INTRO LOG: AUGUST

[nextnightmods]

INTRO LOG: AUGUST
DARK, DARK, DARK

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 Some of the information is a little out of date at this point, but the most important details are still there: yes, you're really dead, keep your lantern close, and watch out for the spirits.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!

QUICKNAV
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Comments

Danse | OTA

[bleedingsteel]

(I'm happy to match format, so tag however you prefer.)

A. Welcome to Beacon

[Machines don't have souls. Machines don't go somewhere else when they're dead. Machines don't die.

But here he is, in some bizarre version of an afterlife. It suggests some kind of higher power out there, and it suggests that said higher power doesn't understand the very basics of what constitutes "life." It's all horribly confusing, but it's just one more thing to add to the absolute disaster that has been Danse's last few days.

He fins the garage after some brief wandering. A run-down fueling station, from the looks of it, familiar enough to be vaguely comforting. A sweep of the building found it clear of hostiles, and rife with old junk. He busies himself within, dragging things around, examining objects, constructing a livable space inside the shop. There's even an old mattress in a metal bedframe. All a Wastelander needs for a comfortable home. His lantern sits safely on a shelf, lighting his work.

For a few days, he's content to hide, distracting himself from reality by tinkering and sorting through the junk. Occasionally, he takes out the strange communication device and toys with it, until he understands mostly how it works (holotape technology here is truly stunning.) He watches the communications on the network but does not reach out. It's better for him to keep to himself, away from humans that the programming inside him might cause him to hurt.

On the third day, strangely, Danse notices that there is more junk in the garage. Crates full of food, water, and other miscellaneous supplies have appeared as though by magic. Perhaps some benefactor is looking out for him, or encouraging him to continue his isolation?

He's digging through a crate full of clothing, trying to find some in his size, when he hears the creak of the door opening, and footsteps. His laser rifle whirrs to life as he clicks the safety off, standing upright and keeping it at the ready as he calls out to whoever's come in looking for supplies.]

That's far enough. Who are you?

B. Hide and Seek 1

[After the third day, Danse has found enough calm to leave the garage, heading out to survey the rest of Beacon. He wanders the streets with his laser at his side, marveling at the intact Pre-War architecture. Apart from the utter lack of sunlight, this place is almost luxurious compared to the wasteland.

There's a small list of items he desires to scavenge. His laser is a trusted companion, but fusion cells don't seem to exist here and that means he has a very limited number of shots. Another firearm with plentiful ammunition would be ideal, and he decides to search the armory.

Unfortunately, this "armory" seems to be operating under the medieval definition. Swords? Battleaxes? Not really Paladin style (the irony is, indeed, lost on him.)

He decides, instead, on a baseball bat. Already planning how to hammer some nails through it or reinforce it for better damage, he tests its weight in his hands. Another person is "shopping" nearby.]

Please excuse me for interrupting, but I have a question for you. What can you tell me about the combat situations here?

C. Hide and Seek 2

[The general store seems like a good place to look for a few other necessities to keep at his base in the garage. He gathers a duffel bag, a variety of other food, bandages and disinfectant (synths do bleed, after all.) Then he's ready to leave when he stumbles on the literature aisle.

Books are rare enough in the Wasteland to make them a valuable commodity. The Brotherhood was mostly interested in technical books, so fiction wasn't overly common within the barracks. Having an entire aisle of unburned, intact books all laid out before him is an incredible opportunity.

This is what leads to the bizarre sight of a large, stern man in a flight suit with a baseball bat slung over one shoulder, leaning against a shelf and flipping through the raunchiest-looking bodice-ripper available with wide, shocked eyes.]

D. Wildcard

[OOC: Plot with me or make something up!

Danse will be sticking close to his garage, setting out to scavenge for tools and supplies to make the place more livable. He will be a bit skittish around others to begin with, but feel free to have your character say hello and etiquette will demand he return the friendly sentiments. He'll try really hard, anyway.]

( prompt: hide and seek 2. )

[clarius]

[ certainly a bizarre sight, no doubt, but as lorem is quickly figuring out from her encounters here, this is something she'll have to expect from beacon.

so she tries to refocus her attention on what she needs to do here. lorem politely clears her throat when approaching the aisle, quick to put on on a friendly and warm smile on her face when she eventually catches his attention(, hopefully). ]

Sorry but- Could I pass through? I'm trying to make a trade with a spirit who 'hid' something from me and they're interested in a particular book in this aisle.

[bleedingsteel]

[Stirred from what is apparently an engrossing first few chapters, Danse looks up and immediately steps aside and out of the way.]

I beg your pardon.

[Then keeping the spot in the book with his thumb, he decides she looks like she might be able to answer a question.]

Are these volumes always available here? And are they free for the taking, or do they need to be purchased from someone?

[clarius]

[ she looks behind her when she realises she's being addressed. it takes lorem only a second to register the question. ]

Ah- I was actually going through the network earlier and there was a discussion about this topic. Apparently, there's no use of a currency system in Beacon. The items here are available for anyone to take and for free.

[ which makes sense. if they're all dead and here to confront these 'world eaters', the usual and conventional medium of exchange wouldn't work in such a scenario. ] Are you interested in that book? It must be very interesting.

[bleedingsteel]

That seems naive. It may inevitably be the cause of conflict, when demand outweighs supply.

[But he doesn't make the rules here. It seems decently peaceful so far. What a quaint system.

Questioned about the book, he answers with complete and total earnestness.] Some go their entire lives without ever setting hands on a book. Moreover, finding a volume in such pristine condition is an incredibly rare privilege. I can hardly believe there's so many of them.

[The book's content itself is apparently not worth discussing.]

[clarius]

[ -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.

A. Welcome

[worthallthis]

[Guess who makes a full patrol of all of discovered Beacon every day? This guy. Guess who has super-senses and heard somebody rifling around in those boxes? Also this guy. Soldat pokes their head in, blinks at the new person, and-- promptly squashes their first instinct, which is to pull a gun of their own. That's no way to greet a new person. It's visible as a little twitch, maybe, before both hands come up peaceably.]

Soldat. Just on patrol. You. Must be new.

[If Danse knows any Russian (or, hell, is a good guesser) he can probably put together that "Soldat" just means "Soldier". He can certainly see that one arm-- he's in his tactical vest, which displays the arm all the way up to the shoulder-- is made entirely of metal.]

[bleedingsteel]

[The laser rifle stays lowered, with perfect discipline. Especially not once he puts together what "patrol" implies.]

I am, yes. Are you a member of local law enforcement? As you might understand, I have a number of questions about the situation.

[worthallthis]

[Oh good. Let's not threaten each other, here. Soldat drops their hands again, and push the door open the rest of the way so they can step inside, just once, not approaching closer than that.]

There isn't a local law enforcement. Not officially. There's not enough of us to need it. But I can answer your questions.

[Most of them, probably, anyway. There are some things even those who've been here for (almost) a year don't know.]

[bleedingsteel]

Then you take on patrols of your own volition? What are you patrolling for?

[His voice is always stern, always accusatory, though he doesn't really mean it to be. Fortunately, he's wordy enough that it will hopefully offset that.]

Is is true, the message on the devices? This is some sort of afterlife, and the denizens all somehow deceased, but still functioning?

[worthallthis]

[Though Soldat's expressions tend to be subtle, this one is shading a little dubious at the tone. Just be glad they've been here almost a year, Danse, or they might have shut down and backed off already.]

Safety. To protect people.

[Why else do you patrol, pal, c'mon.]

It is true. I remember dying. The mechanism is more like. Cloning, taking some of our essence and recreating new bodies. Less afterlife, more recreation.

hide and seek 1

[callada]

["Shopping", indeed - it's always interesting to see what comes in after the usual monthly restock goes through and he could use a new knife anyway. Or maybe see if he can find something Will could learn to use - a short sword, a lightweight cutlass. Something Law would undoubtedly disapprove of, but Rosinante needs to make sure the people he's close to are safe.

All of the racks of tools are just a little low for him to peruse while standing, which is why he's sitting in front of a set of smaller blades with his lantern beside him. He looks up as someone new enters, and watches out of the corner of his eye. Is about to ask the guy if he needs a hand, actually, when he's asked a question first.]

It's a hard thing to summarize in a few words. Variable? Chaotic? I've learned to always be ready. Some of the spirits are fine, some aren't, and some start off seeming friendly enough until they suddenly go for your throat. And a lot of them are tougher than they look.

[bleedingsteel]

[That certainly is a vague answer.]

What forms do they take? Do I need to be prepared to fight some type of animal, a human-like enemy? A monster? Or should I be safe and assume all of the above?

[Maybe that's what he means by "variable."]

I apologize if my tone is harsh, but I prefer to be prepared. The lack of firearms in this location is deeply troubling to me.

[callada]

I hear you. I came in with one, was given a second, bought a third off a man who's dead now - for good, I mean, not like us. Guns don't get handed out like swords, but the ammo you can get if you request it at the lab.

[He sets down the dagger he was inspecting so he can unscrew the top of his lantern and light a cigarette on the flame. After taking a draw, he continues.]

"All the above" is right, though. Animal-like is common, but some look a lot more like people. Some like living rocks. Some change shape. What you really want to watch out for is the ones with green eyes.

[bleedingsteel]

[One little detail there is even enough to derail guntalk for a moment.] People are able to die again here? Permanently? [Like he was supposed to?

He'll... have to... keep that in mind...

And from the sounds of it, the spirits are as exotic and varied as the creatures in the wasteland.]

If they're spirits, do conventional gunfire or weapons even affect them? [Boy, he hopes so.] And what can you tell me about the green-eyed spirits?

[callada]

[For now, he just nods. He'll come back around to the details later on how dying goes here but it is indeed the truth.]

Weapons work on most of them, yeah. Not the rock ones, or some of the stranger ones, but usually you can shoot them, or slice them with these swords. Same with the green-eyes, but they're just as likely to make you hallucinate so you don't think you even have to fight anything, and then they'll kill you while you think you're having a drink with a friend.

WELCOME

[catholicisms]

( it seems the portal hasn't quite figured itself out yet. and thus, one can expect supplies to show up all over town. Matt has been forced to take it slow of late, get used to a lantern that will occasionally consider snuffing itself. still, he can only manage to be so relaxed. and wandering the dark to try and locate supplies that need to be recovered is not an especially hard or dangerous task.

well, at least not usually. he hasn't canvased this particular building much lately, but safe to say he hadn't been expecting anyone in it. the weapon is not one he's familiar with, even though he can hear it. he lifts his hands in a show of peace, and between the walking cane in one hand and mirrored sunglasses, Danse might be able to put two and two together that he's got a blind guy in a stick up. )

All right, ( Matt says, surprisingly calm for a guy with a gun pointed at him. ) I didn't mean to startle you. I was just looking for supplies.

[bleedingsteel]

[There's a moment of pause as Danse looks over the situation. The hallmarks of a blind person are not overly common in the wasteland, but he'll probably be able to put it together shortly. In any case the man is quick to put his hands up, so Danse lowers the rifle.]

My apologies. I wasn't expecting anyone to come in.

[He keeps one hand on the rifle as he clicks it back into its holster.]

This box appeared here overnight. It contains clothing and some other goods. Are these the supplies you were looking for?

[catholicisms]

I wasn't expecting anyone to be in here, so I guess we're even.

( it's something Matt hadn't truly thought about up until this moment. with the lantern repairs less standardized, there's no ferry. there's no obvious hallmark of arrival. new people still did occasionally show up, and there's not much to help shepherd them towards town when they do. they should...... do something about that, maybe. anyway, )

I wasn't looking for anything in particular, just supplies in general. The teleporter brings them in, but we haven't managed to narrow down the where they land. Means we have to go looking for them at the start of every month.

( which... is maybe a confusing sentence, to a voice he's never heard before, which he presumes is a newcomer. ) I'm Matt — I'm sorry, I don't think we've met.

[bleedingsteel]

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.

[catholicisms]

You're not wrong there.

( this place is full of the inexplicable. in fact, that might be one of the few constants around here. Matt can't claim to be used to it... though he does know well enough to expect it at this point.

Matt grazes a hand across the box, offering a nod. ) Thank you. I'll take it back to town. Have you made it as far as Beacon proper yet?

( he's around town enough that he figures he would have noticed a newcomer... but he could be wrong. )

B.

[primordialerebus]

[ Coraline wasn't here because she needed anything, or because she really cared about defending anything. She's just curious, and what the fuck else is she supposed to do? What else is there to do?

Point is, she was kinda hoping to be left alone. But of course, the universe hates her so... ]

Fuck if I know man.

[ She says, rolling her eyes beneath her everpresent sunglasses. ]

I think I saw some guy patrolling? There's like, hostile spirits. Fuckin' world eaters people are trying to kill... like. That's all I got man.

[bleedingsteel]

[This sullen young woman is not terribly helpful, but she has apparently heard the same rumors he has.]

Are you newly arrived as well, then?

[He thumps the bat in his hands to check its balance. Yes, he can work with this. A little adhesive and some sharp bits of metal...]

If so, you're likely operating off the same intelligence that I have. I apologize for the inquiry. It's important to gather as much information as possible before it becomes relevant to need it.

[primordialerebus]

[ She "eyes" the bat, then the man, then back again. Sounds soldiery to be honest. Looks it too. ]

Yeah...

[ She lets out a sigh. ]

Sorry dude. Kinda don't see the point I guess.

[bleedingsteel]

The point of what? Gathering information?

[In a way, there isn't one, because they're already dead. Those of them that can consider it "death," anyway, not an abomination like him. But he's already made the decision of how he's going to play this now that he seems to be stuck here by mistake.]

I'd prefer not to sit around uselessly and wait for something to happen. But that's my preference. To each their own.