INTRO MINGLE

[uploadedmods]

WHO: Everyone
WHAT: An introductory first day in the game free-for-all extravaganza.
WHERE: One of 3 locations, to be outlined below.
WHEN: October 1
NOTES: Graphic content including physical and psychological horror.



Characters will wake up in one of 3 places, based on the plotting post that went up on Saturday the 22nd. Unless specifically signed up for the Library or the Church, characters by default will be waking up in the Mall.

Please specify your location in the subject line of your top level.

Thoroughly read the plot post and current setting page for details relevant to your introduction.

You do not slowly rouse, but rather abruptly snap into wakefulness, like a light switch being flipped. The world is suddenly bright, white and backlit, roughly one well-placed lens flair away from being a J.J. Abrams movie. It won’t take long to realize both your wrists are securely clamped by a thick metal strap that juts out of the sturdy steel platform you’re laying on, and it's not long after that to realize the same is true for your legs. Even your midsection is strapped down by the world’s most intense seatbelt, leaving nothing to do but to struggle or to wait.

Fortunately, the wait isn’t very long. The curved white space above you flickers with color, and a perfect square, like a television screen, expands before your eyes. It pans over what appears to be a town, something small and simply populated.

“Hello, and welcome to your first setting.” A neutrally cadenced feminine sounding voice begins, riding the line somewhere between human and machine. As she speaks, captions of the text type themselves in neat and perfect Arial font. “The location is loosely based off Bridgton, Maine, United States of America, Earth. The year is 2007. You have been selected to participate. Obedience ensures an enjoyable and immersive experience for our players. If you have been granted a role, instructions will follow. Do not talk about your role. Do not attempt disobedience. If you have not been granted a role, your objective for this round is simple: survive.”

Characters who haven’t been selected to participate in the story will hear a mechanical hissing, the sound of something unlocking, and their metal straps will retract into the flat surface of the printing bay.

Comments

[proactive_with_pep]

[Gathering supplies and having a game plan in place is something to keep her mind off the realization she isn't in Sunnydale anymore. If she keeps moving forward trying to get wherever and trying to help people, then maybe she won't have to stop and dwell on the fact the nice warm bed she had fallen asleep in back at home all safe and cozy after a horrible night patrolling and dealing with an ex boyfriend from Hell - literally - was not where she had woken up.

This has to be some form of kidnapping, even if she was beamed up somewhere, right?]

Yeah. Do you know what a bible is? [Buffy merely assumed bibles were a universal thing people knew about. And by universal she doesn't mean literally universal since aliens don't exist where she's from. Or maybe they do? Possibly. She'd have to ask Giles. There could be reference to aliens in one of his books. Whatever the outcome she figured anyone from Earth knew what a bible was.]

I hope there isn't either. This whole scenario is already creepy. Who kidnaps teenagers and throws them in the mall while being vague as hell? [Buffy knew the answer to her own question; evil. Evil people. Evil demons. Evil in general did this. Man, oh man, did she want to get her hands on whoever was behind all this.]

Hmm? [She asks coming out of her daydreaming of beating a faceless body to a pulp. It was something to keep her motivated. An end goal if you will.] Honestly I'm hoping I can make homemade holy water with it. You know bless the water and then use it as a weapon if there's anything demonic here that can't stand it.

[Realizing how he may take the way it all sounds coming from a small blonde he's only just met she adds.] Where I come from it works. We have vampires and demons, and holy water helps in making them think twice before attacking.

[Either the last part would help him understand or confuse him some more. Buffy wasn't sure which it would be.]

[kiseijuu]

[ Shinichi nods in regards to the question about knowing what a bible is. It's a fair question in this place -- he's run into several people by now who don't seem to be...from anywhere around here. Or from the time he's used to. So any information to catch each other up on seems to be fair game, really. ]

This is... I would say it seems like a nightmare, but unfortunately it's way too real for that. [ He mulls quietly. Out of the very odd things to happen to him in his life lately, this definitely ranks up top. There's no resting, really; new bizarre things just keep popping up ever since he woke up here.

...Speaking of.

When she starts answering about what the bibles may be used for, Shinichi just stares for a long moment. Homemade holy water... Is she some sort of clergymember? He looks visibly nervous at the mention of demons; just a few months ago he would have claimed not to believe such things existed, but after you get invaded by an alien from another planet and used as its host body, you sort of start realising the world is bigger than you ever imagined. So while he's looking pretty nervous as she speaks, there's no disbelief on his face right now.

It's when the other mentions that where she comes from actually has demons -- and... vampires?! -- that Shinichi starts sputtering. ]

Y-you have... vampires? [ He nearly drops the notepad he's still holding, fumbling with it. Of course, Migi immediately starts jotting down notes about this, which Shinichi has to try to play off as casually as possible. He glances down as his hand starts writing down the information that the girl just told him, eyes still wide. ]

You've fought things like that? [ CLEARLY. Comically enough, he's hunching forwards a little as if trying to shrink his own tall stature down. Buffy's words have just struck The Fear into Shinichi. ] H-how can you tell if one is near? Can you tell that?

[proactive_with_pep]

Except peoples nightmares can very much be made real. [That was probably one of the quickest responses she's had in a long time. And one of her firmer ones. It comes from experience. Man did it ever.] At least they can manifest into being very real. Though I'm not sure this is anyone's nightmare. [No, she knows that was way wrong.] Unless it's a whole bunch of nightmares wrapped into one? Which surprisingly is also very possible.

[Magic royally sucks at times. Science? Eh, not so much she figures. Which is why she's set on this being the work of the former not the latter. No way in the world could science replicate magic.

Buffy can't help but watch the way he fumbles with his pad and pen before going to move as if to catch them in case he does, but he doesn't and she steps back a little, so as not to crowd him, giving him some space to breath]

Yeah, but they don't sparkle. [In case that was going to be his next question. It often was whenever people found out vampires existed.

Maybe dropping bombs like that wasn't the best of ideas? Even in a place like this. He looks a little more nervous, or worried, than she expected.]

And demons. And magic. And a whole bunch of really not fun stuff. [Because the obvious solution was to add more bombs to the mix. Good job not making Shinichi feel freaked out, Buffy.]

It's sort of my job - [Full on air quotes because she didn't exactly get paid for the gig.] - to find the bad ones and slay them. [Air quotes now replaced with Buffy jabbing at the air with an imaginary stake, or pencil, or knife or something jabby.] Right now? No. My ability to pick up on vampires or demons is sort of non-existent here. As are my actual abilities. [She can't help but sigh. Having her strength would be really nice right about now should something jump out at them in attack. Still, she'd protect anyone she could by any method. Even if they weren't entirely human.]

Why? You're not a vampire, are you? [Buffy raises a brow in questioning, head tilting as she gives Shinichi a once over.]

[kiseijuu]

[ The response is quick and sounds very sure of itself, and it leaves Shinichi blinking in thought. She definitely speaks as though from experience, with nightmares manifesting into reality... Which he is half-tempted to make a dry joke about how his life has felt like a nightmare come true for awhile... but somehow he gets the feeling she meant it literally.

The replies simply solidify that she isn't from any average backgrounds. Shinichi is listening with wide eyes the whole time, though he's half-distracted by the scribbling notes his hands are still doing. It's... not exactly social etiquette to write notes as someone's speaking; it can read as pretty obnoxious, but of course Migi doesn't know human norms and is just logically trying to get down as much information as possible. So the human teenager hopes this doesn't read as rude, all while trying to keep focused on what Buffy is saying, processing everything. ]

You slay them...? [ That sounds.. pretty familiar actually. Obviously it seems a lot more detailed and organised on her side of things, but tracking down opposing entities and getting rid of them has sort of become his job along the way, as well. Not that it's one he ever signed up for willingly, or wants to keep doing. And.. she has abilities? That's especially interesting to Migi, who pauses purposefully for a moment, waiting and listening. ]

No! [ Shinichi shakes his head immediately at the question, realising he might come across as slightly suspicious with his whole... behaviour and self. ] Um... I'm... well. I guess I could say I track down bad things, too?

[ He hesitates, not wanting to say too much, but... they're probably fighting for their survival in this place and Buffy certainly seems like someone he wants on his side. ]

Though for me, it's... aliens that I.. hunt. [ The word "hunt" feels strange. He doesn't quite like associating himself with it. ] I have some abilities that help with that, too, but they don't really work here. [ He glances down to his hand. A sentient alien hand that can't use any of its abilities here. Great. ]

Truthfully, I was thinking that those weird people who work here might be aliens? But they don't exactly fit the bill, at least not the ones I'm used to, anyway.