INTRO LOG #1

[collectedmods]

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

Comments

[bestaround]

ONE
[ Most around can swim; 9S is not one of them.

His one saving grace is that he can't drown. By the time he fully comes to, he's already submerged and sinking further, murky waters meaning it's nigh impossible to see. Evidently, Pod doesn't have a mind to fish him out of the depths this time, though 9S can't recall being so close to any water last he remembers.

It's utterly baffling, but mostly a cause for alarm. At the very least, he knows he needs to get back up, and so 9S begins groping ahead in hopes of latching onto something. Unfortunately, both his weight and the materials he's constructed of mean paddling upward isn't an option. It's a process that takes some work.

Anyway, are you about to head up the escalator for yourself? Before you climb up too far, there's a hand, gloved in black, that suddenly reaches out of the water to tightly grip around an ankle. ]

TWO
[ After the fiasco leading up to and following 9S dragging himself to drier land, what comes next is...

Well, even he doesn't know what. He's too confused to begin making heads or tails of anything, too shocked to try, and all it really amounts to is him failing to realize he's still completely damp in the pungent smell of rot. At least his uniform is completely black, so stains are hard to notice; on the other hand, the typically silver strands that make up his synthetic hair and patches of skin show signs of black staining. It's probably because he has no earthly idea what this place could possibly be that the idea of searching for a new attire doesn't cross his mind. One does not simply walk into a clothing store when you don't even know what one is.

Still, 9S doesn't stay in one place for long, but there's a slow and cautious way he makes his way about, a tenseness in both his demeanor and expression that leaves little room to wonder why he doesn't directly approach anyone. That doesn't mean he doesn't accidentally stumble upon someone no matter where in this large, bizarre building they're in, muttering a halfhearted apology that implies he shouldn't intrude on whatever business they're up to.

Or maybe that aroma tipped you off that he was nearby. It's hard to miss. ]

absolutely bananas card
[ ya know how these go. if you got something else in mind slap it down here, and if you wanna plot something else out instead hmu over pm or plork at deltaserver ]

one

[scrambledegg]

Ahh!! Water Zombie!!!!

[Probably.

Eggman had dragged himself out of the water and in 1 second flat he's entered hysterics. Not the most morally sound guy around, his immediate response is to raise the leg 9S doesn't have a hold of and repeatedly stomp on that hand to try and get it off of him.]

[bestaround]

[ Well, at least he isn't breaking any fingers today. Eggman gets a good few stomps in—on something definitely more solid than mere flesh and bone—before the hand flinches and lets go, retreating back underneath the inky water. So, hey, it worked!

A moment later, the other hand grips at the corroded railing of the escalator inches away from Eggman's leg, pulling himself up enough for 9S' had to finally breach the surface. The head of white is dirtied with black, and the blindfold tied around his face covers up most of his scowl. It's not enough to hide the irritation in his voice, though: ]

Ergh... What the hell—

[scrambledegg]

...oh. It was just some kid.

[His hysterics immediately fade, giving way to annoyance. He probably shouldn't be burning bridges already with what a complete asshole he is, so rather than leave it at that Eggman (begrudgingly) offers a hand.]

Sorry about that. [No he isn't.] But you can't blame a guy for freaking out.

[bestaround]

[ 9S hadn't been expecting to see another person, so when a hand is offered towards him, he stares at it for a long moment, as if unsure what to do.

A number of questions race through his head; where was this? Who the hell is this guy? (And why is he dresses so weird?) Why is there so much water? None of them come out in the moment, instead belatedly gripping his hand. ]

That kind of hurt, you know.

[ It's a little grumbly. In 9S' defense, he couldn't see where he was grabbing, but he's going to guess he got a hold of this guy instead of the architecture. Still, he begins to hoist himself up—and Eggman might find he's a bit heavier than a normal guy his size should be. ]

[scrambledegg]

Yeah, well, I was mentally preparing myself to shake you loose and run for i-hrrgh!!!

[He isn't expecting to have to strain himself when he pulls on 9S to lift him up, so he's cut off mid sentence. Fortunately despite his rotund build, Eggman's got a deceptive amount of strength behind those stringy looking limbs of his. After the initial bout of surprise, he braces himself properly and actually pulls the android right out of the water and onto the escalator's first step.

Only to immediately let go and rub his shoulder, whining. Loudly.]

Yeesh! What's with you?! You're way heavier than you look!

[bestaround]

[ If the murky waters didn't feel gross before, they certainly do now once he's out of the inky sludge and kneeling on the rusted step. While he rolls out his shoulder, 9S rubs at his forehead with the back of a gloved hand, pushing aside matted bangs.

He'd offer his thanks, but he wrinkles his nose instead. ]

Well, if it weren't for all this water...

[ He straight up sinks, and an utterly drenched uniform likely isn't helping matters, either. (Of course, the last thing 9S would guess right now is that there's a normal human being right here trying to haul up a hunk of metal.) ]

It took me forever to get this far.

[scrambledegg]

Then try losing some weight. It'd help the both of us.

[He offers dryly, not actually helpfully. Eggman removes a glove and wrings it out, but his nose turns up at the stench that the water has left on them.]

Ugh. Somehow I doubt this place is in good enough condition to offer dry cleaning...my gloves are ruined.

[Humans have weird priorities, as he will learn.]

[bestaround]

[ Yeah, not likely, but 9S keeps his own dry remark to himself. He can't help it that YoRHa units are built sturdier than the standard android, thank you.

And it's not the strangest priority to have, really; 9S is not a fan of feeling soggy, but he can't recall a time he felt so repulsed by it. Somehow it feels grimy, or maybe it's the smell getting to him. Before climbing further up the escalator, he stands dripping at the step, head craning upwards. ]

... Where is this?

[ He doesn't recognize such a building, nor does 9S know how he could've gotten here. His last memory is... he has to take a moment to think about it—his thoughts aren't as clear as they should be, but if nothing else, he was definitely not anywhere near a place where stumbling upon another person was a possibility. ]

two

[iblistriggered]

[oh yeah. That is quite an odor. And Silver smells 9S coming before he sees him. He pauses his current activity of sorting through some clothes and calls out]

Hey... Uh, are you just gonna walk around all soaking wet and smelly like that? That's a good way to get sick.

[yeah, he just thinks 9S is a human. He's never seen such a biological-looking android before!]

[bestaround]

[ It's the first voice that's tried to catch his attention since he began meandering about in search of any kind of clue, and so far it's been a fruitless effort. They do get 9S to pause in his step though, head craning over towards the source of the voice.

Perhaps it's best that the visor that covers his face mostly conceals how his expression contorts in confusion. His mouth does purse into a flat line, though; that... looks nothing like any android nor machine he's ever laid eyes on, and in his lack of any explanation for what he's seeing right now, 9S cants his head down at himself first. ]

I... don't have another uniform.

[ 9S says this a lot like it should be obvious, but this whole experience so far has left him feeling pretty grimy. It's been a long while since he's last thought how he'd kill for a bath, but with their current circumstances being so disconcerting, it's not a luxury he'd stop himself on his own to take just yet. ]

[iblistriggered]

Yeah, me neither, but... surely we can find some other clothes that'll fit you. It seems like all the clothes here are suited for humans anyway... And maybe get you rinsed off, too. Keeping that nasty water on your skin can't be good.

[Silver pads over to 9S, looking him up and down. He's... perplexed by the blindfold, but doesn't say anything]

It's suspicious as can be, but there seems to be clean running water in this mall. I took a bath at the gym earlier. I can show you where it is?

[bestaround]

[ For... humans, right. Which 9S is built to look like, and this... person(?) before him, uh, clearly isn't. He opens his mouth, then just as quickly closes it again; there's so much he could address right now that, briefly, he struggles with where to start. Several beats later, he does manage: ]

What, really?

[ The building as a whole is in considerably better shape than any building he's ever come across on Earth—so much it's jarring to be within actual walls and windows rather than a hollowed out husk of what used to be. Even so, the whole place looks ransacked at best, and considering the flooded state of the ground level, running water is completely unexpected. The surprise in 9S' posture is evident.

Whatever he's talking to right now, they have a point, even if it doesn't feel like an appropriate time to be stopping. ]

... Maybe you're right.

[ 9S lifts his arms by some, looking down at himself. ]

These're probably ruined for good, too.

[iblistriggered]

[whatever 9S's reason is for not commenting on his species, Silver appreciates it. He feels like he's explained himself a hundred times today.

He starts walking toward the gym and gestures for the other to follow]

Mmm, maybe... There's soap and stuff, I tried to wash out my clothes... I got my boots pretty clean, but my gloves and socks were white... so they're pretty much toast. [sigh] I salvaged the metal cuffs off them and threw them away.

nanners

[globs]

[ Cinnabar isn't particularly fond of cute things. Happening upon the remains of an old Build-a-Be*r doesn't do much other than confuse them (what's the point of a place like this?) and creep them out, a little bit - they'd never admit it, but there's something unnerving about the beady eyes staring at them from the few display dolls remaining.

What is more interesting is the enormous pile of stuffing towards the back of the store. The machine they used to fill the bears must have broken while in use, judging by how much of the fluffy stuff is spilling out of it. At this point, it's filthy, with bits of drywall and god knows what else accumulating on the surface of the mass.

It's also dark in the back of the store - and the stress from, well, everything has left their inclusions drained. No one is around, right? And this store is tucked away at the end of one of the wings. They should be fine, their sleepy mind says, and before they know it, they're climbing on top of the pile and curling up for a nap. Of course, Cinnabar's weight means they basically sink right in, so it now looks like the pile of stuffing has a mysterious indentation leaking a little bit of ominous-looking black sludge. Suspicious. ]

bononos

[bestaround]

[ Unfortunately for Cinnabar, it isn't empty for long.

9S has seen the odd toy buried among the remains of hidden society here and there, so he has a vague idea of what he's looking at when he stumbles upon this particular store. (He's since begun to catch on as the hours have passed; this is one of those fabled shopping centers he's learned of in the past.) Granted, he's never held one so... fluffy, but cotton and fabrics were not wont to stand the test of time. 9S turns an already assembled teddy bear in his hands, brows furrowing as he attempts to put a name to the animal he's seeing. There's a lot of things he fails to understand about humans, but he thinks he could see how this would appeal to children; it is soft.

He places it back onto its spot within the dust covered shelf before long, though, and wonders if it's worth rummaging around here for long. So far, he's found nothing that could answer any possible question he has. What use could a bunch of cotton have?

Not that the thought lasts for long. From the corner of his covered eyes does he spot a pool of black, slowly expanding from a large pile of cotton. More of that water that floods the ground level...? As is his nature, 9S grows curious and inches closer, if only to see where it could be coming from.

Along the way, a piece of broken glass crunches beneath his foot. In case Cinnabar wanted that warning. ]

beninis

[globs]

[ the noise is enough to warn them, as far as waking them up goes. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), the light is still pretty dim, and, if anything, 9S drawing closer only blocks out more of it. The crystal hair beneath them and silver poison around them just barely reflect enough of it to make them aware that sound is the sound of someone getting closer; blearily, they blink their eyes, peering up out of their fluffy burrow at the figure. ]

... Bort?

[ in their foggy state, their mind supplies them with the most likely situation: they're sleeping, and someone's come to get them, and with Rutile in their current state, it's probably their partner. Right? ]

baneeners

[bestaround]

—Huh?

[ He freezes. That was a voice. There's then a shifting within the pile of fluff, and in the dim light he realizes there's a person within it. ]

Er— Sorry, am I interrupting something?

bamamas

[globs]

[ Well. That's definitely not Bort, because Bort would never apologize for anything. Willing their drowsy inclusions to hum back to life, they shift inside their cottony cushioning, and it becomes slightly more obvious that, yes, there's a person in there, albeit a strange one. ]

No, I just fell asleep... Huh? Who's...?

[ they're squinting at the blindfolded person in front of them, still not entirely processing - they're like a computer that hasn't finished booting up yet. ]

bunomos

[bestaround]

[ Strange because who'd pick way out here to fall asleep? From behind the visor 9S does narrow his eyes, though, attempting to get a better look at this who in the lack of light. (There's something about that head of red that's peculiar, but difficult to nail down why just yet.) ]

You might want to reconsider where you take your naps. [ This doesn't answer their question at all, but that's not the important thing here. ] Something's leaking all over the floor there.

[ A broken pipe in the wall? Or perhaps from the machine? ]

bananais

[globs]

Leaking...?

[ another blink; they glance around, and then, finally, they start to remember where they are and what's happening - and also realize the situation they're in right now. At once, their eyes widen, and they look panicked. ]

Y-you need to get away! It's dangerous!

[ they have a strong urge to run away from him, but they're backed into a corner of sorts, and they're more afraid of accidentally hurting him than they are of conversation. ]

one

[acerejective]

[ that's grounds for murder!!! in fact, akechi reaches over to immediately smash 9s's hand into pieces -- but when he sees a face emerge, it gives him pause. he still does his best to rip his legs free, though. ]

I'd be careful, if I were you. You could easily lose that hand, pulling stunts like that.

[ he says that cheerfully, but there's still kind of a threat there. but, after a moment of consideration, he does reach down to offer 9s his hand to help pull him up. definitely not realizing he's heavy. ]

sipp •w•

[bestaround]

[ Why are you lot so determined to crush his hand!!

Now latched on to something, 9S hoists himself up just enough to finally break the surface of this godawful water—only to realize...

Oh. That wasn't a pole at all.

9S grows sheepish for all of a fraction of a second, but that underlying tone is enough to make him bristle. His current state hasn't left him in a good mood. (It's been a long while since he was last in a good mood, granted.) ]

You try seeing under here.

[ His irritation isn't subtle, but if the other boy is offering a hand, he may as well take it. Good luck there, Akechi. ]

ananannananannaas •w•

[acerejective]

[ because he keeps popping out like that skeleton in one piece!!! just float like a normal person/robot, nines, wao. ]

If you want to see, I suggest keeping your head above water and removing your blindfold.

[ why is he even wearing a blindfold in the first place!!!! anyway, despite his general bitchery, akechi does pull.... and pull... and pull....... wow. he's heavy. ]

What are you?

[ rude ]

[bestaround]

[ As it turns out, this guy's assistance is more or less useless when he barely manages to drag 9S out. Thankfully, now that he's here, it's easy enough to lean his elbow into a rusted step of the escalator and start pushing himself up that way. ]

A YoRHa unit.

[ While they're here snarking at each other, 9S' tone is no less dry than before, spoken as if this should be obvious. Despite said blindfold, 9S pointedly looks him up and down as he climbs out. Maybe he's no combat unit; would that explain his lack of strength? 9S knows he's not structurally the same as other android models, but this is a little..... ]

I'm not built like standard models are.