WEEK 1

[akudamods]

So, the first day is over. You are confined in various ways for the foreseeable future. There are two overseers you can bother, and pods they want you to get into, but many of you would rather do anything else. Honestly, even the flurry of posts on social media don’t seem particularly interested in talking up this prospect; when searches for the titles start to get results, they’re mostly about the posters’ own avoidance or occasional morbid fascination. There are even one or two newly taken pictures of the particularly outrageous and photogenic poses. At least photos are rare enough that you can be confident not every move is being watched. Conditions are much better than Saturday to wander all the way down to the Execution HQ Ruins, take the shuttle to the police station, or investigate other parts of the setting. As the weather forecast said, Sunday and Monday are smoggy and sunny.

What will you do?

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Comments

[akudamods]

[Okay SO the 45 minute figure was 15 minutes physicist, 15 minutes loremaster, 15 minutes everyone else. Fixer is apparently not named Rachel Gardner but Leroy Jenkins. So. Have fun.

Inside there are soft lamps glowing lots of colors. It's smaller on the inside to make room for whatever the hell is humming.

It gives her this physical feeling like she is floating. And a... not so much emotional feeling, but induced feeling, in the same sense as a painkiller high. With Loremaster's wild experiences of pain and other sensations, it may be very easy to observe this feeling completely from the outside. Live in the moment? Or observe?]

[daemonis]

[Uh, observe of course?? What kind of scientist would she be if she didn't try to pay as much attention as possible to write down notes about later?]

[akudamods]

[It's from the outside. You wait, and you wait, and you don't think it's going to linger. Your stomach, your head, anything; it's out of place now, but it's clear that it's not filling up with anything. That doesn't mean no change. It's all interesting. Like when you're getting an X-ray.

Time to get up?]

[daemonis]

[If nothing else is happening and she isn't going to be stopped from doing so, then yes, Loremaster is going to hop up now.]

Well, that was something! Now I'm interested in seeing how it goes with someone else here by comparison.

[cantwaittowatch]

Hmmmmmmmmm! Kinda tricky when you're all in there at once. I obviously scheduled more wiggle room than necessary as it is.

[More questions? She won't detain you if you're relieved to be free.]

[daemonis]

What about those that refrained from getting in the pods yet?

[She says, gesturing to the ones that initially refused to participate.]

Don't suppose we'd be able to convince one of them to get in after they've seen how it worked on me, hmm?

[cantwaittowatch]

Knock yourself out.

[There are like. Half a dozen people who are all glaring. The Physicist isn't lifting a finger.]

[daemonis]

Hmm, let's see...

[She regards their current party of people who have been standing around watching... before her gaze settles on Ragetti to start with. He seems like someone that could be easily convinced.]

How about you, sir? Do you want to try it and see what it's like?

[woodeneye]

...Me?

[ Ragetti's just been kind of doing his thing, you know, hanging out near the back of the assembled watchers, trying not to step on any toes. Figurative or literal. Being singled out of a crowd is not something he's used to, and he points to himself in perplexion. ]

Ye want me to get in there?

[daemonis]

Yes! If you don't mind, that is, but... it would be very helpful for me if I could see how it works from this side of things, especially if this information could be used for all of us to find a way back home.

[woodeneye]

[ So, one hand, big scary future technology. Other hand, distinct lack of ability to say no to a direct request, especially from women with forceful personalities. Ragetti wavers. ]

I can... I - I mean, I could, but...

[ His eye flickers from imposing pod to expectant demon and back again. ]

It don't hurt, does it?

[daemonis]

Nope! I didn't feel any pain at all when I was in there.

[... Or rather, if she was supposed to have been in pain, it could be she didn't feel anything because her tolerance for pain is extremely high but... she doesn't mention this...]

[woodeneye]

[ Well, with that objection defeated, he's out of excuses. Ragetti wrings his hands a little and takes a deep breath. ]

S'pose there's no reason not to, then... Do ye just. Step in here?

[ please don't fry his brain please don't fry his brain ]

[akudamods]

[Yes, you lift the lid open, climb in there, and then it slowly falls closed.

You physically feel as if you are floating. You may be used to floating in the water, but this is more like floating in space. You are aware, cut off from so much of the world, that you are just one simple pirate, in a grand sea, among other seas, and in turn the other worlds have their own sets of seas. You have been through so many sudden changes in your life. Alive, cursed/dead, alive again, and now in another dimension, all on the turn of a dime. Or rather, on the turn of the 500 yen coin in your possession now.

Are you desperate to avoid any further bad luck? Or is there... something that serves as a light in the darkness? There are colored lamps in here. That's definitely a light-suggesting atmosphere.]

[woodeneye]

[ Well, this definitely isn't like anything Ragetti's ever experienced before. I mean, sure, he's been surrounded by water, but usually as a direct consequence of falling overboard, which tends to be a pretty stressful situation. This is... calm, which is not a feeling applicable to most of pirate life. It's weird.

He drifts. The awareness of his place in the universe suffuses his consciousness, but it doesn't bother him too much. He's always been a side character in the grand scheme of things. He knows that. It's the knowledge of how alone he is that hurts more. He misses Pintel. A quiet whimper escapes from his throat.

He can't move all that well in here, but he manages to slip a hand into his pocket, rubbing his thumb again over the strange coin he'd found there upon arrival. Good luck and bad luck, the billboard had said. Sure. That's his life. He hopes it's not too frivolous to pray for a little more of the good luck side right now. ]

[akudamods]

[Ah. He prays. It's quiet in here, easy to concentrate; he can quickly find a feeling of peace or such that is typical for him when he is praying. Time seems to pass quickly.

The coin is metallic and cold. Not physically more so than before, but it's difficult to ignore now that his skin has adjusted to the pod's temperature everywhere else; the coin does not want to come into peace with him. Even more so when time runs out. The edged rim is insistent: Time to get up.

The last line has gone up.]

[woodeneye]

[ He can't say he's sad to see that lid rise. The persistent coldness of the coin was starting to spook him. Why'd it have to be a magical coin? He would have figured he'd had enough of those for one lifetime. Maybe more than one, depending on how you count it.

He clambers out, looking none the worse for wear, if a bit more haunted than he was before he got in. ]

Did that... help?