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vestigelogs2021-01-03 10:00 pm
vestigemods) wrote in vestigelogs2021-01-03 10:00 pm
(january catch-all) 2021 IS OFF TO A WEIRD START
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.
geralt, you grumpy old man
however unexpected as it is to encounter someone else outside, geralt of all people happens to be someone who has no problem taking care of himself, considering their first meeting.
a soft ‘oh!’ of recognition comes before he can stop it and he lifts his free hand, covers his mouth with his sleeve, which also hides the small smile that's started quirking his lips up.] Nice to see you again, too. [somehow, he stifles himself further, continues fussing with the orange peel, perking once some of the rind tears away.]
Have you been well?
That's him
[ He's also been pretty lonely, and missing Jaskier, but Gilia has been good company and he has a horse, so. Things could be worse.
Is he supposed to ask how Lan Sizhui how he's doing in turn? Nah. Instead, he's going to go pick out fruits to bring home. ]
sure is! alongside being a sad man ): aw
which is why he isn't totally surprised the man doesn't inquire about his well-being in kind; sizhui is here, right? obviously, he's doing just fine.
he looses an orange slice, brings it up, hesitates to asks,] Was the trip into town difficult? [then he downs the fruit and smiles, attention solely focused on geralt. sorry, pal, you can't escape so easily!]
:c
No.
[ They have acknowledged that they're both alive and, at least, physically well. Is that not enough?
Although this does remind him of Jaskier.
Why are these people drawn to him? Is it because they think there's some mystery to solve? Maybe he should try being a little more social and maybe that will somehow keep people away from him. ]
hopefully the bf will come back
Did you walk or come on horseback?
[no, it's not, and let's be real here: sizhui is being kind enough to allow geralt one-worded answers, so he needn't even worry about carrying the conversation. if he gets annoyed, like before when they had first met, he'd assume the man will say something.
while he isn't jaskier, he'll sure try and befriend geralt to the best of his ability. (which is full-on determination and unwavering persistence, so r i p in pieces, buddy—) also, it's no mystery or anything, sizhui's just a ridiculous boy who's too kind for his own good most days and geralt's no exception to this.
he's just going to be harder to have conversations with initially, that's all.]
yeeees
Walk.
[ In fact, he has only ridden the horses a few times since taming them, just to get them used to it. Considering the weather, it seems best to leave them at home.
And, look, he's just going to come out and ask. ]
Do you want something?
fingers! crossed!!! :')))
ah, but there it is; the eventual inquiry about wanting something. saying ‘friendship’ outright would sound odd though, wouldn't it? so rather than be that straightforward, sizhui tilts his head, eyes curiously wide, lips pinched a moment during his consideration (and because he still has an orange slice in his mouth).
he finishes that, sets the remaining half aside on his knee and blinks once, twice.] Not really, [comes the simple admittance then the boy adds,] just trying to make small talk.
wheeze
I don't do small talk.
[ The truth is, he doesn't really know how to 'make small talk'. What do you talk about? Who's gotten married lately? How the crops are doing? Not like they can talk about any of that. ]
"don't do small talk." bet you don't do *fun* either, geralt.....
[gosh, what else does he say now? if geralt doesn't make small talk, there's not much else to be said, but sizhui can't help thinking it's a little odd. (not in a bad way, just... different!) nevertheless though, he's too polite to mention it outright.]
You don't do it or—? [‘can't,’ is what he was gonna say, but perhaps that's too straightforward as well.]
He does not
'Or' what?
lmfghjfgh go easy on this child
Or...won't...?
How about no
Don't see the point. Glad you're alive.
[ As dry as his tone is, he does mean that. Are they done now? ]
well..... better than expected lbr
That's fair. I'm glad you are alive, too.
[for now, though before the man can get too far away, he looks back up again, grins ever-so-slightly then pipes,] If you need help finding anything, I'll be here!
It's true