❧ Life's An Adventure

[luministimods]

[surprisingly, a private text message is sent not to the device Nathan left behind but to all of the residents' CATs. it reads:]

Get to the nearest door and wait. When the alarm sounds, immediately go through the door and await the next signal.

[surely such a text is confusing, but the sender hopes those words are heeded. ten minutes after it's sent, all vidscreens in the town begin to flash red, and a wailing siren breaks the din. the only word that flashes on screen is:]

EVACUATE

[similarly, back in the spacestation, red flashing lights drop down from the ceiling and a constant, beeping alarm begins to ring. over this, a pleasant and feminine automated voice says:]

Please find the nearest exit and evacuate the station via escape pod. A distress signal has been sent to the closest galactic space authority. Those with small children are asked to--[but this message is interrupted with another]

Life support systems in sectors A through L are at 80%--65%--50%. Life support failure in sectors A through L is imminent. Warning, please evacuate sectors A through L immediately. Warning...

[the automated voice continues with warnings about those sectors--but oddly enough, nothing is wrong in the spacestation itself. no one is evacuating, and in fact, no one can be seen fleeing from the town. the only people who should be in the station are the residents, if they all heeded the text message's warning and went through their respective doors at the right time. all doors brought everyone back to the observation deck, near the first hallway that used to lead to the Mayor's house.

suddenly, Nathan's device begins to chime and an audio message from him begins to play. (oddly enough, the automated voice's warning messages soften, like the volume's been turned down.]

Oh good, you made it out safe! I didn't think that person would...[he trails off] Anyway! I've had a bit of help and I think I can finally get you out of there. I'm sorry though, but I can't get you back into town. I had to shut off life support there to distract those in charge, but I also managed to open up access to the lower level. I can't find the staircases, but the elevator should be working now, so you'll have to use that. This is your chance, everyone! Find the one responsible for this mess and find Lab #3. Contact me if you need me.

[the audio transmission ends. a moment later, there's a soft "ding" as the elevator set behind the Maintenance door in the nearby hallway opens, ready for occupants to board it.

shame it won't be a simple elevator ride.]


❧ Plot Details: Life's An Adventure **Quick-time Event**

Thank goodness everyone (hopefully) got out in time! Staying in town during that life support shutdown would have been...unfortunate (and if anyone DID want to stay behind during that? Let me know.) But who sent that helpful text if it wasn't Nathan? Was it Audrey? Was it someone else? Was Nathan just pulling a fast one? In any case, now everyone can move on to, well, the final level if we take it in RPG terms.

Funny that though...

For this quick-time event, we are going to keep things to this entry. You'll be given a choice of going up or down in the elevator. Actually...just about every action in this plot is based around choice, and fittingly too. Depending on how much you discover during this plot--there are four objectives that can possibly be fulfilled (and they don't all have to be by every person)--the outcome will shape the end of this plot, the game, and next season as well. I'll have a list at the bottom of this entry so people can easily see how many objectives have been completed. You'll only have a week! Keep in mind that only one objective--the main one--has to be accomplished by week's end and things will not progress until it's accomplished. (If we accomplish the main one before the week is done, I will still wait the full week before going ahead with the second half of this plot.)

So what are we doing in this mad week-long event? Like I said before, you'll be given a choice of taking the elevator up or down. From there, you'll be given the another choice via vidscreen about which direction you want to go in. Sometimes it'll be two choices, other times it'll be three. But nonetheless, you'll have to make a choice--and you'll have to make the choice in the style of a text adventure. This is a bit of a hybrid rather than a straight text adventure, though. You can talk to people normally and interact with them as you would do in a normal action thread, but when you go to make your choice or wish to interact with the environment (you don't have to do it for every single step or anything), you'll basically be inputting your command to help the adventure to progress. If you don't ever interact with the environment or make a choice, well, you're stuck in that room. Kind of a boring adventure, being stuck in a room.

If this explanation isn't quite making sense, I did a mock-scenario of this to illustrate the hybrid/pseudo-text adventure I'm talking about. Head here! Hopefully that helps explain things? If it didn't, please, please don't be afraid to ask me. The first two comments to this entry will be for the IC interaction, and any additional ones can be for OOC comments/questions.

I do advise that while you can go in groups, please keep them small so we can go through things at a steady pace. Heck, if you want? You can even solo this and interact just with, well, me as the text adventure prompts, and then contact people if you find something. I just ask that if you want to solo it, that you indicate your intentions in the subject line to whichever direction you wish to go in the elevator.

Threadhopping via the CATs can still happen, especially if you or someone else learns something that might be important for the others to know. (Of course, if you want to join in physically, you can do it like this.) Also, I do recommend tracking your threads, especially when I pop in with prompts and disrupt the notification process. (And let's hope varnish errors are few to none!)

So...that's it! If you have any questions/comments/etc, leave them here or get a hold of me through the normal channels! And before I leave, here's our handy objectives list!



Objectives! Objective #1 = Completed! Objective #2 = Completed! Objective #3 = Completed! (Also here and here.) Objective #4 = Completed!

Comments

[irreversibly.livejournal.com]

Sure. [That's as good a door as any.

Xion walks on over to the right door and tries to see if it's locked.]

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

The lower level looks like the library? [She frowns, wondering what's up with that.] May I have a look?


Sure thing, Doctor! Oh... did you say game? Do you think that's what this is too?

[bonnypiperlad]

Aye, let me see if I can get this thing to work so ye can have a look too.

> You try to adjust the Cat so Fuu can see the painted wall, then begin to walk around the room so she can (hopefully) get a good glimpse of the other things in the area. Especially that door to the North, since you wanted to inspect it anyway.

Cameras... Say, wasn't that one message something about people wanting to see some sort of a show? Maybe that has something to do with it.

[He means the message Mu got, assuming both of them actually went to his house at some point and had a look.]

[desertdaggers]

Ahh, how disappointing… I wonder why they've done it.

The gardens sound good.

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure... it'd be nice to find out, but it's also being added to a long list of questions!

Let's go to the next level and see what happens then!

>You press 'A' BUTTON on the VIDSCREEN.

[vengefulagent]

[that makes him stop right where he is and sigh.]

No. I'm not going to leave you behind, especially if something happens.

[reluctantly, he turns around and heads over to the railing to keep an eye on Croix.]

[lamb_of_gold]

Press A.
>Press B.

Pay attention.
>Ignore Natsuo.

[luministimods]

> As you walk, you will notice the trees slowly moving away, as if they are parting to make the way easier for you. How courteous of them!

> As they part, you see a SIGN that reads: "Luministi Research Labs" hanging on a WALL that looks like it's been painted to mimic the rest of the PALM HOUSE. below it are HANDWRITTEN WORDS in black that read: "The past is the road to the present and onwards to the future."

[painlessfighter]

> SPELL time!

Break! Twist the parts in opposite directions! Tear in half!

[luministimods]

> The NORTH DOOR ("A") opens all on its own! Congratulations! But do you go into the DOORWAY? It is pitch black and...doesn't show what lies beyond. But you trust that it really does lead to the BOTANICAL GARDENS...right?

> What do you do?

[luministimods]

> The ELEVATOR goes DOWN! It's a short trip, thankfully. So short, you barely notice that the ELEVATOR has moved at all--the ride was that smooth--until the DOORS open to show the CIRCULATION DESK of the Luministi LIBRARY. Something seems odd about it, though. For one, the CIRCULATION DESK itself seems to take up the entire room, and the room itself seems...smaller. Contained in a smaller area than it normally should. And two, the normal routes to the upper floors, like the WESTERN STAIRCASE, seem painted on the walls. Looking around, you notice TWO DOORS: one to the NORTH/RIGHT, and one to the SOUTH/LEFT. Also, you see a blank VIDSCREEN hanging on the WEST wall of the room (straight ahead). When you step into the room, you will notice the ENTRANCEWAY from the ELEVATOR is now completely white.

> What do you do?

[luministimods]

> The SOUTH DOOR ("B") opens all on its own! Congratulations! But do you go into the DOORWAY? It is pitch black and...doesn't show what lies beyond. But you trust that it really does lead to [NAME REDACTED]...right?

> What do you do?

-------------

> You watch as the metal 'jaws' of the GIANT STAPLE REMOVER twist at the joint until the two halves fall apart on the ground.

> But then the pieces flip over and continue to come after you, leaving little dents in the ground as they move. Seems it's really not happy with you.

[fortune_sought]

[Sophie watches the trees, curious and a bit wary. she's seen what the trees in the town's actual Botanical Gardens can be like, after all. they seems harmless enough at the moment, though, so she continues on as she is. but she stops to read the sign, frowning]

It's still about the past to them, isn't it? How very silly!

[she continues walking along the path that the trees are showing]

[manicurious.livejournal.com]

>You express TEMPORARY RELIEF followed by CONFUSION. You don't remember this room being so ODDLY PROPORTIONED, and it makes you rub your temples in disbelief as you wonder if you've developed some kind of NEUROLOGICAL PROBLEM.

>No going back now, you guess. You nervously approach the SUSPICIOUSLY FLAT WESTERN STAIRCASE and reach out to feel it with your fingertips.

[luministimods]

> The TREES don't move or react to your presence until you are close to them. They move slowly apart to show that some BUSHES have gathered the cut and shot-off BRANCHES, but a few still lay at your feet.

> The TREES don't seem to be interested in retaliation of any kind, and the BUSHES pay you no attention at all.

> What do you do?

[lamb_of_gold]

>Pay attention.
Ignore Natsuo.

Mu frowns a bit at the bits of metal, boxing them in with a CRYSTAL WALL. He grabs Natsuo's arm, and starts towards the Door.

Discretion is the better part of valour.
>GERONIMOOOOO.

This way.

[luministimods]

> That path eventually leads you right back to the WROUGHT IRON STAIRCASES. Hope you had a nice walk!

> Do you go up the EASTERN or WESTERN STAIRCASES?

[painlessfighter]

[Before Mu manages to grab his arm, Natsuo does get one good kick in on one of the pieces. That's it, though.]

Whoa- Hey! I had it!!


> You are dragged by MU into the other room, much to your dismay.

[grandbellknight]

[Croix is honestly surprised that Washington is actually waiting on him. He would also expect teasing later, but he's not exactly sure Washington's the type. ... Regardless.]

> You carefully pick up the BRANCHES and move to place them where the others have been gathered. An apology, or a peace offering. Of sorts. (You also carefully try not to think on how weird all of this is. It doesn't work very well.)

[fortune_sought]

Gah! [Sophie clenches a fist, waving it at the staircase] Now this is just ridiculous! What is it even for!?

>Exasperated, you run up the WESTERN STAIRCASE.

[bit_impossible]

> You don't receive any knew data about this particular VIDSCREEN. It's just like every other VIDSCREEN that you've scanned in the past. How disappointing.

[absently while he slips on his glasses, peering at the vidscreen again] It doesn't feel like the tests we were put through before, does it? And anyway, those messages we've gotten seem to point to someone doing this for a particular reason; otherwise what's the point in gathering a random bunch of people? [meaning yes, he agrees with you, Jamie]

> You touch the VIDSCREEN

[vengefulagent]

[Washington isn't about to leave behind soldier--especially a competent one, even if he does find the whole branch picking up thing to be a bit odd. the whole thing is...perplexing but so far, they've gotten lucky with these trees. granted, he's ready to shoot off more branches if things take a turn for the worst...]

[luministimods]

> The surface of the WESTERN STAIRCASE is indeed flat! Very flat indeed, except for the paint strokes forming each picture-perfect detail of the normally 3-D STAIRCASE. The only thing that sticks out is the aforementioned VIDSCREEN, which seems to be exactly like the ones that were normally around town anyway.

[luministimods]

> CRYSTAL WALL, what?! It works very well and soon the pieces of the GIANT STAPLE REMOVER just lie on the ground, pouting in their CRYSTAL PRISON.

> You enter BLACKNESS for a mere second before the BLACKNESS is gone! Always good, yes? (The answer is always yes, in this case!) You see that the ROOM ([NAME REDACTED]) you've entered is...very minimalist. There are two black ARMCHAIRS that don't look very comfortable set in front of a STEEL DESK, with a BIG LEATHER OFFICE CHAIR turned away from the DESK so all you can see is the back of it.

> But is anyone there? Is anything in the DESK DRAWERS? You definitely see that there are no other DOORS in this ROOM, and the one behind you is glowing white.

[luministimods]

> Congratulations, you see a DOOR to your left! But look to your right and you see that the landing you're on also wraps around to connect to the EASTERN STAIRCASE where there is, surprise! Another door! But between them at the NORTH end of the room is a blank VIDSCREEN covered in VINES.

> What do you do?