❧ 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

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

[There being a room on the other side of the blackness hasn't proved false yet.
Although she blushes, she gives Hawk a grateful look for his gesture.]

>You move forward through the EAST DOOR together with Hawk.

[luministimods]

> For a brief second, you can't see. Curse the BLACKNESS! However! The blackness immediately goes away to show that you have entered "The Chrysalis". You notice a few TABLES and CHAIRS set out for a dinner party, and FOOD of the highest quality set upon SERVING PLATES in the center of the TABLES, surrounding a blank VIDSCREEN lying flat on the CENTER TABLE. But is the FOOD real? It definitely smells like it is. To your LEFT/NORTH, STRAIGHT AHEAD/EAST, and RIGHT/SOUTH are THREE DOORS set into the WALLS near the end of the room. The placement of the DOORS doesn't jive with the original shape of the RESTAURANT, making the irregular shape into a square. Like previous rooms, you see that the WOODEN SLATS, BRIGHT BLUE SKY, and FOREST are merely painted on.

> Are you hungry? Why are there three doors this time?

> What do you do?

[desertdaggers]

>You go to investigate the VIDSCREEN, snagging some FOOD along the way. Hard to say if anyone else is going to be around to eat it, after all.

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

It might not be safe to eat... [Best caution him in case this is poisoned too.]

I guess this continues the theme, even if we have more choices this time.

>You turn on the VIDSCREEN

[luministimods]

> The food is hot/cold/just right depending on what you grab! So far, it seems fine. If you're hungry, might as well eat! Won't get another chance later...

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

> You have activated the VIDSCREEN! Congratulations. You win the following text:

Choose your destination! If you wish to go to the White Rabbit, please press the "A" button. If you wish to go to the clinic, please press the "B" button. If you wish to go to the Janus Theatre, please press the "C" button.

> You see THREE BUTTONS appear on the screen below the text, one below each choice and labeled as indicated above. The "A" BUTTON applies to the DOOR on your LEFT, the "B" BUTTON goes to the DOOR that's STRAIGHT AHEAD, and the "C" BUTTON goes to the DOOR on your RIGHT.

> What do you do?

[desertdaggers]

It is odd they just left it out here… [and the bread's still warm, too. He'll keep hold of it for now, but he's having second thoughts.]

I don't think very much happened around the butcher's shop, so we might be able to leave that out. Any feeling about the others?

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

[Fuu shakes her head, frowning at the choices.]

Except for the butcher being killed there, no.

[She pauses to consider a moment, then speaks as if listing off points.]

White Rabbit. Miss Ardes and the phone booth and the murder.
The clinic. Resarci and the poison.
Janus Theatre. No one person, but some things did happen there... the game to get our precious items back.
We almost might as well return to the Chrysalis... but we have to move forward.

[As she says that she pauses.]

But then, maybe that's what the clue you found meant. To go back to go forward.

[She shakes her head and looks up at Hawk with a faint smile.]

I feel like... we should take either the White Rabbit, the clinic, or try going back. Sorry I didn't help narrow it down any.
What's your feeling?

[desertdaggers]

It sounds a lot like it, when put that way! Maybe that's what whoever wrote it intended to say…

I've got a feeling about the Janus Theatre… if it's something like that, then maybe… We can always try going back if we don't find anything.

>You reach out to press the C button.

[luministimods]

> The SOUTH DOOR ("C") opens all on its own! Congratulations! But do you go into the DOORWAY? It is pitch black just like before and still doesn't show what lies beyond. Hopefully, you trust that it really does lead to the JANUS THEATRE.

> What do you do?

[luministimods]

> Just as the DOOR opens, you--FUU--receive a text message on your CAT. It reads:

"Do not go to the theatre yet. It's not time for it.
--N"

mun says, LOL What? o.o

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

Oh-?

>Once you check the message, you show it to Hawk.

It looks like your feeling was spot-on. There's something so good in there, we have to wait for it. [Or go against Nathan's warning, but that probably wouldn't be a good idea. She looks pensively at the CAT, then the door.]

But, now what...?

>Using the CAT you try to REPLY to the sender: "Should we wait here, or try another room?"

agreed o_o

[desertdaggers]

[He lets out a sigh, sagging a little and resting some of his weight against the nearest chair.] We could wait, or I suppose we could go back… [eyeing her CAT a bit, but mostly the food. And he's still got that bread…]

Surprise! \o/

[luministimods]

> You receive another text message a couple minutes later that reads:

"Do not stay there! Each room has a way back to the start of this maze you're all stuck in. I'm trying to bring this maze to an end for everyone trapped there. Please be patie--!"

> You hear a fizzing pop, cutting off the message. Your CAT might feel a little hot right now.

Ah- Yaaay!(?)

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

Ah-!

[She gives a start at the pop, and when the CAT gets hot she drops it on a table.]

Wow, that's aggressive if something physically stopped the message...

I don't know about getting back to the start of this maze after coming this far, but we're told we can't stay here.

Should we go with our plan 'B' and try going back to the Gardens?

[desertdaggers]

[he jerks back a little, looking concerned. Is it burning the table…?] Yeah… That's pretty strong. Or desperate.

And we won't learn much just standing here… Let's give it a shot, at least. [turning back around that way and since he is kind of hungry, not really having had anything before the evacuation notice, taking a bite out of the bread]

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

[The tablecloth is a bit discoloured... but seems like the worst is over.]

>You take up the CAT again with a napkin and try to assess the damage. Will it still work to send and receive messages, or turn back into a pin?

[She winces a bit when Hawk takes a bite of the bread, but she can't deny that it's been a while since they last ate.]

If our 'keepers' are desperate, it must be good for us. But extra dangerous.

>You return to the entrance that you had come from with the intent of going back to the GARDEN.

[desertdaggers]

Mm, at that point people will try just about anything, after all.

>You follow FUU, finishing off the BREAD as you go. It's cooled down, but it's still pretty tasty.

[luministimods]

> And you're back in the GARDENS! Nothing has changed, unfortunately. Even the VIDSCREEN is still showing your choice.

> And the worst thing about eating that BREAD? It's made you really thirsty. Too bad there isn't anything to drink in the GARDENS.

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

[She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it would have been nice to get something different. With a sigh she leans on the railing.]

Where to now? At least if nothing changes when we go through a door we could go all the way back to the start. [With a glance over to where Hawk had found the clue on the wall she adds,] I guess we have to work with what we have...

From Town Square we could also get to the Town Hall. From here we could also go to the malt shop. From the Chrysalis we can get to the White Rabbit and the clinic.
The clue you found said 'the past is the road to the present and onwards to the future', right...? And our ally said to be patient, but not wait in the same room.

... I have a feeling about Town Hall, but I trust your feelings more, Hawk! After all, you got us as far as the Theatre!

[desertdaggers]

[He shakes his head and smiles. Feeling like he wants a drink probably isn't that useful at the moment…] We didn't get much further, though…

I agree that the Town Hall might be useful. Let's try there first.

>Matching words to action, you head towards the VIDSCREEN in the TOWN SQUARE and press the B button.

[luministimods]

> Now that you're back in the TOWN SQUARE, the VIDSCREEN BUTTON you've pressed reacts! The EAST DOOR ("B") opens all on its own! Congratulations! 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 TOWN HALL, right?

> What do you do?

[desertdaggers]

Huh, how about that. That's pretty convenient, at least!

>You head towards the DOORWAY.

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

Should we worry when things are convenient?

>You follow Hawk through the DOORWAY

[luministimods]

> You enter BLACKNESS for a mere second before the BLACKNESS is gone! Yeah! The moment it does, you see that you are back in the ELEVATOR! But the ELEVATOR is still on the same FLOOR you originally went to.

> Do you stay on this FLOOR and go through the DOOR again?

> Or do you go want to go to the OTHER FLOOR?

[desertdaggers]

… Maybe a little. [headscratch, glancing around] So that didn't tell us much… but we've got a few other doors we can try.