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

Annoying.

[Is it how he looks? How he's acting? Both, really. Eggman's too old and too tired for this, because it reminds him of a certain blue teenage...hedgehog.]

Those are sensitive pieces of equipment and I won't have some kid playing with them like they're a toy. Now knock it off.

[HAND. OUT.]

Is that the way you often make requests?

[What does he mean by equipment, anyway? Eichi keeps the glasses on, though his hands are lifted on either side of them as if he's worried they might fall from where they rest.]

It's not that I'm some child who will break them. I was the one who found them in the first place, you know? If it's something that you truly desire, perhaps you should try offering things that might be worth considering in trade.

Barter for something that belonged to me in the first place? Now you're really trying my patience!

[As Eichi's hands touch either side of the glasses, he seems to inadvertently turn them on; a digitized UI appears alongside the surface of the lenses as they light up, although it's a very dim kind of light that makes them still comfortable to wear.

Because while they may look like ordinary glasses, they're actually a miniature computer.]

Don't make me get rough.

[Oh hell yeah. Computer glasses.

It's a poor decision to make an enemy in a place like this, where he's trying to make friends and gain advantages. But, maybe this can be spun in his favor? Also, the intrigue at fancy glasses like these are outweighing his worry on tiny details like that, even if he has the body of a twig and could get knocked out by a fourth grader.]

It's important to make allies in a place like this, you know. Threatening violence is a bit cruel when I'm simply appreciating your glasses. [He's absolutely going to try to use these things, though how would he manage that? He's not sure, so maybe if he taps at the side? Blinks a certain way?]

I do intend to return them shortly, so can't I borrow them? I'm interested in knowing why you have such advanced glasses in the first place.

Because I made them. That's official Eggman Empire Equipment you're manhandling! And if you break them, I'll manhandle you! Painfully! Because I somehow doubt a shopping mall has the parts required to fix them!

[Though, Eichi has a point. It isn't that he necessarily thinks Eichi is an ally worth keeping, but he isn't going to drown him in the gross black water and have everyone else turn on him...

So for now his threats are indeed empty.

As for the glasses, his exploratory pressing seems to do something. The words SCANNING MODE appear on the screen, with a targeting reticle briefly focusing on Eggman before listing some helpful stats: his name (Ivo Robotnik), age (mid 40s), weight (128kg), height(185cm). Common details, but details nonetheless.]

[His threats do seem serious, to Eichi, but these stats are so cool? Can he really be blamed for smiling calmly at them??]

Robotnik-san... Is it?

[Can he press more buttons? Well, he's going to try whether it's successful or not, taking a playful step back. It's only the first day of this hellscape, so his illness isn't too bad... He was prepared to perform a live just moments ago, after all.

But still, he should probably wrap this up quickly, anyway.]

I've learned some interesting facts about you, you know? They're the sort of statistics my fans might be interested in about me... I wonder if you'd be able to view them on me through these lenses? Is that why you're so interested?

But, you know, such information could come easily from conversation, as well.

[He extends an arm, but rather than reach out to strike or grab Eichi, Eggman simply extends a finger to count off:]

One, that's a database. It wouldn't have any information on some punk kid unless I punched it in. [Second finger:] Two, unless you can get me out of here, I don't care about said punk kid enough to bother. [And that last finger:] Three, it's Doctor. Doctor Eggman, in fact. Nobody calls me Doctor Robotnik anymore!

[There's a Doctor Robotnik already and he isn't going to replace that great man's name with his own less than stellar record, hence the alias.]

So? [Opens all fingers, gestures for those glasses.] You've got one last chance before I dangle you over that black pool out there by your hair.

Doctor-kun...

[He takes the glasses off, waving them this way and that for a moment, like a human trying to see if a cat's gaze will follow.]

Even without seeing every bit of data in this database, I could still safely suggest that you watch your blood pressure, getting so worked up.

[Then, he passes them over politely. "Politely," after all of that.]

Threatening me will do you no good, unless you'd like to make more than one enemy. However, I'm feeling generous today, and you've offered me a bit of entertainment, so here you go.

INTRO LOG #1

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