(january catch-all) 2021 IS OFF TO A WEIRD START

[vestigemods]

JANUARY CATCH-ALL

► AT LEAST YOU FINALLY GET TO REST?

Though the new year starts off uneventful enough, with sunny skies and an inch or two of snow melting away with each new day, that good fortune lasts a whopping two whole days. At 5 AM on the 3rd, those slumbering fall into an even deeper sleep, and those still awake (or already awake, you overachievers) find themselves struck with an abrupt and insurmountable wave of exhaustion. It's all you can really do to lie down deliberately rather than collapse altogether, let alone making it to any sort of bed. And this is how the population of the containment zone remains for fourteen whole days, dead to the world (figuratively, of course) and to anything which may or may not be occurring around them.

Then, sometime throughout the 16th, you wake up - though the ambient ache in your neck, back, and joints may make you wish that you hadn't. It's almost as if you slept wrong, or... y'know, slept on the floor, apparently. (At the very least, those who were outside at maintenance time were moved indoors for the duration of it, though they were moved to the nearest available building so... have fun waking up in someone else's cabin, I guess.)

The first time you notice the date (on your phone, or maybe someone else breaks the news in their own confusion or panic), you probably struggle to believe it. Two weeks that you've been asleep. It doesn't feel like two weeks - you're clean, only mildly hungry or thirsty, with only a faint weakness in your muscles as you stand. It almost feels more likely that the Technicians adjusted the date overnight to alarm you. Perhaps you might even believe it, but for the evidence otherwise. The milk in your fridge has expired. The snow outside your door is fresh and untouched, with no sign of your passage supposedly yesterday. And the animals are gone, as well. Perhaps not a sign of how long you've slept, but certainly a sign that something isn't right.

If you expected an explanation, you aren't going to get one. Unless by 'explanation' you mean 'goddamn blizzard'.

A GODDAMN BLIZZARD

Because that's exactly what sets in on the 20th, a gale-force blizzard with increasingly limited visibility. Here's hoping you were smart enough to set out for home as soon as it began, because you aren't given more than a couple of hours before navigating outdoors is damn near impossible, between the visibility issue and the rapidly-deepening blanket of snow. As the afternoon fades to evening, it only seems to be getting worse. Those cabins with appropriately-slanted roofs find that the snow slides down to pile heavily against the cabin's exterior walls and door. Those cabins with a flat or gently-sloped roofs, on the other hand, are at strong risk of a part of their roof (and thus ceiling) collapsing under the weight of all that snow. As if having a blizzard outside the cabin wasn't bad enough.

And then things get just a little bit worse. Just before sunset, the cabins' electricity starts to flicker - just a little at first, but increasing in intensity until it finally goes out altogether a half hour later. This lasts through the night, and while it may seem promising that electricity within the town itself remains steady, that too goes into a blackout just before dawn.

This blackout lingers through the 21st and into the 22nd, cold seeping in through the windows and cracks as you huddle near the fire or generator-run space heater and hope for the best... But even the best isn't pleasant in the slightest. The lack of internal heat lets the doors and windows freeze shut, and snow piles high enough around the house's exterior that you'd have to climb out an upstairs window in order to exit. Not only is it cold as hell, but everyone's more-or-less trapped in it for now.

But not even the cold and the dark can last forever, and the blizzard lets up to a light dusting of snow mid-day on the 22nd. That evening, the power flickers back on as well, but some cabins/apartments/buildings may find that it's less consistent than others, continuing to flicker dangerously throughout the next day or so. But that doesn't mean the ordeal is over yet. The snow may have slowed to an almost laughable sprinkle and the sun may shine warm and bright in the rapidly-clearing sky, but that still leaves each cabin or building piled up with snow nearly as deep as you are tall (except you, Vivi - it's about twice your height). Might want to start digging yourself out, since it'll take nearly the rest of the month to melt down to reasonable levels if you don't.

► MOD NOTES

• This is the January Catch-All Log, for all log top-levels throughout the month. Large gatherings (parties, meetings, etc) are still encouraged to post their own logs for organizational purposes!
  
• This log also encompasses both Annual Maintenance (Jan 3rd - 16th) + Hey, Who Turned Out The Lights? (Jan 20th - 22nd), discussed at the bottom of the January Bulletin.
  
• Because this is a catch-all for everywhere + all month, try to remember to label your top-levels with identifying information like the IC date and location of each prompt (whether in the subject or in the prompt title within the comment), and be sure to clearly indicate event prompts.
  
• ( ! ) For the sake of organization, a top-level has been provided for all Annual Maintenance shenanigans and exclusively those. Please put any shared dream prompts under the top-level for the sake of organization, while any non-dream prompts should be posted as a regular top-level as normal.
  
• Cell phone signal does work during the blackout, but inconsistently! If you'd like to play with the trapped/isolated feelings, feel free to say they can't get a message out/in (or that it takes a long time to do so) even if others are able to more easily.
  
• Any questions can be directed to this top-level or, for a quicker response, to Trace on discord/plurk.

Comments

Winston | Overwatch | OTA

[moonape]

Of Cabins and Peanut Butter: 16th-19th

[After his arrival on the network, Winston can be seen having a look around the cabins and the immediate area. Big ol gorilla in his gear, jump pack on his back. He definitely stands out.

If he's not at the cabins he'll be in town checking out Foodland. I'm not saying you'll catch him checking out the peanut butter, but. Yeah. He's definitely considering stocking up.]

... hmm, I wonder if they have any bananas here too?


Tis the Season for a Blizzard: 22nd-???

[During the blizzard and the power being out, along with the heat, Winston had taken to collecting all the blankets and pillows in the cabin and making a big ol' nest in the living room. He's now thankful he did stock up on that peanut butter!

When the snow seems to stop piling up, Winston adventures out of his warm nest to open the door to his cabin. Oh boy.

Closing the door he ends up having to very awkwardly, it's already awkward enough fitting through the doors here, pull himself through a window on the second floor and up onto the roof. Surveying the white wonderland, Winston makes a leap for it!!!

He'll spend a lot of time clearing out the snow around his own cabin, and works to try and make his way to others. He's a big boy, he can do a lot of snow slinging. Do not be alarmed if you hear noises outside your door!

A polite knock will come eventually.]

Uh hello? Everyone okay in there?

Blizzard

[theprezident]

[ So, Rhys really needs to move out of this cabin. Where to go isn't the problem, the weather is, and the question of whether he wants to bring anything with him or not. And then they all fell asleep for a couple of weeks, and then there was a blizzard, and he just ... hasn't gotten around to it.

Something he's not sure whether he regrets or not when he finds himself snowed in. Would an apartment building be worse? Would there be another way out? Here, he can at least theoretically get one of the upper floor windows open and get out and-- What's that noise?

He makes his way to a window in time to see a huge ape digging the cabin out of the snow. It seems seeing Winston on the network really didn't do his size justice. He ends up staring long enough for the knock to sound. Rather than go back downstairs, though, he opens the window. ]

Up here, big guy! I'm okay!

[moonape]

[Hearing someone call from above he peers up. Ah! Squinting against the bright glare of the sun on the white snow he can make out a familiar face from the network.]

Ah, hello! I hope this isn't a regular occurrence here. There's only so many places you can move so much snow before it's too much.

[Don't mind Winston climbing easily up to the roof so he can better talk to Rhys.]

I'm working on getting the cabins dug out enough that we can make sure everyone inside is alive and well. Checking on supplies is next on the agenda.

[theprezident]

[ Oh, wow, hello. At least he can straighten back up and doesn't have to strain his back leaning out like that. ]

I think so long as no one got caught in the storm, everyone should be okay. Are you?

[moonape]

Thankfully I had visited Foodland to stock up before the storm hit. I'm no worse for wear.

[Peanut butter and bananas, the diet of champions?]

Let's hope everyone managed to get to shelter. [He clears his throat.] But idle hands don't move snow. Stay inside where it's warm, I'll finish cleaning up out here.

[And Winston is leaping off the roof back down into the snow, big old arms and hands shoveling away.]

[theprezident]

Oh-- Let me know when you're done? I could use your help with something else.

[ He may have just met Winston, but the ... gorilla ... guy ... seems sensible enough, and those arms look really strong. There's so much more he could do to help out around the place. ]

[moonape]

[Rhys knows a sensible guy when he sees one!]

Shouldn't take to long.

[Hey he's here, he's happy(?) to help. If they don't they definitely don't stand a chance against whatever the Techs throw at them.

Winston is an ape of his word, maybe 15-20 minutes later he's calling it good. Rhys can now leave his cabin and the snow is no longer up around the windows. Ready for a break, Winston gives another knock at Rhys' door.]

You wouldn't happen to have any fruits or nuts in there? All this snow is making me hungry and working muscles I forgot I had.

[Athena would be proud.]

Oh and you mentioned something you needed assistance with?

[theprezident]

[ This time, Rhys is downstairs, so there's no reason to not open the front door. ]

Sure, let me see what I've got, then we can talk shop.

[ It won't be much, because he's only stocking up for himself now, but he leaves the door open and then heads into the kitchen. He has some apples and oranges, and a bag of cashew nuts. Luckily, it's a fairly big bag.

When he returns, he looks a little sheepish as he holds it out. ]

I'm not sure this is actually going to be enough for you? But it's what I've got.

[moonape]

[Winston will work on getting theough the doorway as Rhys wanders off to find something to eat. It's not that he can't get in and out of the doorways, but boy he misses the slightly larger ones back at Gibraltar base.

Turning sideways and maneuvering himself inside, it's the belly that does him in honestly, Winston gently closes the door. Sorry about him shaking off a little at the door, he doesn't want to get the whole house wet, but he's covered in snow!]

Erm, sorry about that.

[He does perk up at the offered bag of cashews, taking the bag gingerly in a big hand.]

Thank you, this will do fine.

[Don't mind him having a little sniff and popping a couple in his mouth. Those are nuts. Yep.]

Now then, what was it you needed help with?

[theprezident]

[ ngl, he didn't think Winston was going to get through the door at all, and he's very surprised. But, hey, he's not about to complain that he doesn't have to let the cold in or go outside into the cold. ]

A couple of things. Do you know if you can get into the hospital basement?

[moonape]

[Wow. Thanks Rhys for the confidence.]

Well, I can't say for certain. Unfortunately I've not had the chance to have a look in the hospital yet, I'd planned to, but the storm kinda ruined that.

[Just gonna sit and enjoy some nuts while they talk, though he's a gentleman, no talking with his mouth full.]

Besides the doors not being me sized, is there anything else keeping the basement from being accessed?

[theprezident]

No. But, uh ...

[ Where to start? ]

Have you seen the train in the town? One of the cars have a bunch of barrels of radioactive waste. I don't want it sitting out there, especially since I've been keeping track of them and someone's already taken one. The best place I could find to store them is the hospital basement.

[moonape]

I did actually, it's hard to miss!

[And he's tossing some more cashews into his maw when Rhys explains the reason for asking. Oh. Well. That's not good. Are the Technicians just banking on people who don't understand what that stuff is killing themselves with it... or those who do doing something nefarious?

Both. Probably both.]

We certainly don't want any more of those going missing, or ending up in the wrong hands. I think you've got the right idea. It'll be a bit of a snug fit through some of the doors, but a tight squeeze is worth one less hazard out in the open.

[Excuse him, little nut break. He's been working hard today okay. He deserves these nuts.]

I'm assuming you'd like to handle this as soon as possible, hm?

[theprezident]

Yeah, that would be good. But you can rest up and eat first, and stuff! What's another few hours?

[ Probably enough for someone to take another if they really wanted to, but whatever. Winston has already done a lot of work today. ]

[moonape]

[Well we can't have that!]

Rhys, if you think this is serious then we should head out now.

[Winston pushes up so he's no longer sitting.]

There's still quite a lot of snow out there, getting around could be difficult for you. I could do it myself if you trust me, but I understand if you'd like to see it for yourself.

[theprezident]

[ Well, okay. You're the boss, giant gorilla. ]

I'd like to come with. I'll be fine. Maybe. We'll find out.

Re: Winston | Overwatch | OTA

[bombshelled]

[ Lana's stocking up, too. Doing her every-few-days shopping run. (Really, she ought to go weekly like a normal human being, but she sucks shit at planning ahead.) She's rounding into the aisle with the peanut butter when she hears a voice ahead of her and answers without looking. ]

Yeah, produce section, Aisle tw--Holy fuck, talking gorilla!

[ Yeah, sorry. She'll get back to you in a minute about the bananas. ]

[moonape]

[At least she seems shocked more than scared. Winston offers a little wave, looking apologetic either way.]

Can't say that's the first time I've heard that. Sorry if I spooked you.

[bombshelled]

Uh... Yeah. I mean, no. I mean--! Fuck.

[ Okay, Lana. It's only the English fucking language. Don't let the fucking monkey speak it better than you. ]

Yeah, you did spook me a little. But don't worry about it. You're only, like... shopping or whatever. You have as much a right to be here as anyone else. I guess.

[ At least, he doesn't sound like he's a monster sent here by the technicians to kill her. ]

[moonape]

[Look maybe the Techs will suddenly flood the place with blood thirsty evil apes. Who can say?

Winston looks amused as the poor girl rambles awkwardly, laughing a little once she's finished.]

If you're concerned about insulting me I promise it's fine. I've heard a lot of crazy stuff has happened here, but I'm sure a talking gorilla is still up there on the list of unusual things.

[bombshelled]

[ Lana shrugs casually. ]

Eh. I've seen weirder. My friends and I fought a thirty foot tall walking goo monster once. Unusual things don't really phase me that much anymore.

[moonape]

[Rewinds the tapes to Lana's reaction to Winston. What's the truth Lana.

Just kidding, we kid.]

Thirty foot goo monster? I don't want to imagine the experiment gone wrong that caused that.

But you said you and your friends fought it? That must have been very dangerous.

[bombshelled]

[ LOOK. So she was startled. Fucking sue her. ]

Eh, it wasn't that bad. We've fought worse.

[ Lana herself didn't really get any shots in on the giant goo monster. She was too busy getting her revenge on the bitch drug dealer who killed her boyfriend Poey. ]

Let's just say, if you ever run into a company calling themselves Roxxon, avoid them at all costs. Fuck, I wouldn't be surprised if they were somehow behind this place.

[moonape]

Worse than a giant goo monster? Can't say I've fought one of those, but I've had my fill of terrorist groups, omnic or human, where I'm from.

[That's a perfectly good excuse to leave the goo monster to everyone else.]

Hmm, not a familiar name, but I'll keep an ear out. Would they have the means to do something on this scale?

[bombshelled]

Don't know what an omnic is. Is that like a mutant or an inhuman or something?

[ Too many different kinds of superpowered people. ]

I dunno. They seem to have that kind of power, back in the universe I come from. But who the fuck knows if that's even anything close to the same as this universe.