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

[Silver totally misses the sarcasm and just smiles a bit] Some people guess "porcupine" because of the style of my quills, but porcupines have longer tails! It's ok. Humans kind of all look the same to me, too.

[he frowns as he looks back outside]

Yeah... we'd probably need full body clothing... some kind of gas mask or air supply... And even if we did go out there, which direction would we even go...? I guess there are worse places to be than a mall, though.

[he turns back around, tilting his head curiously] So... it sounds like you aren't from around here, either.

[For now, Abbacchio just sighs and shrugs. If he wasn't from a series with bizarre in the title, he'd probably freak out a lot more. As it is, Abbacchio's seen his fair share of weird shit; a sentient adorable hedgehog is the least of his problems right now.]

We might be able to find information in the mall. Pamphlets, advertisements for the area. Something to give us an idea where we are, anyway. Most of the signs seem to be in English, so I'm guessing it's America. Could be wrong, though.

[He shrugs.] Nope. None of this looks all that familiar to me. But we have tools to investigate with. If outside isn't an option, we'll have to explore the rest of the mall.

[It's fine, some dogs with weird faces are Stand users, right??? ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE]

Oh, that's a good idea! ... Wait, America? I've... never heard of that country. I was going to guess something like the United Federation.

[Oh no... so this may not just be time shenanigans!]

Yeah. First things first, we need to find a source of freshwater. I... don't know if we can use that sludge down in the basement... Even if we DID boil it, it's really toxic smelling.

[LOOK a turtle can be a Stand user why not have talking hedgehogs?!]

Never heard of United Federation. But if can find a world map, we can probably help each other out.

[Still, he feels like he should know what the hell the United Federation is. That sounds really damned official. But hey, Abbacchio ain't ready to process that right now.]

Too many chemicals, too. I don't know what's in that water, but we should check out the other floors and see what we can find.

...You got a name? I have no idea what hedgehog customs are.

[WHY NOT! Hedgehogs are cuter than turtles tbh]

Mmhmm. We should take a look around.

[it's basically Sonic!America so close enough. They have a president and everything!]

Oh, right! Silver! My name's Silver. What about you?

[tbh can't argue that]

Leone Abbacchio. Just "Abbacchio" is fine.

[Silver. That's pretty on point. Not unlike a name for a pet, but he's not gonna be that rude and point it out.]

C'mon, I saw some escalators toward the middle of the lobby. They aren't working, but we can just use 'em as stairs.

[this is his life now. from ex-cop to mafioso to hanging out with an adorable talking turtle.]

[oh that's right. Most humans usually have several names, but only use one. Strange! But easy enough to remember]

Abbacchio? Ok. I got it.

[animal people have basic, descriptive names!! His fur is white-grey, so he's called "Silver". easy.

He smiles, happy to know there's at least a few kind people here]

I'll follow your lead. Hm... I wonder... Just how many people woke up here? I've only seen maybe two or three others, besides you.

Yeah. A couple of people so far. Just about everyone has the same experience: waking up in the filthy water, and nobody has any idea how the hell they got here.

You're the first hedgehog I've met, though. [He pauses.] Like. Ever.

Huh... great... So, so far, there's not even any locals to talk to... this is gonna be tricky.

[he blinks] Huh? Really? I mean... I guess hedgehogs aren't as common as cats or wolves or rabbits... but really?

We'll manage. Investigating is the one thing I'm not complete shit at.

[He shrugs.] Depends. Do those talk too where you're from?

Well, the ones who are my size and walk on two legs do. Do you... not have animal people where you come from at all?

Nope. Not at all. Weird shit happens where I'm from, but I've never met a talking animal.

That's not to say they can't be intelligent in their own way, but you-- you're unique. Far as I can tell anyway.

[Silver frowns, folding his arms as he walks] Man... that's strange. So we may be from different worlds entirely. Or like... parallel universes? [he groans and holds his head] It's too confusing!

Yeah, trust me, I was kinda hoping it was just there was a secret society of talking animals somewhere in the world.

[The idea of different worlds or parallel universes sort of crossed Abbacchio's mind. Mostly in the sense that he knows he shouldn't be in a place like this to begin with, so he's had a few theories going, but... well.

Possibilities are endless, it's looking like.]

On the bright side, I'm pretty sure we're not dead and in some kind of afterlife, so you got that going for you.

Well, there might be! But... I'm not one of them.

[somewhere on jojo earth is a small society of talking animals, MARK MY WORDS]

Ah... hooray. We're going to be dead if we can't find food, though... Oh! Look, a kiosk! [Silver darts over, hoping to find something useful. There's ads for the stores in the mall, some other pamphlets that are too faded to read... and exactly no useful information about the outside world]

Yeah, I think it's not very likely, but I guess I can't write it off yet.

[they all better have stands]

Let's see here. [Abbacchio peers over the desk of the kiosk, looking through a few pamphlets. Nothing to indicate where they are, of course. An annoyed sound escapes him and he tosses it aside.] Seriously, nothing? Not even these ads have anything.

[They'd BETTER!!!]

It's almost like everything that could have given us a clue was scrubbed! This is crazy... is someone messing with us? [Silver looks around at the ceiling and corners, specifically] Are we on camera?

Suppose it could be bad luck, but I find that unlikely. Someone's made sure we're clueless.

[He looks along the ceiling for any sign of cameras. Usually they're obvious, but...]

If there are cameras, they've gotta be hidden. For now, our best bet is to keep exploring. If another store still doesn't have any clues, it might be safe to assume every store is like this.

INTRO LOG #1

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