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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ they jerk just slightly at the sound of his voice, even though they'd heard him coming; by now, they at least understand that these gem-like animals are the infamous "humans," but it doesn't mean Cinnabar's used to them yet. Their hands are absolutely covered in flour, and their face and most of their arms are covered in an even white coat of it, making them less confusingly reflective to look at - their legs are still raw red crystal, and even as they glare over their shoulder at Prompto, they tuck them in towards their chest in some combination of shyness and wariness. ]

... It's not flowers. Look somewhere else.

[ they don't know what flour is so they have to make an assumption that he's looking to go flower-picking or something... ]

[All day Prompto has been dealing with people who don't know what various electronics are, but this one really takes the cake.]

Not flowers. Flour- uh, you know. For baking?

[What is flour even made out of? Grain? Heck if he knows. But he at least knows what to do with flour, and he knows that it's not cover yourself in it so you're less shiny.]

[ shows what YOU know, prompto ]

What are you talking about...?

[ they sound half-frustrated, half-curious - in reality, they're all nerves. They hate talking to strangers even more than they hate talking to people they already know, and their stiff body language belies how anxious they are, in contrast to their cold words and dismissive words. ]

[He knows a lot, he'll have them know!

That said, Prompto might not know much about cooking, but he can tell when someone's getting frustrated with his presence. Whether it's because they don't like Prompto or don't like people in general, he isn't sure. But he thinks he should probably tread a little more lightly.]

You've never had anything baked before? Like bread, or doughnuts, or cake?

[He doesn't sound judgmental. There's lots of strange people here - maybe baking really doesn't exist wherever they're from.]

No.

[ they sigh, glittering eyes narrowing. ]

... Isn't it obvious? That I'm not "human." I don't know about any of the things you do.

[ even if it's not judgmental, Cinnabar seems to have taken it that way; all of this is exhausting. They're tired of not knowing things already. They want to go home. ]

Oh, sorry. I mean, I thought... I guess I just assumed...

[Okay, so, not all people who are here eat food like humans do. Some don't even know about food at all, or at least not the kind he's familiar with. That's good for Prompto to know.]

Uh, it's okay not to know though! I mean, I probably don't know the stuff you do, so... we're even?

[Does that help? Don't be mad at him, strange glittery person, please!]

[ He's so awkward. Cinnabar is distinctly reminded of some of the younger gems. Not that they've talked to them much - but they've seen and heard them enough. Unfortunately, it doesn't do much to temper how they're going to be have towards him. Especially not when they're so entirely stressed out by everything going on. ]

Whatever. It's not like we're competing.

[ they should probably be working together, but Cinnabar is sure that their presence would cause more harm than good around these delicate animals. They go back to rubbing more flour on their arm... ]

[Ah... and they're back to that, huh...]

Well, back to what I was saying... that's flour, so it's food? It'd be better not to waste for those of us who do have to eat...

[Maybe he can rescue at least some of the flour.]

[ oh, now they're being criticized! They glower at him, tugging their half-depleted bag a little closer to them protectively. ]

There's more than one bag... I'm not wasting it. [ running around unpowdered would be embarrassing. People are already staring at them. Case in point: the current situation. ] ... You actually eat this powdery stuff? That's weird.

[ sounding faintly judgmental. ]

Well, you cook it first... it's better once it's in...

[Cinnabar doesn't know what bread is, so he awkwardly trails off. Well, guess they don't have to know what bread is, exactly...]

...I guess... as long as you only use one bag, it's okay...? [Hopefully they won't be here long, anyway!]

[ smart move, Prompto, because Cinnabar doesn't know what cooking is, either... ]

There are other things for you to eat. [ they've seen some fruit and vegetables around, although some of it looked rotten. ] Besides, you're not in charge of this place... Don't order me around.

[He holds up his hands again.]

I wasn't! I just want to survive, you know?

[So don't waste all the edible food, that's all he's saying!

It probably doesn't help that he hasn't eaten a real meal in... who knows how long. Anything is good right now, even if all he could do is bake the flour into a flatbread or something.]

... What do humans eat?

[ they legitimately have no idea. The only things that live on their planet are insects and molluscs... ]

I've seen some bugs around. There are probably more of them.

Bugs!?

[Okay, he knows, realistically, that people eat bugs and they're probably a great source of protein and all that, but still... bugs. Gross.]

I'm hoping to put off eating bugs for as long as I can... Vegetables, meat, fish, any of those would be better.

[ Well. They know what two of those things are, so that's pretty good. Cinnabar sighs, shaking their head as they return to applying the flour. ]

There are vegetables in bags in some of those tall metal boxes. I saw them.

[ they're talking about freezers...? ]

[Tall... metal boxes. Tall metal boxes. Hm.

It takes him a moment, but he puts it together. Freezers. Ah. Great!]

Oh, and they haven't gone bad? That's good!

I didn't open them, [ they mutter. ] I'm already contaminating your "flour," aren't I?

[ be glad they didn't get poison goop in the frozen-but-not-anymore peas. ]

[Well, they are doing that... but at least the vegetables are safe!]

Well, thanks for leaving the vegetables there... I guess I better go take a look at them!

[He's not a cook like Ignis, but he can at least... make salad? It's better than nothing!]

Yeah, you'd better.

[ the freezers aren't working btw. good luck with those vegetables... ]

[Oh no... his cabbages...]

Alright, then, uh... bye!

[Yep, he's just going to leave.]

INTRO LOG #1

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