collectedlogs | INTRO LOG #1

INTRO LOG #1

Welcome to Collected’s first Intro Log! The information we’ve provided about the setting is not exhaustive - feel free to interact with the setting as you see fit. Rather than have specific prompts, our event posts throughout the game will generally have information listed out like this and players may come up with their own prompts.

If you have questions about the setting or the intro log, please ask them HERE in the comment thread! And most of all, have fun, shoppers.

PROMPTS

The first thing anyone does is gasp for air.

It’ll feel like the first breath you’ve taken in years. That’s right; before you can even become aware of your surroundings, the most immediate thing they’ll process is that you’re in water. Foul smelling water - like rotten eggs and decay. It’s pitch black, and you’re swimming in it with only your head above the surface. If the smell doesn’t deter you, the longer you stay in will; the water stings to have on your skin, chemical in nature.

So - you need to get out. This water can’t be okay to stay in. Once you’ve gathered enough about your surroundings, you’ll see that you’re inside a mall, of sorts. There’s a large (non-functioning) escalator in front of you that will lead you to the semi-safe havens of the second floor - but be careful, because everyone’s going to be gunning for that only exit.

» Once on the second floor, exploring will lead you to a few notes of interest: Long windows and tall glass doors show the conditions outside. The sky is a burnt orange, and there is a thick sort of fog on the horizon. Nothing for miles in every direction - just an empty parking lot, completely devoid of life or any sign that anyone has come across this place in many years. Even so, you’ll find the windows and doors unlocked, so getting outside is easy… the problem is what’s out there.

A trip outside will make it instantly clear why you see no life outside the mall’s walls: exposure to the radioactive sun outside causes your skin to bubble with welts, and the thick, toxic air of the outside is impossible to inhale without keeling over. It’s blistering hot, too. Even non-organic creatures would melt or be eroded by the sun’s radioactive qualities. One thing is abundantly obvious: you cannot survive outside. Not now, at least. Those who receive a burn or other damage from the conditions outside will discover that strangely enough, upon returning inside the mall, the wound begins to heal up on its own. Slowly, and extremely painfully, but it’s healing. That’s strange…

» Another thing of note is that there’s a food court on the second floor. There, you’ll find a variety of abandoned restaurants that have varying amounts of non-perishables inside - canned vegetables and preserved meats, as well as dusty old jars of sauces and the like. There are a few walk-in freezers with hefty locks on them, but if the locks are broken or picked, there’s actually some frozen rations, as well! Many of them are not labelled, so the dining experience will be pretty hit or miss. None of the stoves or cooking appliances in the food court work anymore, either, so you’ll have to get creative when it comes to cooking up these ingredients. (Or just, you know, eat them cold.)

» Throughout the mall’s bathrooms, water fountains, and gym showers, you’ll find that all the water in the mall is suspiciously clean. Like, way too clean to be normal in a place as run-down and clearly abandoned as this. You’ll find that toilets flush completely fine, and shower water heats up (eventually). Should you be grateful, or concerned?

» There’s an electronics store on the second floor, as well, along with a internet cafe. Should you try to turn on the computers in the internet cafe, you’ll find that it only opens to the same forum page: a site called Mall Watch. It’ll prompt you to make an account and password if you try posting to it. In the electronics store, you’ll also find that any phone you forage for and try to boot up will also only open up to this forum page. Weird!

» If you’re looking for a place to sleep, the department stores of the mall still have a variety of furniture sets collecting a lot of dust. Then again, no one’s around to tell you where to sleep - and maybe you don’t trust all these new faces you arrived with. If you’re okay sleeping on the floor of a random store, more power to you.

» You’ll probably want to do something about your clothes that were stained by the black water on the first floor.. try foraging for some clothes! Looking around, you’ll find that some clothes stores have some stock left over, though everything’s generally a mess in clothing stores - it’ll take you some time to find anything that’ll fit you. Looking around enough on this second floor, you might end up stumbling across some of your own belongings or clothing, or those of your peers.

More than anything, the longer you explore and scavenge the mall, you’ll recognize how eerily silent it is. If not for you and your peers here, this place would be totally desolate. Clearly, there’s no one around for miles, and as far as you can tell, you’ll only be able to survive here for as long as the supplies here last. No one’s coming to save you - no one even knows you’re here. In every sense of the word, you are alone.

For now.

NAVIGATION

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[ 9S is certainly about. It's been a long, long day that leaves even him feeling weary, but right now he doesn't think he could sit still for long if he tried. He isn't out of batteries just yet, and there's still more for him to see. Whether there's anything he could possibly find that could satisfy the myriad of baffled thoughts coursing through his mind is another matter entirely—one that, at this point, is beginning to feel unlikely—but at the very least, he could get a lay of the land, so to speak.

Fortunately, he's gotten around to cleaning up before now, too, though it's unfortunate his uniform had to be ruined. The hoodie 9S now wears is a couple of sizes too large, but the shorts seem to fit okay; curiously enough, he still has what appears to be a black blindfold tied around his head. This is who wanders in, pausing when he spots the other boy inspecting over the... box. (That's all it is, as far as 9S could tell.)

There's a moment of hesitation, as if he reconsiders saying anything at all, but eventually ventures in with a reply: ]

Careful. That looks heavy.

[ Don't push it over and somehow hurt yourself, man. ]

Eh?

[Pausing from his inspection, he turns to look at his new company and tilts his head a bit. He can't help it— the blindfold is the first thing he sees. Otherwise, this boy looks around his age, but he's quite cute? The large hoodie probably helps that.]

It is incredibly heavy... Though I'm surprised you can see it at all to make that guess. [He did say looks, right?]

It belongs to someone I know, but I doubt that even he would be able to move it. I was planning on knocking it down and pushing it to the side in this shop, since I'd like to set up to be able to sleep here, but I wonder if it might cause things to break.

What do you think?

[ The furrow of his brow might be covered, but the slight, puzzled cant may display his confusion. Why wouldn't he be able to see it?

Well, no matter. 9S takes a cursory glance around—in case Eichi is still wondering if he has a pair of functional eyes under there—assessing the shop for himself. (Honestly, who designed these places?) ]

Kind of a weird spot to sleep.

[ If he's being honest. It looks cramped, and weren't there areas with actual furniture around? Even he would sleep on a bench over this, but then... who was 9S to contest his wishes? ]

But if you really need that moved, I could probably handle it.

You could?

[He doesn't mean to sound so doubtful, but it's hard to imagine just from the sight of him. Though, maybe if they worked together?]

I realize it's a strange spot, but a friend of mine is fetching a mattress, so I believe this will do just fine. It seems less than ideal to most, so it wouldn't become an issue of territory as people grow more aggressive the less that we have, and I find the trinkets in here quite interesting. I'm rather used to large spaces, so it's a bit exciting to have somewhere small, you see.

[Uh huh. It's his bougie vacation in the horror mall.]

So, in that case, pushing this over and to the side without damaging the AC unit inside would be best. If you could help me with that, I'd be very appreciative. I suppose I'd owe you a favor in turn, as well. ♪

[ Uhh...

Humans so far are turning out to be as strange as he always expected them to be. He's really worried about... "territorial disputes"? They've got nothing but room here.

Well, all right.

9S gives this box thing another once-over before shaking his head. ]

Don't worry about it.

[ Then he approaches it, shifting it upright while testing its weight. Definitely not the heftiest thing he's had to shove around, but 9S can't help but wonder just what this could possibly be used for. Thoughts aside, while the box is heavy, leaning it over to slowly lower it flat on the ground doesn't give him much trouble at all; for someone of his stature, it's as if he were carrying something only half the size, instead. ]

Where'd you want this?

...You're stronger than you appear, aren't you? Ah, if you could set it to the side, over there...

[He points. He's used to giving instructions like this, so it's not like he feels awkward about it. Maybe he's too comfortable with it. He's just really impressed? He's inspired? He trains every day to be strong and he's still a sickly noodle, but maybe there is a possibility to be more like Kiryuu or Mikejima...]

You have my thanks for assisting me with this. I wonder, is there anything I could do to repay the favor? Something or someone I could look out for, perhaps? Oh, I should introduce myself, at the very least. My name is Eichi Tenshouin. It's a pleasure to meet you.

Strong enough, I guess.

[ He's no combat model, that's for sure, but he has a leg up compared to other standard androids. The store is hardly large, so 9S doesn't have to shove the box far; it grinds upon the floor, but it only takes a few good pushes to put it in place. Brushing off his hands, he straightens himself back up. ]

Uh—you don't owe me anything. Really.

[ It'd feel too weird to put him in his debt, and not in the good way. Serving humans is what they were built to do, after all—even if that purpose was founded on a lie. (But he's trying not to mull too hard on the irony of it for now.) ]

I'm 9S. It's... [ Briefly, he trails off, a hint of uncertainty in his demeanor. It's been a long time since last he's exchanged pleasantries with anyone, but, just as quickly, he musters up the means to: ] Yeah, it's a pleasure.

9S...-kun?

[That's his name? Odd. Eichi isn't sure of what to make of it... Or what to make of that behavior. But to him, he hates being in debt, and an owed favor is an owed favor. Why would a stranger do something for him otherwise?]

I truly don't mind, so please feel free to speak your wishes whenever they come to you. Or is it that you're just as overwhelmed with this place as I am?

[ "Kun"? What? ]

Well, don't get me wrong—I am, but that doesn't mean–

[ But he stops himself short, because 9S has a feeling this will only end up with them going in circles. ]

Nevermind. I'll... think about it.

[ He has no plans on acting on this, however. ]

Very well. [It's fine! Eichi will bug him about it later, or do him a "Favor" without asking if he'd actually want it at all. It all works out in the end.

For now, though, he moves over to observe the coffin, peeking inside once more.]

Where do you intend to sleep, if you don't mind me asking? Have you found others to stay with?

[ As Eichi moves in, 9S likewise cants his head to cast a glance downward, too. Yep, still odd; he wonders what was inside, if there ever was. Nothing he's ever seen transported around needed such a luxurious looking case.

At the query, he pauses thoughtfully, then gives a lazy shrug. ]

Beats me. I haven't thought as far ahead as where. [ Or when he'd bother. As weary as the day as been, he doesn't feel tired. ] I've just been looking around—trying to figure out what's going on here, you know? Not that I've found anything helpful.

[Just a weird vampire, really.

And air conditioning?

But that aside.]

Ah, I've come to the same conclusion. There's a surprising lack of informational pamphlets of any real value, and even viewing the stores makes it a bit unclear where we are. More than that, have you managed to glance out of a window? It's completely barren.

However, have you noticed the water? Though we all seemed to crawl out of that muck in the lower level, the water from bathrooms and the like seems to be crystal clear. I was skeptical, but washing myself in it seemed to do just fine.

[ At this point, 9S isn't sure knowing the where would do him any good. Did that matter for him? When it came down to it, he had nowhere else to go and no one who'd come looking for him. What matters to him more is the hows and whys, but that, most likely, would be harder to dig up. It's been frustrating. ]

I was surprised too, but when you think about it, the plumbing wouldn't be drawing from the first level anyway. That means we don't have to worry about it being damaged... for now.

[ The place as a whole is far from being in total ruins, but it's on its way there. ]

Still, I would've never expected there to be this many conveniences around. Kinda makes you wonder what the point of all this is.

Would you call this many conveniences?

[Rich boy here can't even comprehend what he means by that. Sure, his clown picked out the fanciest mattress possible, but it's like, run down? There are moth holes in his clothes? There's not a single piece of food that his doctor approved him to eat and all of the tea he can find is old. This sucks.

But. Maybe if he thinks on it a little more he can consider it.]

I suppose it could be worse... Though I wonder how long we can all last like this.

Yeah, well, there could be nothing.

[ Not even a roof over their heads—literally. ]

... But there could probably be more. Are you worried about running out of something?

[ 9S doesn't want to be here for long, but in the worst case scenario, he has less to concern himself about than most likely anyone else around. ]

I've been sickly since birth, and I can't seem to find anything close enough to my medication here. That's dangerous enough, but placing additional difficulties on top of it means it will become near impossible for me to survive.

[He sighs like he's complaining about doing chores or something far more mundane, though.]

I'm already troubling others, who will also be facing their own troubles, in a place like this.

[ Oh.

There's a moment where 9S appears dumbfounded, uncertain of what words would help. He doesn't know anything about illnesses or how to best deal with them; there was once a machine he aided when it had a sick pet, but 9S has a feeling this isn't just like finding a plant in the forest with medicinal properties. For starters, there's no forest in sight here, and going outside isn't an option. ]

There's—really nothing anywhere? If there's a chance there's anything else that could help, it's a big enough place that it could be lying around somewhere.

I did manage to find one inhaler... It's simply over the counter, so it's not quite what I need, but it will do in a pinch in an emergency. I'll simply have to move very carefully so that my heart, lungs or body don't give out, in the meantime.

[From appearances, Eichi seems a little too casual about it all.]

Of course, it would be a blessing to find that it's all been dumped in a corner somewhere, somehow. I received other items that weren't on my person at the time of my disappearance, so there may be a chance, but I've looked around as thoroughly as I can manage with my own health as it is, currently.

[ More casual than 9S would expect, unless such sicknesses were common enough that it's easy to face a problem like this with nonchalance. Humans were more delicate than he would've been led to believe, were that the case. ]

Why don't I have a look around?

[ It's basically what he's been doing anyway, except maybe this time what he's attempting to locate would be more plausible to find. Hopefully. ]

It sounds like I'd have an easier time getting around than you, so...

...I don't mind if you do, of course, but I still don't have much for you in terms of repayment.

[He's still so concerned with this. His specific brand of medication is nowhere to be found in the mall, but there may be limited small doses of pills here or there that could help to alleviate symptoms. Not that he knows any of this. He's just preparing to accept that he may have no help at all.]

My pills are kept in a metal case with an emblem on the front, though it may be that there are other medications that could help my particular symptoms. That seems difficult to go over... But if you really are willing, I certainly am in no place to turn down the help. It may even help me survive a bit longer.

[ Pills kept in a metal case with an emblem—alright. 9S doesn't know if this narrows down what he'd be looking for, but it's worth a shot. Better than simply letting this guy die on them. ]

Erm—well, let's see if we can find your box first before we get into that.

[ He wouldn't know one kind of medication from the other. A beat follows before 9S continues, the barest hint of exasperation present in his tone: ]

And seriously, forget about repaying me. There's nothing I need.

[It's been enough times of him insisting that that Eichi picks up something about it. Smiling on pleasantly, he hums.]

Does it trouble you that I consider it? You'll have to forgive me. I've been doing my best to adjust, but it seems that no matter what I do, my mind becomes stuck in the ways of a businessman, always expecting that you're offering only to gain something in return.

But are you doing it out of the kindness of your own heart, then?

[ Business isn't an unknown concept to him, but 9S can't say he's ever met a merchant so concerned about keeping even. Still, he supposes it explains why Eichi is so adamant about it. ]

Really? This is your life we're talking about here.

[ Even the deaths of his own kind troubled him; when fighting for the sake of humankind was the only reason any of them were around, of course the possibility of "I might not survive" wasn't going to go ignored. ]

My life is something that's been fragile since birth, so perhaps I have a skewed view on it. It's troubling to be fussed over, but at the same time, it's nice to have those who care for me.

So thank you, 9S-kun. ♪

[That sort of answer definitely is kindness. How sweet. It's good to know there are kind people here.]

It—it's nothing.

[ The thanks feels unwarranted, but he leaves it at that. ]

I'll let you know if I find anything. You need anything else around here?

(no subject)

glorification - 2020-07-22 05:30 (UTC) - Expand

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