epidemiology | EVENT ★ GILLIGAN'S ISLAND

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EVENT ★ GILLIGAN'S ISLAND

MAROONED

Three days after the eruptions wrecked their havoc, a storm begins. It's not so different from the storm the recruits first encountered upon arrival, but this storm seems oddly and peculiarly driven. In some places of the islands it's nothing but pattering rain, but in other places it's strong enough to lift a fully grown human off his or her feet. And that's just what it does. It sweeps up recruits here and there -- not all of them, and there is no apparent method to who it takes and who it leaves. Some stay on the Nalawi islands, some are simply swept up into the sky. Here and there the storm grabs a Nalawi as well, but these victims are always dropped again. Sometimes out over the water, sometimes crashing down into land. They do not generally survive this.

The recruits stolen by the storm aren't aloft for long. They emerge eventually from the tumbling, buffeting, blinding winds, spewed out onto the beach of a strange new island. This island, to anyone paying any attention to their surroundings, is a recent addition to the surface of the ocean. In fact, flying in the face of physics and statistical likelihood (much in the way the storm had), it seems to have recently been on the seafloor.

This island was clearly once inhabited, although it's been a long, long time since then. Uniform structures can be found arranged in streets and avenues, now all thoroughly caked in barnacles, coral, seaweed, and other assorted debris of the sea. Here and there can even be found dead fish, suffocated when the water began to drain away and turn to open air. Most of them are horrifying, the things that tend to keep to the dark depths of the water. Toward the center of this empty, silent, sea-claimed city a giant sea serpent threads around and through several buildings. It's just as dead as the rest of them, its huge, pale eyes staring at nothing.

There are a few things here that aren't quite dead, though. Sometimes something armored, dull red, and hungry crawls out of some dark place. These creatures can't really be compared to anything on the surface, but they are each about the length of a human, with three sets of sharpened limbs held up off the ground, used for stabbing forward to pierce its prey, and one set of pinchers below that. The pinchers might anchor prey in place for easier stabbing, but they also create a tiny sonic boom when clacked. Standing too close to this can leave you dazed and momentarily helpless. These creatures aren't fazed by the lack of water around them, they're just hungry and ready to feed on anything nearby -- even each other. The danger they present to recruits is at least slightly mitigated by an unknown force, though. If a recruit finds themselves unable to handle one of the creatures or overwhelmed by it, the storm itself will lash out at the thing. This isn't a very precise defense, but it is generally enough to pick up one or both of the contestants and separate them.

Nothing here looks anything like what can be found on the Nalawi islands, except perhaps the flora. It's difficult to tell. What trees have been left are waterlogged, petrified mockeries, it's unclear what they may have looked like while this island still lived. The buildings are all very inorganic, made of processed material and with the obvious aid of machinery. Whoever lived here was actually very proficient with machinery, it seems. Within the buildings, some residential and some commercial, can be found the rusted, now-useless remains of a technologically advanced society. Personal belongings can also be found, waterlogged and largely ruined, and all in an upset as if they had gone through frequent and destructive earthquakes. Still, they can tell the story of mundane, day-to-day lives here for anyone who cares to look.

Food is going to be a little tricky to come by unless you're a fan of seafood; fishing will be possible for anyone who opts to brave the edge of the storm, and of course there are the bizarre delicacies so thoughtfully raised up from the seafloor, dead among the streets and buildings. Recruits would do well to be careful with those, though. There is a particular kind of seaweed that, while it looks perfectly innocuous, will cause vivid hallucinations an hour after ingesting, for 10 minutes to three hours, depending on how much was ingested.

Above all else, though, is the eerie silence. The storm rages on, but although it completely surrounds the island, it keeps to the perimeter. Even the rain stays off of the island, though the sun is obscured by the heavy, ominous clouds. Thunder rumbles now and then, punctuated by lightning flashes, but there isn't a single sound on this gray, dreary, dead island that wasn't made by an ALASTAIR recruit.

OOC INFO

Recruits will ICly be here for one week, and OOCly the log will last for two. The storm will prevent any travel off of the island. Should anyone feel brave enough to try risking a trip into it, they will find it still possesses that ability to literally sweep recruits off their feet. It might also be due to this mysterious storm that no one on the island can seem to reach out to anyone on the Nalawi islands via jewelry network, nor to any of the NPC recruits they'd met at Oska.

Players who signed up for plot slots will be receiving additional information, which we ask they share with the rest of the characters. You may sign up here for information that can be found while exploring the island, as well. Please direct any questions to the OOC write up.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Down falls the journal, and along with it, a pen. Both hit Papyrus on his skull, but thankfully don't weigh much, and so it's nothing more than a slight discomfort. Papyrus looks down at both, picking them up and upon looking over the pen, well...]

Oh my God!!!

[He shouts, looking up to where they came from, and spotting Keat and waving the pen around in the air at him.]

This is the best pen I've ever seen!! Keats, where did you get this??

[Long time, no see, Papyrus. Keats blinks, glad his notebook has been retrieved, but confused by the reaction.]

What, that thing? [In all honesty, he found the thing rather tacky. Who would put a skull on a pen? Whose dumb idea was that?]

Uh, that would be ALASTAIR. That gave it to me, I mean. [He stares down at Papyrus, perplexed.] What, you actually like it?

[WHO WOULD PUT A SKULL ON A PEN? THIS GUY.]

I wish they'd give me one! It's exactly my style!!

[You know: made of bones.]

Do you think, if I asked for one, they would give me one as well??

[OF COURSE YOU WOULD, PAPYRUS.]

Ah...well, honestly, I could see why it would be your style...

[It's...kind of obvious why he would like such a thing. Keats lets out a sigh.]

I'm sure they would, if you asked nicely.

Not that it would do much use on an island like this, but if I had a piece of paper I could write a letter and put it in my bottle and throw it out to sea! Do you think the others would find it, if I did that??

[Note how he has yet to... give back the notebook and pen.]

[At this point, Keats has already rushed downstairs so that he can collect what is rightfully his property, but...well, Papyrus is still going on about it. That's fine. He's (mostly) patient.]

Uh, well, I don't think so. The sea is far too wild for it to get anywhere. [A pause.] Though I could lend you paper, it's really not a big deal.

Oh, I would appreciate that!

[ He says, finally handing over the journal and pen now that Keats has joined him. ]

I'll write a letter to my brother! I know the waters may be rough, but I am... awfully worried about him! Is there anyone you'd want to write to as well? I can put it in the same bottle!

Your brother? I didn't know you had a brother. Let me guess, is he also a skeleton?

[He takes the notebook, pocketing the pen to get it out of the way so he can have his hands free to tear out a few pages for Papyrus to use.]

Oh, me? [There's a hesitation here that's noticeable as he closes the notebook, handing the pages over.] Uh, I don't know. I mean, it's not like your idea will work or anything, so...really, it's fine. Go ahead, write your brother.

He is, in fact, also a skeleton! And my older brother! His name is Sans, if you've met him before. Or if you haven't, that too! Here-

[ He says, taking the pages given to him, and then holding his hand out for the pen back. Which really, he should have just held onto it. ]

I'll draw him, so you know what he looks like, if you see him!

And surely there's someone over there that you care about enough you'd want them to know you're not dead! I mean, I also want Undyne and Ban to know I'm not dead, but I think Sans will tell them both once he gets the letter.

Wait...Sans? He's like... [He pauses, lowering his hand to demonstrate the height of someone very short.] This tall? Smiles a lot? Likes puns?

[They've definitely met before. Keats frowns slightly - he liked Sans, from the few times they talked, but...well, he seemed strange. There was that one time he messed with him by constantly teleporting him backwards...]

[He hands over the pen anyways, even if he knows the man - er, skeleton.]

This is for your letters. [He explains, he hardly expects Papyrus to write with nothing at all.] And someone who cares? Oh, I don't think so.

[He suddenly looks very sheepish, looking off to the side.] Actually, there might be one person, but...uh, would it really be worth it to write them a letter?

Oh yes, that's him! The shortness and smiling and puns!

[ Seriously, how is it that his brother has met everyone??? While also sleeping so much??? Still, Papyrus takes the pen and begins to lean against a smoothish rock nearby, drawing Sans anyway even if there's no need now. He said he was going to do it so he will!! ]

What would make this less worth it? We're stuck here, until who knows when. I think this would be a perfect use of our time! Who would you write to?

He's quite the comedian, but I'm sure you know that.

[The ability of Sans meeting so many people is a mystery that we may never know the answer to.]

Well, what if it doesn't make it? It's like writing a dead end, for crying out loud. There's no guarantee that they'll see it, and we could be using our time for...I don't know. Better things?

[He doesn't seem entirely convinced of his own argument. He's still not quite meeting Papyrus' eye.]

Uh. [His voice gets very quiet all of a sudden, like he's afraid someone will overhear. Do his cheeks look a bit more red, or is that just because of the chill of the harsh ocean wind?] I guess, maybe, I would write...er, Olivia.

Edited (fixed a typoe that was bothering me) 2016-05-11 11:43 (UTC)

What better than?

[Seriously, go ahead, name them. Preserving more fish? Boiling more water? Sure, those need to get done, but this wouldn't take too long, and it'll cheer them both up a little. Papyrus continues his doodle, listening to Keats go on.]

Oh!! You'd write to Olivia?? That's a good idea! I'm sure she's worried about us, I had no idea you knew her! Here, we'll write the letter together, so they both know we're okay!

Like trying to find a way off this island. And surviving, that's important, you know.

[He raises a hand to scratch the back of his neck, looking like he's regretting even talking about this in the first place.]

Yeah, we've known each other for a while. She's really...nice. [He needs to SHUT UP, what is he saying? He feels his ears burning.] I mean, you'd think she'd like a letter?

Ah, yes, right.

[ He says in a way that conveys he's not really paying attention to Keats' complaints. Instead he continues writing, and looks over his shoulder to the other as he talks about his huge crush. ]

Oh, I know she'd like one! Everyone likes getting important letters, and she'd especially love one from a friend of hers! She definitely likes handmade, or personalized things! Also, I think her favorite color is pink. And she likes to bake cookies.

[ Is he........ trying to wingman?

The answer is yes. ]

Handmade and personalized things.

[He repeats to himself, like he's keeping that to memory. Because he's embarrassing.]

Ah, well, I could see her liking pink... [wait WAIT WHAT IS HE THINKING, WHAT IS HE DOING, WHY IS HE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION] Hey, I-I still think this is a waste of time! I mean, I'll see her eventually, right? I don't need to do all... [He stammers, waving over at Papyrus' letter in progress.] This.

Besides, I don't even know what to write! [YOU'RE A WRITER] Like, "sorry, Olivia, I'm on an island, hope you're doing fine"? It's stupid.

It's the thought that counts! You've heard that before, haven't you? Don't worry about not knowing what to write.

[Because he'll do it for them.]

"Dear Sans and Olivia, this is Papyrus and Keats! Sorry we're on an island, hope you're both doing fine!"

[Papyrus says aloud, as he writes those exact words.]

Isn't that too straightforward? I wasn't being serious about saying that!

[He walks over to Papyrus' side, peering down at the letter.]

You should include more than that. Like...what we've been up to. Or what we've found out. [A pause.] ...Do you think she'd be interested in what I've been doing?

Oh, well, do you have white-out? Probably not!

[So he keeps going.]

I think she'd be happy to know anything about what we've been doing. Just tell me what to write and I'll put it down. Unless it was boring. Then I think we better make up something exciting.

Not on me, no...

[He sighs.]

Okay, well, we're with a bunch of other people, it's not just us. And we found that this place used to be occupied. Now there's just a lot of debris. And...weird crab monsters.

[He scratches his chin.] Would Olivia be impressed if I told her I tried to fight one of those things?

[He got beaten up and thrown around by the storm but STILL, MAYBE THAT'S COOL? WOULD SHE FIND THAT COOL?]

"We found a place that people used to live, but now it's only home to dead fish and weird crabs. Also everyone else that's missing is here, so don't worry about them too,"

[Papyrus continues, and then pauses.]

What if... you actually were saving someone from one! That's more heroic!

Wouldn't that be considered lying?

[Seriously, he's a reporter! Reporters have a code of honor, come on, Papyrus, he's totally not going to lie for the sake of impressing some girl. Totally not. Maybe?]

...I mean, uh, nobody would be able to confirm it, after all. I hardly want her to find out it never happened.

Or, you have someone confirm it for sure! Someone, perhaps, tall, and handsome, and great! And it's not lying, because it's a story! Stories aren't lies. They could have just as easily happened if things went differently.

Okay, so who will confirm it, then?

[the point

keats' head.]

I mean, I could...come up with a story, but I'm not sure it will sound believable. I mean, I'm a non-fiction writer, for crying out loud...

...If only we had someone to solve this problem of yours! Have I mentioned... that I frequently solve my problems... by being tall and handsome??

[ Come on, buddy. Pal. Friend. Amigo. ]

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