introduction log.

[falsitates]

JUNE 1, 2021

The first day of summer - it’s unbearably hot. Temperatures are high and relentless, and without a single cloud in the sky, the sun blazes down heavily on the unlucky few stuck outside.

Weather predictions warn of an intense heatwave that’ll last all week long. The young and elderly are advised to stay indoors and hydrated, and anyone with the symptoms of a heat stroke is urged to head straight to the city hospital. Schools are temporarily closed until new air conditioners can be installed, and businesses come to a slow grind as many call out sick from heat exhaustion.

The city warns that it’s going to be a long seven days.

  NEWCOMERS

You wake up.

You’re left to your own devices. You have a vague memory of the last few moments of your time back in your world, in familiar surroundings, but you’re now somewhere new. Whether you’ve awoken on an unknown rooftop, in a stranger’s bedroom, behind cell bars, or under six feet of water - you know that you’re no longer at home.

You’re on your own for the time being. You must escape whatever predicament that you’ve found yourself in and find answers to your own questions. What brings you here? How did you arrive? What happened to your friends and family? You have an hour to explore and speak with the people of this world before your time runs out.

Something then vibrates in your pocket.

  RESIDENTS & NEWCOMERS

Your phone vibrates.

It buzzes incessantly until you pick it up, but when you look at the screen, it’s blank. It will not turn on, no matter how hard you press the buttons. It’s possible that it overheated and shut down, but it’s unusually cold to the touch, almost as if you’re touching a brick of ice. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, white text appears on a black background.

Decryption confirmed.

Condition green.

Booting program.

The screen goes dark once more. Seconds later, new words are typed.

WELCOME TO [ AVA ]

→ MISSION 001
HEAD TO THE CITY CROSSWALK BY 1500. FIND THE [ OTHERS ]. YOUR REWARD WILL BE ANNOUNCED THEN. FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION.

  WELCOME TO [ AVA ]

You can't avoid the mission; you don't have any choice. Any attempt to ignore or avoid it is futile, as convenient coincidences occur all around you as a motivator to go.

Did you have work? For some inexplicable reason, your shift has been cancelled. Were you trying to get some rest? The fire alarm went off and you were evacuated from your home. Did you attempt to travel to another part of the city? The sidewalks and roads have been closed due to a sudden blackout.

No matter what you do, you are compelled to head to the city crosswalk.

For the middle of the afternoon, it's unusually quiet and empty. Despite the heat warning, there should still be more than just a handful of you and a few others, but you won't have the time to ponder about it. Your phone finally reboots and appears to be back to normal - or so it seems. You've got a new app.

[ AVA ]

It's an icon with a white eye. It stares at you, and the screen remains frozen until you press it. It then starts the initialization process.

WELCOME TO [ AVA ]

PEACEFUL DAYS ARE OVER

ALEA IACTA EST

The text vanishes, revealing the app's interface. It's an online social media network with public forums and private messaging, but it's completely devoid of content. It currently only contains the user profiles of those who have signed up for the app, and you are one of them. Your full name, date of birth, personal address, height, weight, and a mugshot that you don't recall taking are all listed on your profile.

You quickly discover that you have no way of deleting or even editing your information. You can't even get rid of the app. The option simply does not exist.

Minutes after opening [ AVA ], you receive a notification. There have been two new forum posts. MISSION 002 and MISSION 003 are the names of the new threads. You open them to read.

→ MISSION 002
NEWCOMERS, WELCOME TO VITAE. YOUR GOAL FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS IS TO SURVIVE. IF YOU ARE ALIVE TO SEE THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH, YOU WILL BE GREATLY REWARDED.

→ MISSION 003
RESIDENTS, BE AWARE OF YOUR ENVIRONMENT. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE THIS CITY. ONLY TRUST THE PEOPLE YOU KNOW. YOUR COMPENSATION WILL BE PROVIDED IN TWO WEEKS' TIME.

These threads allow you to leave comments. What do you do now?

Comments

Styx | ota

[tothemetal]

arrival;

[Styx opens his eyes, and he's in a fountain.

for a split second, before his brain completely kicks back into action, he thinks that he's tripped and dunked his head into the slushie machine - which, considering that he'd just been at the bodega looking for snacks a literal six seconds ago, is at least situationally relevant if not something a normal person would assume even under duress. the liquid is a regular clear though, and nothing tastes like fruit punch or berry blast, so...

so, what? what the hell is actually happening, then?

his floundering eventually catches onto the fountain ledge and he's able to pull himself up into a sitting position, rising from the shallow depths like some sort of hulking lake monster of legend. the drummer's confusion makes him slow, even more so than usual, and rather than prioritize hauling his ass out of the fucking water he remains there with his head tilted back and his expression one of open amazement.

there's no way this is Eddan. he's never left the confines of his birth city but even he knows that there's a certain slickness to the island, a glimmering veneer of rapid progress that is clearly missing from the skyline he's gaping at now. what the hell had he done? people had always joked about him having hit his head at some point, leaving him living in another world, but right now Styx is starting to wonder if maybe that wasn't a joke for once. it's a troubling thing to contemplate, and it prompts the tiniest of furrows to his brow.

should anyone stare at the sopping wet giant just sitting like a dumbass in the local park's otherwise picturesque fountain, eventually Styx will catch onto the familiar feeling of eyes upon him and wrest his gaze from the cityscape to the owner of that ogling pair of orbs. he smiles, more than a little sheepish, and makes a vague gesture at the water.]

Oh, uh, sorry! You wanna use it? Can get out real quick if you do, 's no problem!

[use...the fountain. this upheaval has really got his minimal brain cells all jumbled up, hasn't it.]


network;

how can we tell if were new or a resident ?
like i guess im new here but am i supposed to be staying a while or am i going home soon ?
my id still says eddan
is that gonna be a problem ?
:(


wildcard;

[Styx can also be found standing at pretty much any (incorrect) four-way stop in the city looking for the crosswalk so feel free to assume there's a big moron trying not to stare too obviously at your character while trying to figure out if they're 'other' or not and react accordingly. or just PM me for something else! idk I'm just excited to be here. ouo]

Arrival

[hippocarnival]

[This day has had a weird start for Yuya, and it's only getting weirder.

He slows to a stop as he's walking by, to blatantly stare at Styx just. Sitting in the fountain. until Styx speaks up first.]

Uh. No, thanks. I don't think you're supposed to use the fountain like that.

[tothemetal]

[listen, my dude, sometimes days just be like that. at least you aren't currently soaking wet, although Styx appears to be taking that aspect of his baffling circumstances with good humor.]

Uh, mean, you're probably right! [he laughs amiably] But figured, um, sometimes you see ducks 'nd stuff splashing around in them, you know? Didn't wanna get in anybody's way if they wanted to cool off or whatever.

[hippocarnival]

[Is this guy okay. In the head.

Not that Yuya's one to talk, he supposes.] Do you need to cool off? The pool's not that far.

[The body of water it's considered socially acceptable for people to splash around him.]

[tothemetal]

[unfortunately, yes. there just happens to be nothing in that fucking head at all times.

Styx makes a thoughtful noise, genuinely pondering the question posed to him, and while contemplating the correct answer finally hauls himself out of the fountain. he's a big fucking guy, isn't he? settling heavily down on the installation's edge, he makes absolutely no attempt to brush any of the hair plastered to his face out of his line of vision. it's fine. this is fine.]

Mean...um, dunno, honestly! 'm pretty wet already...'nd it really wasn't that hot a little while ago.

[like, oh, say...thirty seconds ago.]

[hippocarnival]

It's going to be hot all week. You should really go to the pool next time... [Though, maybe not in his clothes.

He gives Styx a once over.] Um, do you live nearby?

[tothemetal]

[Styx actually doesn't know how to swim, but this seems to him a personal problem rather than something that this kid would have any interest in so he thoughtfully keeps it to himself. not like you couldn't have fun at a pool without having to go in the water, right?

(not like he'd go to a pool to begin with. too many people for him to accidentally jostle or scare...)]

Uh... [his gaze is inevitably pulled to the skyline again, and a soft frown tugs at his face.] Don't think so, no. Don't really get around all that much but uh, never seen anywhere like this in the city before.

arrival.

[cislunar]

[ wow.... smooth......... like sandpaper..............

at least johannes observes this fumbling mess with a gaze that isn't particularly judgmental. he's more politely curious, and seems to give off a vibe where he's not really making fun of styx, and more wondering what the heck he's doing.....

though when the apologies and the question comes out... that curiosity moves into something more amused, though it still doesn't seem to be at his expense. maybe. johannes laughs, the corner of his lips tilting upwards as he sips at his bubble tea. ]

I'll pass. I wouldn't want to make you share something you seem to be enjoying so much -- all wide-eyed and confused.

[ but he'll take a seat at the edge of the fountain anyway, since they're having a conversation. styx can just, uhhh, stay there. i guess. ]

Avoiding the heat?

[ weirdo, meet weirdo. ]

[tothemetal]

[the nice thing about Styx is that it really doesn't matter to him whether or not someone's amusement is at his own expense. so long as he's making the person happy - intentionally or otherwise - then he's happy too. he'd been intending to haul himself out pretty soon, but then this guy drops down next to him and...uh, well, he guesses he's staying here now? that's fine too. the water really is pleasant on a hot day like this, and he folds his massive arms atop the edge of the fountain without complaint.]

Not really! Didn't think it was that hot out until, uh - now, I guess. 's wild how fast the weather can change, huh?

[speaking of change...he knows that it's rude to change topics so soon after initiating a conversation, but the drummer really wants to know what flavor of bubble tea Johannes is toting around. fear of being too intrusive prevents him from voicing the simple curiosity, but his gaze definitely lingers on the sweaty drink no matter how many times he yoinks it away again.]

[cislunar]

[ how sweet........ more than this human doodoo deserves, probably. for all styx is paying attention to avoiding rudeness, johannes cares not at all about that. so after a lull where styx's weather talk gets absolutely ignored, there's a little tap as the bubble tea is placed casually in front of him.



here's his scraps, buddy. ]

Many things change quickly. Interests among them. [ ??? ] Please, don't bother with the small talk when there's other things catching your attention. Follow your desires; it's more fun that way.

[ this is the most dramatic, extra way to offer your leftover hk milk tea to a fountain hobo, yes ]

[tothemetal]

[oh, so it was milk tea...he'd thought it might be, but from a distance there was always the possibility that it was coffee or caramel or one of those trendy flavors Vincent complained about before he caught himself. up close he could see he'd been right, the shade was all wrong for anything else, and Styx feels a swell of pride at having managed to deduce -

........huh?]

...you really sure, dude?

[it's not that the drummer hadn't noticed the drink plopped down in front of him (not waxing poetic about it like he'd been) as much as...the implications of it being there in the first place had only just hit him now. he looks up at Johannes with a sort of hesitant wonder, like he really can't believe that it's alright for him to accept such a miracle. people just don't hand over one third of a cup of bubble tea out of the goodness of their heart! ...not to him, anyway.]

You don't gotta just 'cause I was staring, 's yours 'nd all.

[cislunar]

[ bruh most people would go "who are you and why are you giving me your germs" but this is better. this one acting like he's being given a slice of the moon and the stars gives johannes the image of a rather simple puppy....... fountain fits, too.

which isn't a bad thing, but also it's terrible. ]

I never do anything out of obligation. If I don't want to do things, I simply don't do them.

[ y'know, like the most uppity ten year old

he gestures, again, to the bubble tea. ]

You must not be given things very frequently if you consider that a gift to shyly question. Am I wrong?

[tothemetal]

[being told such childishly 'deep' things would also be something that normal people might feel annoyed by, or at least brush off in order to continue the conversation without a terminal rolling of the eyes. Styx once again proves himself far from the norm when, instead, he finds some comfort in the statement; it's extremely similar to something that his friend Vincent says, something that has always allowed him to safely trust in his statements. Vincent didn't do things that wasted his time, so the drummer didn't need to question when those things involved him - and he supposes that the same goes for this man as well. how nice.

with newfound confidence he gives Johannes a bright, sunny grin before finally taking the tea when it's indicated the second time.]

Shit man, thanks!

[his gratitude is as sincere as the joy that spreads across his face when he takes that first sip of backwash-ridden tea. mmm...oh, man, these bubbles were especially good. what a fucking treat. he sighs quietly to himself, taking a small moment to appreciate the taste before answering the question posed to him.]

Nah, you nailed it! Kinda hard to tell since I'm sitting down, I guess, but I'm real big 'nd useless. Be kinda dumb for people to waste their stuff on me, you know?

network!

[ape]

Hi, there. You'd be a resident if you live here and "new" might be, well, you most likely waking up on a roof. Is that right?

[tothemetal]

hey !!! :)
uh
no
i havent been up on any roofs yet
you think maybe i should ?
ive only been to a fountain so far

[ape]

Oh, no. The ground might be a safer bet. A fountain’s even better to keep cool.

Are you feeling disoriented?

[tothemetal]

haha yeah it was actually pretty nice !
didnt think it was gonna be that hot out today so it ended up being a pretty killer surprise :)
um
mean
im always kinda confused ? but thats just cause im dumb
so i dunno if im really like
more confused than usual
you know ?

[ape]

No need to go that far. We can start with the basics. What’s your name?

I’ll go first; Ezekiel Yeager.

[tothemetal]

[that far? he hasn't said anything strange, he doesn't think...ah, he'll have to try and remember to ask about it later so that he can apologize if need be. right now they're having a more important discussion.]

nice to meet you dude !
im styx :)
you been here a while ?

network!

[ehero]

[ Judai is texting from a slide phone from 2007. He does not care about punctuation and there's no autocorrect so... ]

wheres eddan

[tothemetal]

[fantastic news, Judai, you're texting a person whose hands are too big to trouble themselves with the struggle of punctuation. this is a no judgement zone.]

um massachusetts ?
its an island

[ehero]

[ Okay, great answer! Now... ]

wheres massachusetts

[tothemetal]

to the right
i think
maybe like up right ?
but not too up

[ehero]

what

[tothemetal]

huh ?