), a bottle of whiskey with a slight odor of sewer when the bottle is opened (though it tastes fine), and a teddy bear.

For Rosinante Donquixote: 4 boxes each (25 rounds per box) of shotgun and flintlock pistol ammo, except in every box two of the rounds have been replaced with nerf darts that some poor kids probably lost long ago.

For Fitz Kreiner: A limited set of lockpicking tools and a set of locks to practice on, and some paper umbrellas which may require some disassembly before they can be used.

For Matt Murdock: an assortment of 14 lovely rings (not all pictured here) as well as 6 rings to share with his friends!

If you submitted an item request last month and we've missed it here, let us know!

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Commander? I apologize. I'd have used your proper rank if I'd known.

[Enjoy your new form of address until you ask him to stop, buddy.

Danse examines the pistol with a discerning eye.]

A classic flintlock. Beautiful piece, and very well-preserved. I've only seen one like that once or twice in my life. ["Life." Ugh.]

It's all right. I've gotten out of the habit of it. Doesn't feel right when most people here are civilians.

[Shrug. There are a few who insist, and he lets them. It's fine. It's a role he's happy to let them help him maintain here - that of the dedicated, loyal soldier who simply seeks to help defend them all. It's a role he didn't exactly play perfectly in life, but here, he's content with it.

He can't help but crack a smile at the "well-preserved" comment though.]

It's the usual where I'm from. This, or a rifle for some units. But I've gathered that most people here are from places where the common technology is pretty far past what I was used to. And then somehow you also get all this.

[He pulls a cigarette from a pack in his pocket, but waves it at the swords and axes around them while it's still unlit.]

Yeah, it's not super great, though Soldat has no real concept of an afterlife, let alone being reborn. (Sounds exhausting. They'd rather just be done.) "One of a lot of reasons to stop the World Eaters. Don't know if that will bring life back here, or let it finally die for real. But probably one of the two."

I'll respect your preference on the matter, if you'd rather I call you your name, Commander.

[He's gathered that there are some temporal shenanigans going on here (in addition to all the other types of shenanigans.) It's the only explanation for a town this pristine. Some might call Beacon run-down, but to a wastelander it's practically luxurious in many ways.]

Firearms technology had progressed far past the flintlock even before the Great War, making them quite rare outside of collector's items. Those still in existence have certainly stood the test of time, and it's a testament to their craftsmanship.

Meanwhile, these sorts of laser rifles were in common circulation in the Pre-War military. There were enough of them to make them fairly easy to acquire even after the bombs fell, hence their use as the standard sidearm for the Brotherhood.

[At least here, the only ones throwing any switches will be spirits, not any Institute. Soldat nods.]

If you're sure, then. Will you mind if I come in to visit when I pass by on my patrols?

[Nobody should be alone all the time. And Soldat is pretty sure they're up to fending off any trouble.]

[ this was much easier when they'd had someone in charge of requests and retrieval, but elektra's grateful that they can get items at all now. it had been a skint few months before they'd found the labs and they're still figuring things out.

elektra's out here trying to find her items, and she's not sure whether they'll all be grouped together or assembled in a package. a spirit darts by her and she starts, reaching for her butterfly knife, but it doesn't take long to realize it had just been a wayward spirit. a voice comes from the distance and her attention is soon drawn there. ]

It might be, I'd have to check. [ unless these packages are labeled somehow. ] But if it's not mine it might be supplies or food.

[ she comes closer to take the box from her, with considerably less effort than the woman appears to have needed - elektra's small, but much stronger than she looks. ] Thank you - you're a new arrival, aren't you?

If the situation or my confidence in the matter develops further I'll reassess. But for the time being I think it's best not to take the risk.

[It wouldn't be so bad to have some visitors, though. Or perhaps to try communicating on that strange device.]

I'll rig up some sort of bell or signal at the door. You can use it to announce your presence so I won't be startled again.

[She sort of recognizes him from Helix Station. Actually - he was...one of them that didn't make it, right? Her expression is concerned. He looks alright, but what must he be feeling, after a battle like that?

Oooooor maybe he's asking her to look at a toy?]

Um. It's...like, a plastic ring? It has a funny creature on it...

She takes a deep breath, a rather shaky one. This is a conversation Merwen was actually not quite prepared to have. For a moment, she's a prisoner again, facing Realgar and all his untruths. She covers her face with her hands, trying not to lose herself to whitetrance, not now.

"I am a wordweaver," she murmurs, almost under her breath, but words right now are... hard.

Merwen gives herself a shake and forces herself to look him in the eyes. "Share words with me about these green-eyed spirits. Learnshare with me. What has been tried? Do they consume or do they have souls, as these small spirits seem to have?"

[Soldat has done their fair share of making things more complicated than they have to, but in this case, the solution seems a little easier than that:]

Or I could just knock. Or call inside on my way from the path.

[Maybe tomorrow they'll bring him some hot food. They can make it at the Landmark, maybe, since this stop is on the return loop from there.]

Merwen shakes her head for a moment, thinking hard.

"This word, 'World Eater.' It reminds me of how we speak of seaswallowers, on Shora. Of course, seaswallowers are meant to be there. We need them, as dangerous as they are. I can imagine a seaswallower placed in a sea where it does not belong would do great damage."

A lot of the chemicals have leaked along the floor and the materials that have been in contact with it were damaged. If you're going to attempt crossing, make sure the materials you're using are sound.

[ does she tense slightly at the mention of taking lights from lanterns? maybe, don't worry about it, it's gone when she speaks again. ]

It's possible that the psychological effects aren't just a defense mechanism, but a result of simply being around the World Eater. A few of us exploring the power wing were affected when we got close to the portal room.

Doesn't matter to me. I'm no commander here but some people like using titles.

[Cultural, probably. He accepts both equally, alongside the few who have also decided instead to grant him nicknames. He dismisses the topic with a shrug, then unscrews the top of his lantern so he can light the cigarette and have a draw.

There's a lot that Danse just said that goes well over his head, but he takes it in as best he can. The result will just have to be a lot of questions.]

The Great War - I've heard of that. Are you from Earth, then? Early on, we had a medic and a footsoldier from a place called America that fought in a war with that name.

She's obviously in distress and he feels bad, but at the same time, Rosinante figures she's going to have to get used to the reality of this place. There are things here that want to kill them, that think nothing much of death and treat it casually, and who do not realize (or do not care) how desperately the rest want to cling to the last fragment of life they have. Negotiation is a good skill to have, and he supports its use where possible, but when it fails he'd rather fight than die.

Wordweaving, he suspects, must be something like negotiation. Mediation. Or just conversation, maybe. The way she speaks is like poetry but it's hard sometimes to make out the exact meanings. Whatever translation occurs here, it must struggle with her language.

"Not sure what you consider souls," he says with a frown. "They don't have lanterns. Green-eyes can speak, they plan, they order the smaller spirits around. Sometimes they communicate by planting visions in our heads, and sometimes those show things that happened before but other times it seems like they just want to make us afraid, or angry. I've never heard of anyone talking to one without it ending quickly and violently."

Yes, I am from Earth. America as well, though nobody calls it that any longer.

[If only the original Great War had been the last of them. Danse is wise enough not to assume that they're speaking about the same war, just yet.]

This place truly does recruit its inhabitants from varied times and places.

It does. Seems to favor Earth, though. More come from there than any other world. How long ago was the Great War for you?

[Maybe he can put together a rough timeline eventually. He's slowly becoming familiar with the history of that world, at least in broad, vague strokes. Cao Pi must be the one from farthest back in time, at something like thousands of years previous to most he's met, while Kuai comes from a far future point, and Dr. Ingram farther yet - far enough where he's never been to Earth but at least he knows of it, and considers most of the people and events here that reference it to be thousands of years in his own past.]

Two hundred and ten years. The present year where I came from is 2287.

[So... maybe not the World War I "Great War."]

Humanity is still trying to recover from the destruction they brought upon themselves.

[Yeah he has no idea, his knowledge of Earth wars is not quite exact enough. Same name? Same war. So two hundred years past that puts Danse maybe around the same time as some others, but a little bit farther past unless laser weapons are more common than he's realized. Huh.]

People don't talk about it much here but I think a lot of them aren't too involved in politics or military issues. They seem to have pretty normal lives. What sort of destruction are you talking about?

Near-complete nuclear destruction, to put it bluntly.

[Small detail about his world, really. Just a little footnote.]

Mankind's obsession with technology outpaced its restraint, its willingness to use it responsibly. Greed became the catalyst for an escalation of tensions, then war, then the day that planet was nearly annihilated by atomic bombs. Only sheer luck or a miracle prevented humans from going extinct as a species, and two hundred years later, we're still trying to pick up the pieces.

"Souls. Human, though in a sense that goes beyond species. Do they look into their reflection and recognise themselves and what they are? That is what I mean when I ask if they have souls." She exhales thoughtfully in one long breath. "But that description makes it sound as though they do have souls, and you want to hasten their deaths."

Merwen clenches her hands, then relaxes them. "I have just arrived, and here I am making conclusions already. I must admit that this does not sound... healthy."

... The idea of spirits having their own brood unnerves her, for some reason.

"-Hopefully the others here in Beacon can better fill us in on these spirits. That way we can draw assumptions about them that have stronger backing." Changing the topic now, Lorem makes note of something that's caught her attention since checking the tablet's apps: "It seems the places that are habitable are the inn, the hotel, and the village. Do you have any plans to go anywhere in particular for a place to rest? I can accompany you."

Getting to know her fellow arrival better and sticking with somebody seems the wisest choice.

[ -that's something she notes. long as he enjoys it, she sees no reason to push him on his reading list.

besides, he mentioned something quite interesting and she's eager to discuss that topic more: ] I agree. Restoration and conversation of the arts is extremely important where I am, with how demanding the creation of a physical product can be, in both materials and time. We've made a lot of progress in preserving literature and arts and research but my world has a long way to go in that field.

[ ah. there she goes again, rattling off like she's in deep negotiation with an xiolathn ambarassdor. she tries to lighten up the mood with a self-deprecating smile, adding, ]

Though, as a disclaimer, I'm not a restorationist. I'm afraid I can't help if the pages end up getting torn or marked with coffee stains.

Main rally points?

[ lorem looks up at that, looking intrigued now. it's always good to hear that there's an agreed-upon set of areas to meet others in when there's a dangerous situation.

after she makes a quick note of what's been said - especially how there are many cabins that aren't salvageable and are being used for building supplies. (definitely, something to keep in mind for the near future.) - she then asks, ] What are these places?

If I had to take a guess, would they be close to the bonfire? In order to better defend it?

[Atomic bombs... another phrase he's learned here. He had been looking unfocused into the dark while listening, enjoying the cigarette, but now his eyes turn sharply to Danse's.]

Those bombs - people tried them here. When the first world eater arrived, they fired one at it and survived. So everyone in town who it hadn't killed or decayed took masks and went underground, and they fired a volley of them at it. They never learned if it actually worked but it was the strongest weapon they had.

Did the people of your world ever come up with something stronger?

[Ah, a topic he can get behind.] Indeed. The preservation of such important cultural artifacts is vital to rebuilding a healthy and well-rounded society.

[But then something else she says catches his attention. He blinks, looking surprised.]

There's coffee here? I didn't even think about that.

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INTRO LOG: AUGUST

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hide and seek (mmm whatcha sayyyy)

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