- i. horror: you've been yoinked from your own world and thrown into a new and terrifying situation. roll with horrible monster transformations, hostile set-pieces, sadistic npcs, and more. all that matters is making it through the night.
- ii. survival: through some twist of fate or another, you've been allocated into a resource-poor environment. basic amenities like food, water, and shelter that you might have once taken for granted are suddenly either outright absent or require significant labor to attain. you're not just a stranger in a strange land - you're a stranger in a strange land with only your own wits to help you survive.
- iii. slice-of-life: ordinary cityscapes and peaceful suburbias are all very well and good, if you weren't stuck in them without a clear means of escape. the most you can do now is try to adapt to a peaceful life that you might have never had. you've been given a chance at normalcy, but not everyone's cut out to acquiesce to the ordinary day-to-day demands of schools, jobs, picnics, and what have you. relaxing can be tough, but here, you've got all the time in the world for it.
- iv. fantasy: not only are you stuck in a pre-industrial revolution hell, but now you've got these fancy new magic powers and special weapons, maybe even at the cost of whatever abilities you might have once had. now go forth and destroy the one ring or kill some giants or something.
- v. sci-fi: maybe you're trapped on a spaceship or on some newly colonized planet in the far-flung, distant future. maybe you're being drafted into a corrupt army, or trying to escape the nigh-omniscient artificial intelligence that monitors everything in a dystopian future-opolis. the setting's whatever you want it to be.
- vi. au / memory regain: your name's not the one you had and your life's not the one you lived...but it's not like you know that. maybe you're plagued by strange dreams of who you actually are, or someone from your world's been dropped into your new life to try and jog your memory. either way, you've always felt that something was off about this world and this life you've had. you could never tell what until now.
- vii. prison: some all-knowing or interdimensional or corrupt law enforcement has finally snagged you, and decided that you are unquestionably guilty. of what? who knows. maybe you're a legitimate criminal, or maybe you're genuinely innocent and imprisoned under false pretenses. no matter what the case is, you're being kept under lock and key and put under heavy surveillance. plot an escape with fellow inmates or sway a security guard to your cause - or maybe a friend of yours has managed to sneak their way in to try and break you out.
- viii. merc-work: you've been snatched from your home so you can do some high-quality work for some higher power. you're an assassin, a spy, a thief, or some other shady agent. tormented by the moral quandaries of your work? in it for the money? salty that your captors are responsible for forcing you into this? but then again, maybe playing along is your best chance of getting home...
- ix. wildcard: idk man do what you want i'm not a cop
II - SITUATION- i. first impressions: hey, i just met you, and this is crazy, but where the FUCK are we (so handle my stress-induced breakdown maybe)?
- ii. second impressions: hey, remember when we first met? nostalgia's really a trip, huh? when you're in a brand new world, you've got to hold onto whatever familiarity you can get.
- iii. an Event™: SOMETHING is happening and y'all have to deal with it. how are you coping? have you run into each other by chance, have you buddied up willingly, or are you stuck together in the middle of some hellish happenstance?
- iv. living conditions: congratulations, you're now being housed with a complete stranger. or maybe not. maybe you're friends back home or you've met before. regardless of how you generally get along with your new roomie, the stress of adapting to a new situation doesn't always make for a fun teething period.
- v. mysteries & conspiracies: what's a jamjar anyway? you're not about to take this lying down. whatever's going on here, whoever's abducting people from their worlds and whisking them away again, you're going to get to the bottom of it. no matter what it takes.
- vi. crau hijinks: hey, don't i know you? what, you don't remember? what are you talking about? we were best buds in that [unrelated previous game experience wherein you confessed your love or some shit]! don't you remember me?
- vii. grudging teamwork: for whatever reason, you're being forced to work with someone you don't know or can't stand. fight a monster, solve a puzzle, break out of confinement, find your way home, get unstuck or unlost, etc. you just have to work together to do it.
- viii. violent ends, violent means: got stuck facing each other in gladiatorial combat? facing off against a violent threat together? or maybe you ran into this absolute dipshit on the streets and decided you didn't like their face or whatever. look, i'll save you some time and just say that this is either going to be a magnet for some prime angst or hurt/comfort.
- ix. play the hero: swoop in and save the day from...whatever the heck's going on here. play the hero or the damsel, whether wanted or otherwise.
- x. network tomfoolery: idly commenting on proceedings, bored and spamming people's inboxes, figuring out what the heck this shiny thing and all the buttons do, etc. maybe there's an internet here. maybe you can send someone airbrushed ted cruz. i'm not going to say what you can and can't do.
- xi. inbox'd: leave a message after the beep! just kidding, they picked up. what'd you wanna chat about in private, champ?
- xii. wildcard: once again i ask do i look like a cop
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postictal) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
spaalonebabuguuscooties2020-03-22 11:49 am
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[ The answer comes a bit too quick, because – well, there's not really much they can pry into, is there? It's not like she has many interesting answers to give. It's only a fraction of a second after she says it that she realizes... hm, that's probably a bit weird, right? You wouldn't want to spill all your personal details to a stranger you just met. Even in a situation like this. She's pretty sure that would be a bad call. ]
Um, what I mean is... it's not like we really have a whole lot else to talk about right now. [ She says it with a rueful smile. ] Nothing that's not "wow, a tree... hey, look, another one"... you know?
[ It's a weak attempt at humor, but she's doing her best. ]
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[But Racto laughs a little, a short huff of sound that leaves them shaking their head. Maybe not very helpful in the way of lightening the mood, they don't think.]
All pretty new to me. Guessing that's a sun up there. Never seen one before. And look at all this - normal-sized trees that aren't megaflora? If I weren't in a hurry to figure out what's going on I'd have way more questions about this kinda thing, trust me.
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So it's probably not a joke. But that's kind of worrying. ]
Have you really never seen trees like this? [ There, that sounds like a safer way of approaching the topic. ] They're not that small.
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[It's a little bit like opening up, even if they're not really talking about themself. They're talking about where they're from, which is far from the same thing. Easier. Also, hopefully, more likely to help this kid ease up a little and feel like they're a bit less of a stranger.]
You see anything like this where you're from?
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[ She hesitates, on the verge of elaborating, but then realizes that saying too much is going to open up a whole can of worms in terms of questions. She's not a fool – she knows the VR is a hell of a thing for her to occupy all by herself and she doesn't have all the answers. So, for the second time, she opts for an answer that feels safer. ]
Not all the time, I guess. But now and then. This size is definitely way more common than giant trees.
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Can't say the same, myself. [They squint vaguely upwards again.] You think the sun's gonna be out all the time, or do we get a break from it once in a while?
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[ Rin looks up as well, lifting a hand to shade her eyes as she squints up through the trees. ]
I sort of guessed that the sun would set at night... but I have no idea when night actually is, here. Or if the sun even sets at all. There's places where that never happens, right?
[ She's certain she remembers a movie or a documentary or something about the sun not setting on the North Pole. She very much doubts that this... wherever they are is the North Pole, but still. ]
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[Racto rubs at their face briefly with the butt of one scarred palm.]
There's places where the sun never shows itself, either. [Kinda like where they come from.] Gotta say, I got no clue what the solar cycle's like here. Got no clue where we even are, which is definitely a first for yours truly.
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[ She's looking up at them now, her brows knitted with concern. She was worrying about herself before, but now it occurs to her that they're probably just as out of their depth here as she is. Which is comforting and discomforting all at the same time. ]
If it gets too bad, we can always take a second and find somewhere for you to rest. It's probably going to be a whole lot brighter when we get out from the trees.
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[They say it with an easy grin, like it's no big deal. Look, of the two of them, she's definitely the one that's more worry-worthy, right? They're an old hat. They're a creaky old asshole with a lot going on in their life. This person here's just a kid.]
Look, we can cross that bridge when we get to it. No need to worry unless it gets to be a problem in the long term.
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Mm. You're probably right. [ Her frown of concern makes way for a thin smile. ] Maybe we'll be really lucky and there's a place selling sunglasses up there. You never know.
[ She's 99% joking. With how surreal this day is turning out, she's not sure it would surprise her all that much. ]
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[They're pretty sure they do, actually, but they're not sure where. Their coat's full of all sorts of old odds and ends. It'd probably be ideal to make an inventory of what they've got on hand, just in case it turns out to be necessary, but...eh. They can get to it eventually.]
[They haven't felt a genuine urgency to get something done immediately in years. Not about to start now.]
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Maybe we can just make it an IOU until we've got some money. Maybe they'll have a job opening and we can make a name for ourselves, selling sunglasses. It's pretty bright out, so everyone's going to need some.
[ Is this silly? Yes. Is it much less distressing than thinking about being in the middle of nowhere? Also yes. ]
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I like it. Business of selling sunglasses on a mountaintop. Enough to afford a zeppelin home. [Would that make any sense? Probably not. It's a fun thought experiment, don't @ them.]
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[ She says it idly, without thinking but then... there's a thought, huh. She slows down as she walks, eyeing one of the larger trees they're passing, and then she comes to a full-on stop. ]
Actually... I wonder if I might be able to get a good view from one of these trees...
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[Racto, for their part, certainly isn't. Buildings? Sure. They can scale buildings with enough handholds. It's painful as a motherfucker, but they can handle it. Trees? Haven't climbed nearly enough of those to feel remotely confident in that. Racto stops to study one of the nearest trees speculatively.]
Might be a long drop down if you get too high.
[Not that they're about to dissuade her. If she thinks she can handle it, then they'll defer to that.]
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[ With no apparent concern for how utterly not reassuring that sounded, Rin makes her way over to the tree and gives one of the branches hanging down a tug. It's pretty sturdy, so she cautiously plants her other hand on it and starts gradually heaving herself up. She won't go scrabbling all the way up the tree just yet, but she parks herself on a low-ish branch and squints up into the leaves. ]
I... think I'll be able to get to the top... the branches are pretty thick, so I shouldn't have that much trouble.
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No promises I'll be able to catch you if you fall.
[That's not strictly speaking true. If she takes a tumble, they're going to try and break her fall, without question.]
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I'll be okay. I won't fall – promise.
[ And with that, she's off up the tree. She'd been telling the truth when she said she was pretty good – she's not quite spider-monkey-ing her way up the tree, but she's got the quick and easy confidence of someone who likes heights and doesn't have much fear of coming down the hard way.
Eventually, she gets high enough that branches are snapping off in her hands and she doesn't totally trust them to hold much more of her weight. So she back against the trunk on the last properly safe branch and calls down to Racto. ]
I'm pretty far up... can you still hear me?
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[Good.]
[They have no difficulty hearing her, and don't think twice about it. That's pretty common for a hollow.]
Sure thing. [They're speaking at conversational volume. It occurs to them that this might not be the best choice, so they elevate their volume a little.] Can you hear me?
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[ Rin tests her weight on the branch for a moment and then sets her hands on it so she can slide her legs over and off it, down onto the branch below. It's kind of heart-stopping??? But Rin barely even blinks and once she's a bit further down, she leans over so she can peer at Racto from an exceptionally precarious angle. ]
That's a little better, so long as you yell up to me! [ She gives a little nod, more to herself, than them. ] Should I go ahead and see what I can spot?
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[They're not optimistic of this, but that's not their problem. Their focus is keeping her optimistic, and keeping her focused on a goal. She seems pretty goal-driven, but it's hard to say. They only just met.]
[They're already unconsciously shifting on the spot, trying to figure the best position to be in, should she fall.]
[She looks secure enough up there, but they kinda don't want the first person they've met out here to break a leg trying to help.]
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But that's kind of grim. She can't call news like that down to them. It makes things seem a bit too... hopeless.
So: ] I can't see anything yet... just mountains like we thought. But they could be on the other side.
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[They can handle a walk. Probably. Painful, sure, but every tiny action is painful so that's not a reason to object; they haven't objected due to chronic pain in decades and they're not about to start now. The kid probably has it tougher. She doesn't seem all that equipped for this.]
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[ Similar questions, two VERY DISSIMILAR answers. ]
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