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(event) WAY DOWN WE GO

EVENT LOG: WAY DOWN WE GO

AUGUST 14TH - 24TH

 ►  THE BASICS

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 ►  MOD NOTES

This log is a general dump for all log threads pertaining to August's Way Down We Go event - and in lieu of the lack of catch-all for August, you can feel free to do non-event log threads here as well! Go ahead and utilize vestigenet for any event-related network posts you'd like to make.
The main chunk of the event takes place between the IC dates August 17th (reveal of the hatch) and August 22nd (the latest the spelunkers can be freed before they drown). No rush leaping on this event post, since I know most folks are honestly still plotting about it.
All event information can be found on the July Event Infopost!
Please take special care in this event to label your top-levels with identifying information such as the IC date, any prompts specifically pertaining to event roles (spelunker, rescue efforts, etc), and/or 'non-event' for any non-event prompts you may include. Just trying to keep things organized!
I'm going to help solidify the plotting efforts over the next few days to help make sure everyone's on the same page, but none of it will be set in stone just in case latecomers want in too. If you want in, chime in on the spelunkers, rescue efforts, or support roles top-levels as applicable!
Any questions can be directed to this top-level or, for a quicker response, to Trace on discord/plurk.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

➼ i. GAS STATION

[ Simon comes across the gas station more by chance than anything else. He’s glad for it, either way. Simon Snow can and will eat anything, but even he has to draw the line at some of the spoiled food in his little cabin.

As he steps into the door, he realizes he hasn’t got any money, and suddenly he’s nervous. He hasn’t got it in him to steal, he thinks. The hesitation goes away (a little) when he sees there’s no one actually there to take his money.

Is it still stealing?

With some trepidation still, Simon starts to load up his arms. He’s not really caring about what he’s taking. He should be thinking more about Actual Meals, but he ends up grabbing several packs of beef jerky and sweets he’s never heard of. ]

➼ ii. CABIN NOT REALLY IN THE WOODS

[ This would be so much easier with magic.

The door to Simon’s tiny cabin is open, and he’s sweeping the dust out the door. He’s never done any sort of major clean up, but he likes it. He doesn’t have to think, he just has to do it. Maybe he’ll learn how to repair things the old fashioned way while he’s here. He hopes he doesn’t have to, because he misses home.

When he sees you walking by his lakeside shack, he decides to wave his hand and give an awkward sort of wave. ]

Hi.

[ The sun hurts. Sound hurts. There's a bird chirping nearby that he wants to tear the voicebox out of. This isn't the first time he's had to detox, but it's never a pleasant experience.

He tries to do some semblance of work to keep his mind occupied. Research. There's a lot of unanswered questions still and- Oh. ]

Hello, [ he answers, smiling now despite himself. Nothing cures what ails him more than cute boys crossing his path. ] You must be new here too, I presume?

Yeah. I guess.

[ It just seems so casual. Are you new here. Wherever here is. He’s not even sure who to blame for it.

But the man doesn’t seem to be the nefarious type. Simon’s judgement isn’t exactly great (better to assume everyone is an enemy anyway), but what else can he do? ]

Uh. I’m Simon. Nice to meet you.

[ He's very good at appearing unassuming. His intentions right now are fairly innocent, as far his usual ones go, and he's really just looking for any sort of distraction. ]

I'd think I'd remember a face like yours is all. [ Wee woo, flirt alert. He steps towards the cabin to bridge the distance between them and smiles all the while. ] The pleasure's all mine, Simon. I'm Professor Quintalian, but you can call me Quin.

So you've already set up house, hm?

[ Fortunately (unfortunately?), Simon is completely oblivious to the fact that this is flirting. He thinks it's just a weird thing to say, because his face, he's sure, isn't that remarkable.

He glances at the little cabin, then at Quin again. ]

Seemed like the best thing to do.

[ Unfortunate for Quin, but probably the best for Simon. Subtlty isn't exactly his forte though so it's only a matter of time. ]

It is nice. While I usually also appreciate a view, I figured I might be able to study a bit more undisturbed further back in the woods. [ A little bit more privacy to conduct his eventual experiments. ]

But I don't think I'll truly want for views with people like you around.

[ A little more overt. ]

[ Simon wonders what people like him means. Is it because of his wings? His tail? They haven't made an appearance here yet, but he can feel them beneath his skin, itching for freedom. He's worried that just thinking about them will make them pop. He's worried how anyone would know about it. ]

What's it you're studying?

[ Cute, Simon. He's trying to say you're cute. It seems like he's not getting anywhere, but that's fine. He's a persistent man if nothing else. ]

Oh, a variety of things! My main focus is in the field of Xenobiology, however, so I work on cataloging different alien species and learning as much as I can about them.

[ It's a good thing Quin keeps talking, because Simon has no idea what Xenobiology is. He knows what aliens are.

He had no idea they were real, and it probably shows on his face when his mouth hangs open a little in disbelief. ]

Like - Real aliens? Things from outer space? That's well cool.

Of course! Actually, you're all aliens to me as I am to you.

[ As he says that, there's movement beneath the shoulders of his lab coat. Out from the edge of his sleeves pokes two tentacles that twine around his hands and extend out a little past his fingers. ]

In case you wanted proof.

[ Simon's eyes go a bit wide. It's not because he's suddenly afraid of weirded out (he's faced things a lot weirder and scarier than a guy with tentacles). Just, you know, as a young man with a wing and tail problem, he's never seen anyone else even remotely like him.

He's aware his mouth is still hanging open as he sets aside the broom and steps down from the porch. Maybe, Simon thinks, he ought to bring up his own condition. What would his friends do?

They'd tell him to be careful (and he'd ignore them).

Simon decides to not say anything yet. He knows he can't keep it secret forever. He doesn't even want to, but he still doesn't actually know what's going on here. He does, however, leave a little space between himself and Quin while he looks at the wriggling tentacles. ]

Were you born with them or did something happen?

[ Ah. There's the reaction he loves to see. He doesn't seem scared by the extra appendages, which is a good thing, but certainly interested. ]

They're a byproduct of genetic experimentation so, no, I wasn't born with them. [ His species wasn't very exciting, honestly. ] It took some time to get used to them, but now I can't imagine life without!

[ One of the tentacles reaches out a little further. It waves back and forth idly in the air in front of Simon. ] They're just like extra limbs, extensions of me.

How long did it take? To get used to it.

[ Simon feels like he's used to his wings. He wouldn't say he's comfortable with them yet. Sometimes, sure. Honestly, he's not certain he'll ever fully embrace them, but seeing this gives him hope. ]

How do you hide them? Do you show people a lot? Do people care?

It took six months of physical therapy before I was functional again. After that, it was just a few months of adjusting and learning how to utilize them properly.

[ It's been about a year since it happened, he realizes. It feels so much longer than that some days. ]

They can be tucked into pockets of skin on my back so unless I'm going shirtless, no one would notice. I've shown a handful of people here though and they seem interested more than anything else.

That's wild.

[ Simon wonders if that's possible with him. He has a lot of questions but he doesn't even know how to articulate most of them, so he decides to just let this information sit for now. ]

Like, really cool.

You seem very interested in what people might think of unusual appearances.

[ Suspicious. Of course, he won't outright say that but he might as well have. ]

Not everyone will be accepting, I'm sure, but most seem to want to work together here rather than cause any issue.

( the weather is.... truly devastatingly hot, especially for one in full-length robes. caving to some sort of modern (future? a matter of perspective, he supposes) clothing is on his very short to-do list - in fact, it's precisely what brought him to the gas station today - but true to brilliant dumbass form, he has found himself lying blissfully along a shelf in the freezer instead. it would surely get unbearably cold after a while, but for one who has spent the better part of all summer in either the blazing heat or a cabin with poor air circulation, he's soaking it in.

in fact, he has most certainly fallen asleep in it, and it's in his post-nap bleary state that he fails to check who might be nearby to accidentally startle as a freezer door seems to open of his own accord and a full grown man comes fumbling out.

he regains his footing, reaching back in to claim his flute, then lets the door close behind him - and only now does he notice the hapless man collecting an armful of basic goods. an unfamiliar face, and he'd like to think he has seen most all of them by now, small as this 'containment zone' is. so he gives a little wave of his flute, as if exiting the freezer is an entirely normal way to arrive on the scene, and - )

Wouldn't bother grabbing any ice, sorry to say - it melts before you're in sight of the lake. ( as he and no doubt a dozen others have attempted by now, not counting the handful who may have found or fashioned some sort of cooler. it is, perhaps, the best 'newbie advice' to mind on such short notice. )

[ Simon doesn't scream. It takes a lot to really scare him these days, and even when he is scared, his reaction is to just stare a bit. But he does give a bit of a start. People don't just climb out of freezers so casually. Simon hadn't even been aware someone was there until the voice hit his ears, and he was worried at first he was going to get shouted at for having no money to pay for all the junk.

But, no. It's just a freezer man.

And Simon does blink at him. ]

I - Sorry, it's just - Uh. No ice, sure.

( what? the man is looking at him like he's grown an extra head, and wei wuxian glances looks at himself in puzzlement before casting a glance over his shoulder at -

oh, that's probably why.

he lets out a sheepish chuckle, waving a vague hand in the freezerward direction. ) Ah, don't mind that - it's one of the few places left to nap without sweating your life away, in this heat.

Oh.

[ Still weird, mate.

How long was he in there? Why didn't he die?? Simon adjusts the bags of crisps and jerky in his arms to keep some from sliding to the floor. ]

Do - Is that usual? For people to do that here?

( well, for one, wei wuxian had precisely zero idea that such a thing kills people, so there's that. as for why he's not dead, it's quite a large freezer with plenty of oxygen to use up before he asphyxiates.

meanwhile, he thought his explanation made quite a bit of sense, and this man's continued skepticism has him raising a brow with a bit of a sigh. )

No, what's 'usual' is for people's limbs to rot away or turn to glass and break to bits, or for voices to nag at your mind, or for mysterious caves to crumble in and try to crush you and drown you at once. Are we still terribly concerned with my nice chilly nap, or have we raised the bar a bit?

[stealing is sort of all sizhui's been doing this whole time. during his initial visit, he waited and waited (and waited) for someone else to come along before finally accepting he was going to have to break a rule by simply taking whatever he needs.

that's exactly why he's strolling through the gas station without a care in the world, collecting small bags of candy and potato chips, tucking them into his steadily filling arms. alongside snacks, he has bandages, disinfectant, a book or two he thinks might prove decent to read. whenever he spots simon raiding the beef jerky, the lan disciple perks, eyebrows lifting with consideration.]

Is that all you're going to eat?

[as if sizhui is one to talk with his own junk food tucked into the crook of his elbow.]

Uh.

[ Simon looks down at his arms. He doesn't necessarily feel ashamed by it. This is just how he eats, how he's always eaten, and he's never actually had to cook before so he wouldn't even know what to do with anything else.

He's mostly wondering if he's forgotten something obvious. ]

For now, yeah.

[he shouldn't feel ashamed at all, sizhui's honestly surprised he's getting some semblance of meat; most everyone else seems to go for the carbs or sugar but beef jerky at least has some protein.

hmmm, a moment of contemplation then he plucks an orange package of chips from his arm, gestures toward the bag simon's currently holding and smiles.] Would you trade me some of that for these— [sparing a glance down, his head tilts, he squints at the package then,] —cheese puffs? Or perhaps you'd prefer something else that I have!

[so sizhui shuffles closer, moves his arm around to present the other items he's holding; chocolate bars, peanut butter cups, barbecue and plain salted potato crisps.] Whatever one you like, it's yours.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

(event) WAY DOWN WE GO

Simon Snow | Not Event Related and OTA

ii. cw: mentions of past drug use

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gas station

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gas station;

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