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 Some of the information is a little out of date at this point, but the most important details are still there: yes, you're really dead, keep your lantern close, and watch out for the spirits.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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Does anyone know if someone in the Night Market was working on anything like that? Protection against the psychological effects?

( they stand way more of a chance if they can protect themselves from being mentally manipulated. )

( something about how she speaks, the meaningful and persistent questioning... it makes him think distantly of Karen. not a bad thing. though perhaps a bit of a bittersweet thing. it's been a year since he saw the intrepid blonde, after all. )

The village has been like this since the flood. It's in a sorry state, but we haven't had the time or the manpower to repair it. I think a few people stay here, still, but plenty of us had to move on to places with an intact roof.

( as for Beacon at large, that's a harder question. ) We've lost a lot of people, recently. It seems like we're stretched quite thin, but we're getting by somehow.

( he is, in fact, the guy that died. hey, sup. his feelings on that are complicated and mixed at best, though he's definitely not going to bring it up unprovoked. especially with a relative stranger. definite stranger, he doesn't recognize her voice at all. )

A toy ring wasn't really what I had in mind. ( he sighs, showing her a small box full of rings. ) Some of them are normal looking, right? Do you think you could describe them to me?

( that's a lot to ask, probably, but just in case she didn't notice... ) I can feel them but I can't really see what they look like. And I'm hoping to find a nice one.

I'm getting the impression that's only the beginning of the strange and disorderly happenings around here. [Gee, what clued him in?

He doesn't come any closer, but does nod in greeting (he'll figure it out soon.)] We haven't. My name is Danse. I'm a recent arrival, I suppose.

I've already taken what I need out of this box. You may have the rest for anyone who needs it.

He gives a nod, understanding the sentiment even if experience has taught him that in practice this is a dangerous thing she's aiming to attempt. He can see just as clearly that she really means it - this is not just stubbornness but a true moral stance, and that's something he can absolutely support. The struggle between ethics and duty has been a constant one in his own life, after all.

"Let me know before you do attempt it, all right? If things go poorly, we'll want to be ready to send help." Or retrieve her lantern, if they can. They can't afford to lose anyone.

[Oh yeah whoops that was sort of casual wasn't it, mentioning the periodic massacres like that. His occasional dry sarcasm probably doesn't read the same for the new folks as it does the veterans of this awful (sometimes wonderful) place. He gives an awkward chuckle of apology.]

No, it's fine, and you should ask whatever you want so I can get you up to speed. It's happened several times, always for slightly different reasons, but sometimes the spirits swing from wanting to befriend us to attacking us and more than once it's been something of a slaughter. Has anyone told you about the green-eyed spirits yet?

The expression on her face goes blank, in the way of people trying to hide the full strength of her reaction. "In our history, we have records of planets that are too radioactive to support life, millennia after war that no one can recall the cause of. This is the legacy of the old empire. I suppose your world is comparatively lucky that it can still support life at all."

That's. Not very lucky, honestly.

He nods gravely. "The Great War was the result of greed and hubris. Technology pushed too far, past the bounds of what was needed and what was rational. Humankind was nearly completely destroyed, and the world is still struggling to recover from the devastation. I would say it's only within the past hundred years that something akin to true civilization has finally begun to take root."

Turning around, he gestures broadly at the town around him. "In fact, I'm aware it has much to do with my perspective, but I find the habitations and environment here quite luxurious. I could do without the threat of spirits, but I can drink the water and haven't seen a single super mutant."

"Hello, Matt. Hello, Ivy." She nods to both of them, quite serious in greeting the spirit as warmly as she does him.

But her name, well. That's a whole thing. "'The Impatient One' is my selfname," Merwen explains. "I am a Sharer, and we choose a selfname when we feel we are ready to share in adult society. A selfname is meant to be something about you that is true that you are intent upon outliving."

She... has not actually noticed he's blind, not yet.

"I will," she promises. "I will attempt to not live up to my selfname, and I will learn what I need, and I will take what help you are willing to share."

Merwen pauses a moment, then adds, "Thank you, for understanding my need to do this. I am prepared to fail and try again, if necessary, but it is good to know that I have support."

"Cautious support," he clarifies with a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "But I'm not going to hold you back, I've warned you enough. And who knows, maybe you'll get somewhere. Gotta try new things if we want to make progress."

The hunger inside still gnaws at him. The spirits that initially swung by have run off, and he should probably go after them - no, he reminds himself. No, whatever the world eater did to him, he's going to keep fighting it as long as he can. Damned if he does and damned if he doesn't but he's always been stubborn.

"I'll let you go," he says, as he takes a step back, then checks his lantern to make sure it's still secure on its clip, a constant habit. "I've got someone waiting for me, anyway."

It all seems very sombre to her, but she recognises these things are... subjective.

"I am glad you are able to experience this now, at least." Merwen's voice is warm. "As threatened as this world is, it is at least more or less whole.

[ either one is a good sign for her.

she beams at him in reply, happy to hear out his suggestion. it's a very good one, after all. ]

I'll make sure to ask them of that when I head out to the village later. [ never hurts to get an early start for a project like this. the sooner she does the legwork, the sooner she can get to the heart of the project. ] Do you think there are any more questions I should ask them in particular?

Asking them if they'd like to help is obvious but hmm... As they've been here longer, they would have a better knowledge of where to get other supplies. Do you think that should be brought up?

Their eyes glow green, and the spirits you'll find more frequently are frightened of them. If you can avoid them, do it.

[ there's something more implied by that, most telling in her choice of words ('if you can avoid them' instead of 'if you see them, run'.) it may not matter, or it may be too late. ]

Most, the ones you'll often encounter around town, are just protective or don't know how to communicate. Or are frustrated we don't know how to communicate with them.

[ if they're going to be discussing this for a while, she'd better put the box she's carrying down - the strain is starting to hurt her still-injured wrist. (did i forget to mention her left arm is bandaged and that the wrist of that arm is in a cast? well they are.) it's settled down carefully and she looks it over, trying to determine whether she should open it now or later. ]

Then why the experiments? Revenge certainly seems to be the likely answer, but I am not so certain.

( It's a thought that's been weighing on him for a while. They still don't yet know why the green-eyed spirits tortured half of the population of Beacon. Perhaps the hospital may have some answers, if there's anything left of it. As for the hallucinations, he wonders, )

Were they attempting to help, or trying to turn your feelings against the Night Market?

There was a potion, ( Javert begins, cutting in, ) The Night Market had made to protect against the hallucinations. It was described to us in a notebook, but I'm uncertain of how to recreate it.

( He has the notebook in his possession. It seemed too important for them to leave behind, and so Javert had carried it with, hoping someone else may be able to make more sense of it. )

( He doesn't know what the smile is for, but he assumes it is because Soldat meant his words as a joke. He takes the fork when it's placed in front of him, and banishing the last of his sleep from his eyes, he says, )

Your honor is safe with me.

( It's not spoken seriously, but Javert does mean it. He doesn't smile back, but his expression does relax a little, which is close enough. He takes the plate of food, wondering, )

Are you needed elsewhere?

"Well. He's not hard to find, if you want to," Soldat says with some warm amusement for her curiosity. For various reasons, beginning and ending with Stone being played by the same person, Soldat has not interacted much with him. "Not a lot of people who aren't human of some kind anymore, though. We used to have more."

[Feeling tremendously satisfied, as if Javert finally sleeping were all their doing (Ya idiot. Shut up.), Soldat just smiles a bit more.]

Just my bed. I'll go there in a minute, I promise. You feel better? Slept all right?

[Cao Pi glances at some of the others before answering - they might have a different perspective based on what they saw, or experienced elsewhere]

Neither, I believe. It was simply...showing what was. But, that is my assumption only, since we still can't communicate with them directly. I don't know what would benefit them if they were able to convince us of anything - as, like you say, they experiment on us in turn.

It doesn't make much sense, but I think it important right now to know what was done, to whom and by whom, so we can assess later.

If you are asking for certainty, Lord Zihuan, I have none. All I can say is that the spirits were experimenting on the crew members, and that my companions and I learned that from a reliable source.

( He'll stew on this conversation a bit longer, though, silently. )

What troubles you, then?

( He asks blandly, his hand falling back to his side, resting on the hilt of his sword at his side. His eyes, this time, are fixed on her face, as if much more intent on hearing what she has to say. )

( Javert frowns a little. He doesn't like the thought of Soldat putting off sleep so that he may see him, but they've already had this discussion before. If Soldat desires it, then Javert cannot deny him. He takes a bite of the casserole and chews it thoughtfully. )

I'm fine.

( He says, and it's not a placation. He does feel better, if not a bit groggy, but that will pass. )

The nightmares do not seem to ail me any longer. You were right to sit out the battle with the World Eater. It seems they know quite well what will harm you.

She nods. "Of course. Thank you for speaking with me, Rosinante. When I have firm plans, I will be sure to share them with you. Take care."

"I admit to being terribly curious to meet any who are here," Merwen says. "Our history tells us that the old humans who left their home of Torr and spread through the galaxy found many strange worlds and beings, but none that had souls, at least not that they could recognise." She gestures vaguely. "Though whether they would have recognised a soul in so different a body is a matter for some debate. To know that they truly do exist is quite... exciting."

She smiles, a little bashfully, because this is a silly thing for a grown woman and mother of three to think about.

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INTRO LOG: AUGUST

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whoops forgot to mention her arm before...

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