Your head feels heavy, your memories foggy, and as you struggle to recall where you are and what you were doing, you hear the sound of something large and heavy moving behind you. Whatever it is - machinery of some sort, you can tell that much right away - it doesn’t seem hostile; merely a massive machine going about doing something down far, far below you. You can see it - through the cracks of the floor you're standing on, and the steep drop off the side. At least there’s a railing on this path to keep you from falling down there?
No matter which way you look - up, down, or out straight ahead of you - there’s endless paths and structures, as though you’re standing in some sort of massive building. You look to your left and there’s a broken section of wall revealing open space - strange, since you aren’t wearing anything different, yet you’re still breathing just fine.
A loud ping! catches your attention, followed by a few more. As you turn around to find the source of the noise, you’re led to a rundown computer terminal. It looks ancient, untouched, and dusty, and yet there’s a message in bright green standing against the stark black contrast of the monitor.
/// L O A D I N G . . .
Oh good, you’re awake.
Hi, I don’t have much time, so please pay close attention.
You’re the only ones who can save this world - all worlds, maybe.
Thank you for agreeing to help.
For now, please practice your new abilities and try to work together.
I’ll be in contact with you as soon as possible.
It feels familiar, like maybe you've experienced something similar before, despite the fact that none of you recognize this place. What's going on here? What have you gotten yourself into?
AWAKENING
Your memories leading up to your sudden arrival in this place may be foggy. Even if they aren't, you certainly don't remember how you got here of all places. And where exactly is here? Well, inside of some sort of massive structure that expands outwards, backwards, downwards, and upwards. Every direction you look, there's plenty of building to be seen, whether it's walkways over the abyss (but thankfully with mostly sturdy guard rails) or stairs and ramps leading up and down to new floors, or even rooms that don't seem to hold much of interest. All of it is rundown, worn and in desperate need of some dusting.
Before you sits the terminal, a sturdy computer set into a pillar with an old-fashioned and dusty keyboard. The green text remains bright against the black background, with a cursor indicating that you can input text, if you'd like. You may try to communicate with whoever's on the other end at any point in time during the week, though you may not receive the answers you're hoping for.
Not too far away is a carefully-arranged group of supplies. You'll find plenty of non-perishable food, blankets and bedrolls, clothes in your sizes that are plain but acceptable, and some basic supplies - things like rope and matches and flashlights, but no weapons or anything you could use to defend yourselves. You'll also find a large room nearby that happens to have several bathrooms and a fairly large communal shower. Despite being rather old and dusty, they do work... though the water never gets above "not freezing". Sorry about that.
Looks like you'll have to settle in, as there doesn't seem to be any way out of this strange structure.
EXPLORATION
It's likely that your first thought will be to explore. Why not? After all, there must be a way back home, or at least a way out of wherever this is. Traversing the structure is fairly easy, as even if a path is blocked by rubble, you'll find another one going in a similar direction somewhere nearby. In fact, the entire place seems to be rather pointlessly constructed - hallways that lead to dead ends, paths that loop in circles for no reason, and far, far too many stairs.
If you're lucky, you'll stumble across rooms with some basic supplies. They won't have any food or weapons, but you'll find some dusty fabrics and blankets, or small caches of tools. If you're unlucky, you'll be lost in this structure for far too long, wandering off the beaten path and possibly losing track of where you are and how to get back to the base... you might want to travel with a buddy, just to be safe. Or hope that someone stumbles across you and can guide you back, your pick.
Holes in the structure open out into what looks like... well, outer space. An endless sea of stars amidst a black sky that never changes, making it hard to tell how much time has passed. Despite this, you can breathe easily, just as you would back home.
MACHINES
It won't take you long to notice that you aren't truly alone. After all, how could you be, when massive machines seem to be hard at work on constructing even more of this place? The large ones - the builders - do just that, building more pathways and rooms and walkways, endlessly working and never stopping. They don't take notice of you; they won't respond to anything you say, and even attempting to poke and prod them won't get a reaction. Even if you get particularly daring and try to take one apart, you'll find that it's nearly impossible; these machines are massive. Finding a panel to get into to get at their wiring is strangely impossible. They seem to be completely seamless, with nothing you can really do to investigate them further.
But they aren't the only machines present. Though you likely won't see them immediately, you will hear them; a skittering, metal-on-metal clicking sound that alerts you to a presence, but fades before you can even detect which direction it was coming from. Whatever it is, it seems to be watching you.
And if you're ever alone... well, then they'll show themselves. Around three feet tall and made of metal with long, spindly legs that look like they shouldn't support their thicker cores, these spider-like robots aren't particularly strong on their own, but they never attack on their own, only in groups of three or more. If you're especially unlucky, you can find upwards of ten of them at a time. They have two claw-like "hands" that can shoot a jolt of electricity or scratch at you - and be careful, because they hurt! That jolt of electricity can even leave a burn if you're unlucky.
But surely if you stick together you won't have to fight them... right?
SHARDS
The strange gemstone imbedded in the back of your dominant hand almost hums when you're in danger. It fills you with confidence, with the knowledge that you can do something - though what exactly that something is varies from person to person. You might be lucky enough that you innately recognize your power and know how to use it. You might not be that lucky and you might have to manifest it in combat to defend yourself. Regardless, it will manifest - and you now have access to a power all your own.
It's not going to be easy to control it. This power is new to you, and you'll need to practice to have a hope of utilizing it in full. But right now, you have the means to defend yourself, and if those spider robots get particularly bold, you can stop them. After all, what better way to put your power to use than by testing it on fairly weak robots?
Let's hope that you can aim your power well enough, however. While the builders may not care about you at any point in time, if an attack goes wide and hits them or they're otherwise in the path of an ability, they will turn their full attention on you. You really don't want that. Builders are relentless in their pursuit of you - and they have massive steel beams they will swing at you, or they'll try to crush you with their giant hands and fists. There are only two ways to stop a builder: the first is to run far, far away. They cannot chase you, as they are connected to the building itself, after all. The other way is to destroy the joints of the arms or wrists, rendering the builder incapable of doing anything. Better hope you don't anger any of the ones near your base!
DOWNTIME
Aside from exploring, mastering the power of your shard, and getting to know one another... there really isn't much to do here. So how are you going to spend the time? After all, it's just you, your fellow shardbearers, and some robots that probably aren't sentient. Settle in, it looks like you've got a long week ahead of you.
ENEMIES
This week's enemies are described above: spider robots and builders. If you have an enemy idea you'd like to have your character encounter, let me know and we can discuss it!
Spider robots are three feet tall, silver metal spider-like robots that look vaguely like this. They have a core in the center of their body that can be taken, but it isn't particularly useful outside of being cool to look at. Even you tech nerds won't be able to get much out of it, as it seems impossible to find a way to dismantle it further. Spider robots come with two "hands" that have sharp claws on them; they're capable of creating electric zaps with these hands, which really hurt if they connect! Spider robots are very fast and will skitter away the moment there's danger... unless there's three or more of them, then they get bold. They will attack anyone sleeping, especially if they're alone. They're fairly weak enemies, and can be fended off even if you don't have a great grasp on your powers just yet.
The builders are a different story. Massive, structure-spanning robots that are nearly impossible to tell apart from the building itself, the only real part of them that you can identify are their dark metal arms. They are likewise massive, with one hand being large and strong enough to flatten five of you if you aren't careful. Though the builders are non-hostile and will go about their business of building this never-ending structure, they will turn their attention on you if you hit them with any sort of ability... even if that ability isn't an attack. They can swing giant metal beams or just go for the option of trying to crush you with their hands. They're slow-moving, but very powerful; though they can't pursue you so at least there's that. If you anger one near the base, watch out - as you will have to defeat it.
I was knocked out, tied up—multiple times—threatened with buzz saws, guns, tricked and lied to and put in danger by my own best friends. One of them orchestrated a whole night of horrors, just to wind me up. And, that's before the many, many flesh-eating monsters that killed every person in my friend group aside from myself.
[ Saying it so simply, something just sort of...drains out of her. She watches, waiting for him to laugh in disbelief, or roll his eyes, or...look at her with that clinical, studying gaze, like the policewoman did. ]
Normally, such a thing would be completely unbelievable. For as messed up as the people in his world are (he would know, he's one of them) they aren't the sort to turn against their friends in such a truly horrific way - to say nothing of the flesh-eating monsters. Which are probably more believable, if we're being honest.
But Yeager watches the way she just... drains. She looks resigned, like she's expecting him to argue with her or doubt her. And really, it's a fair reaction to expect of someone.
Things are already so goddamn weird. Why not this too?]
Goodness. I truly don't have words for how horrific all of that sounds. Your friends were all killed by monsters? After this "night of horrors"? Well, I can certainly see why you're questioning reality here.
[There's no real reason to bother trying to be kind. There's no real point in so much of this, really. But Yeager would be lying if he said he felt nothing about this situation, and maybe that's just because he knows a certain couple of girls who he could imagine making that exact same expression. Maybe it's just because he misses them and now that he has time to think about it, he wishes he could go back and do things differently and that's coloring his opinion of her, but—
But does it really matter? It doesn't hurt him to try for once in his damn life.]
I take it such monsters are not commonplace at all where you're from?
[ And...just like that, Ashley's closed off stance abates just a little. She looks...slightly less like a hollow shell of a person.
Surprise plainly lights her face. ]
Um. No. No, they're really not. I was...like, I was afraid of stuff like that, but- it's always been in...Josh's shitty horror movies.
[ Ah, it's almost upsetting how casual and normal it feels to just say Josh's name, but her veins feel like ice when she does. From mourning his "death" to the cutting betrayal when he took off that mask, she'd experienced the full spectrum of human emotions on Josh alone, and it's left her burned from the inside out.
She blinks, eyes briefly wet, but it's easy enough to dab the less ruined sleeve across them, looking away for a moment. ]
After that, all this- it's like a bad joke. Impossible, horrible stuff just keep happening.
[Thankfully, movies have already been explained to him so we don't have to derail with that conversation!!]
From one dreadful situation straight into another. It seems like quite the bad joke, to insist that we agreed to come here to save the world. I can't imagine you would have done that after having experienced all of that.
[ ...What...does she want to do? Beyond go home, what really is she supposed to do after all that? Go back to college? Have everyone offer their condolences about Chris, while she tries not to scream? Maybe everyone else's families will call foul play. Maybe she'll be investigated, scrutinized, maybe the Washingtons won't just take a third child disappearing well and blame her—
So while her brain starts making up the worst case scenarios, Ashley has just kind of trailed off, brows furrowed heavily together, muscles tense. Does she realize she's doing this, probably not, getting lost in your own thoughts like this is totally normal right? ]
After you go through something so harrowing, so completely life-changing, how are you supposed to pick up the pieces? How do you go back to the way things once were?
He still doesn't know.]
Take it one step at a time. Let's focus on getting out of here first, ja? You can figure out what you want to do as we work towards a solution here.
[ It's impossible. Life for her is going to be completely different now. Now, everything was wasted. ]
...Yeah. Yeah, they... If I'm not...crazy, and talking to myself... If that person at the terminal and all of this is real, they said as soon as they can get to us, I could go home.
[ But now she's thinking about it. About going home. About what that would mean, accepting and acknowledging and moving forward and she doesn't know if she can do that, right about now.
You can decide what to do once they come for us, then. Until then, just focus on putting one foot in front of the other. It can be hard enough to just do that, sometimes.
[Not that he's speaking from experience or anything.]
[ A pause, as she just...studies him, considers him. ]
I...don't even know your name.
[ Said with a light apology. She's operating under the assumption that this isn't a result of the last 12 to 24 hours, because really, after all of that...
Would her mind make up someone who, despite everything, would be so kind to her? She doesn't think so. Not after what she's done. ]
[ the anxiety has taken a back seat to how adorable she is, thanks!! ]
I like learning about history, and especially literature, since I would like to be an author. I've always really liked creative writing. It's my major at college.
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I understand if you don't want to talk about it, but what... happened, exactly?
[Like, he was definitely humoring her before but now he's genuinely curious.]
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I was knocked out, tied up—multiple times—threatened with buzz saws, guns, tricked and lied to and put in danger by my own best friends. One of them orchestrated a whole night of horrors, just to wind me up. And, that's before the many, many flesh-eating monsters that killed every person in my friend group aside from myself.
[ Saying it so simply, something just sort of...drains out of her. She watches, waiting for him to laugh in disbelief, or roll his eyes, or...look at her with that clinical, studying gaze, like the policewoman did. ]
no subject
Normally, such a thing would be completely unbelievable. For as messed up as the people in his world are (he would know, he's one of them) they aren't the sort to turn against their friends in such a truly horrific way - to say nothing of the flesh-eating monsters. Which are probably more believable, if we're being honest.
But Yeager watches the way she just... drains. She looks resigned, like she's expecting him to argue with her or doubt her. And really, it's a fair reaction to expect of someone.
Things are already so goddamn weird. Why not this too?]
Goodness. I truly don't have words for how horrific all of that sounds. Your friends were all killed by monsters? After this "night of horrors"? Well, I can certainly see why you're questioning reality here.
[There's no real reason to bother trying to be kind. There's no real point in so much of this, really. But Yeager would be lying if he said he felt nothing about this situation, and maybe that's just because he knows a certain couple of girls who he could imagine making that exact same expression. Maybe it's just because he misses them and now that he has time to think about it, he wishes he could go back and do things differently and that's coloring his opinion of her, but—
But does it really matter? It doesn't hurt him to try for once in his damn life.]
I take it such monsters are not commonplace at all where you're from?
no subject
Surprise plainly lights her face. ]
Um. No. No, they're really not. I was...like, I was afraid of stuff like that, but- it's always been in...Josh's shitty horror movies.
[ Ah, it's almost upsetting how casual and normal it feels to just say Josh's name, but her veins feel like ice when she does. From mourning his "death" to the cutting betrayal when he took off that mask, she'd experienced the full spectrum of human emotions on Josh alone, and it's left her burned from the inside out.
She blinks, eyes briefly wet, but it's easy enough to dab the less ruined sleeve across them, looking away for a moment. ]
After that, all this- it's like a bad joke. Impossible, horrible stuff just keep happening.
no subject
From one dreadful situation straight into another. It seems like quite the bad joke, to insist that we agreed to come here to save the world. I can't imagine you would have done that after having experienced all of that.
no subject
[ ...What...does she want to do? Beyond go home, what really is she supposed to do after all that? Go back to college? Have everyone offer their condolences about Chris, while she tries not to scream? Maybe everyone else's families will call foul play. Maybe she'll be investigated, scrutinized, maybe the Washingtons won't just take a third child disappearing well and blame her—
So while her brain starts making up the worst case scenarios, Ashley has just kind of trailed off, brows furrowed heavily together, muscles tense. Does she realize she's doing this, probably not, getting lost in your own thoughts like this is totally normal right? ]
no subject
Yeah. He gets it.
After you go through something so harrowing, so completely life-changing, how are you supposed to pick up the pieces? How do you go back to the way things once were?
He still doesn't know.]
Take it one step at a time. Let's focus on getting out of here first, ja? You can figure out what you want to do as we work towards a solution here.
no subject
...Yeah. Yeah, they... If I'm not...crazy, and talking to myself... If that person at the terminal and all of this is real, they said as soon as they can get to us, I could go home.
[ But now she's thinking about it. About going home. About what that would mean, accepting and acknowledging and moving forward and she doesn't know if she can do that, right about now.
It's food for thought. ]
no subject
Does she even want that, though?]
You can decide what to do once they come for us, then. Until then, just focus on putting one foot in front of the other. It can be hard enough to just do that, sometimes.
[Not that he's speaking from experience or anything.]
no subject
I...don't even know your name.
[ Said with a light apology. She's operating under the assumption that this isn't a result of the last 12 to 24 hours, because really, after all of that...
Would her mind make up someone who, despite everything, would be so kind to her? She doesn't think so. Not after what she's done. ]
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Yeager. And yours, miss...?
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[And he'll even dip into a slight bow!!]
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[ The bow, of all things, is the most surprising part! ]
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I can't guarantee I'll be of any help with what you've experienced, but should you need someone to listen, feel free to seek me out.
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Why? I mean... Why do you care?
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I happen to have two daughters around your age; I would hate to see either of them struggling so.
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[ That seems...young, but she's not about to judge. ]
I'm sorry that you're away from them.
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[They've long since outgrown the need to lean on him, after all.]
Though I will miss them terribly, of course.
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Really? Well, you must be quite the bright young woman, then!
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Well- yes, I like to think I am. I've always been really good at studying, book-learning, things like that.
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Quite the valuable set of skills. What subjects are you interested in?
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I like learning about history, and especially literature, since I would like to be an author. I've always really liked creative writing. It's my major at college.
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[regaey does not COUNT]
What sorts of things are you interested in writing? Fiction?
cw aside mention of cannibalism bc thats my fuckin canon
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