Intro Log: The Forgotten City

[atlasmods]

GOOD MORNING NEW ARRIVALS This time for real! WAKEY WAKEY. As the storm finally peters out and characters can once again move above ground it becomes abundantly clear that the landscape has changed. Where vast expanses of sand dunes once laid is now the half-buried remnants of what looks like some sort of...city? Full of structures. It stretches so far it's really hard to tell. But there is one thing characters will notice: There are more stasis pods. Revealed by the sandstorm, a whole new flurry of pods can be found scattered on the way to the city (curiously though, not in it. Hurry and wake those guys up! SPREAD THE LOVE. OR ACID. With the departure of the storm there's even more new arrivals to be found besides those fellow travelers of yours! The "Seedlings" and "Cactus" are now both available, the former blown in by the storm and the former uncovered. The Seedlings are generally pretty harmless. They like to burrow into the sand so only their "Leaves" plant-like leaves remain above ground, and they're quite happy to stay that way until surprised. Then they pop up and trip over themselves a little, before slowing down and wandering aimlessly. When they find a patch of sand that looks comfy they begin burrowing back down. Pull or yank on their leaves though and you'll find yourself with a face full of pollen that makes you want to just tell everyone how super-cool they are. It lasts a while, and then you get a fever and vomit for two hours. Good times. The Cacti are much less harmless and just...why would you eat them? Everything about this plant is poisonous, and cracking it open causes a corrosive acid-like substance to spill out. It'll eat through everything but...dirt, oddly. Metals and flesh are like hot oil on plastic. DON'T GET LOST And last but not least: The Forgotten City. Maybe you want to check out the Hull first for some loot, but maybe that's not such a cool idea anymore? Although it looks like the ship's definitely more powered after draining the suits of whoever went in, now it's started to spread and fill the sinkhole the ship's in. Suits can go from 100% to 0% in just ten minutes--not good! Lucky for everyone else, it looks like finally there's some sort of civilization up ahead. Go on and check it out! OR DO. THAT'S OKAY TOO. Go nuts, have fun, and enjoy! (This is the wildcard option) OOC The Flora, Fauna & Resources page has been updated with information on the seedlings, cacti, and crystals! These items are now all available for Discovery, and The Forgotten City will be available indefinitely from now on! Characters can take this time to settle & build up a foundation for themselves, explore the area, and of course, harass those poor little seedlings. We encourage players to make their own open posts for this setting--you don't need to stick to just this intro log! But make sure to make our newbies feel welcome!

Comments

[winscenario]

[ Strange man? I think you mean your new best friend, Clark. ]

Oh. Hi. No, I just... [ He moves in a little closer, trying to settle his hands on the guy's arms. (Also, very impressive arms there, buddy.) ] You have any idea how awesome you are?

[anewhope]

[ His brow furrows, the lines knitting together on his forehead as he stares, baffled before kindly (and gently) pulling Jim's hand away from his arms. ]

I think you have me confused with someone else. Are you sure you're all right?

[winscenario]

[ Jim drops his hands from the man's arms with some reluctance, although he looks just as happy anyway. Mostly since the guy's so gentle about it, so it doesn't exactly feel like he's pushing him away. ]

Oh, yeah! I feel fine. I'm Jim, by the way. [ He offers his hand hopefully for a shake. ] It's really nice to meet you.

[anewhope]

[ Gobsmacked, but still polite enough to shake Jim's hand. It's firm, like grabbing steel. ]

It's nice to meet you too?

[winscenario]

[ Oh my God. Such deep admiration in his eyes right now. ] You have the most impressive handshake I've ever felt.

[ That would sound so wrong in another context. Wait, no. It still sounds wrong. ]

So what's your name?

[anewhope]

[ Faintly wry. ] I get that a lot.

I'm Clark. I'm from — [ Kansas? Metropolis? Earth? Krypton? His cover is blown so there's no point hiding his heritage but he still stumbles over this roadblock. Where does he truly belong? Nowhere, it seems. ] — I'm an alien from Krypton who grew up on Earth.

[winscenario]

I bet you do. [ Because seriously. Wow. ]

Oh. You're... Oh, that's great! [ Not that he knows any Kryptonians or anything but aliens are always cool. (Well, most of them. But Clark definitely is cool.) ] I've never heard of Krypton before. Which quadrant is that in?

[anewhope]

[ He averts his gaze. ]

I don't know. And you wouldn't find it. Krypton perished many years ago.

[winscenario]

[ Jim's face falls a little. Not even the pollen's enough for him not to see how difficult this likely is for Clark. ]

I'm sorry. [ Not that it's his fault, obviously. ] Did all your family make it to Earth, or were you... alone?

[anewhope]

Just me, I'm afraid.

[ But he looks up and smiles faintly. ] So I made new family instead.

[winscenario]

[ Jim's smile is quick to come back. What an excellent answer, Clark. ]

That's the spirit. [ He nods. ] What an awesome story. I mean, not the... destruction part. That sucks. Just that you put your life back together and found new people. You're so cool.

[anewhope]

[ He shakes his head. ]

It's not as neat or lovely as I made it out to be but I think that goes for any of us.

[winscenario]

Yeah, well. Life's never perfect. But you can still make it awesome, and it sounds like you definitely did.

[ It's just... hard to look at Clark and not think he's so incredibly cool in every possible sense. ]

[anewhope]

[ Clark would hardly call his life "awesome" though he doubts others would see it that way. ]

I think that's enough about me.

[ And he's getting the feeling that this isn't the norm for Jim, so he does a cursory scan of his being. Something was off, but he couldn't pinpoint it. ]

Did . . . anything happen to you before you saw me?

[winscenario]

Oh.

[ Jim looks thoroughly disappointed at that, but he doesn't say anything nor does he insist. Besides, if Clark wants to ask him any questions about himself, then he'll be all too happy to answer them. ]

You mean aside from waking up in one of those pods? [ He'd call that pretty eventful. ] Not much... I ran into a few people. Poked around a little. Found some weird plantlife. [ He shrugs. ] Why?

[anewhope]

[ Plantlife. Clark hadn't noticed it yet but there were new seedlings around this area. ]

I think the plantlife has . . . affected you in some way. I don't normally get some enthusiastic receptions.

[winscenario]

Really? Huh. [ Jim gives it some thought— some actual thought. Even if he looks far from bothered about it, he can still admit to himself that Clark might be right. ]

You know, the plant did act a little weird. It just jumped from the ground and started running around, and when I tried to catch it, it sprinkled some weird pollen on my face.

[anewhope]

We should look into getting that fixed.

[ Because as flattering as it might be, Clark is sure that Jim doesn't want to be fawning over him all the time (who would??) ]

[winscenario]

[ Excuse you, lots of people would. Jim could probably start a fan club. Obviously he'd be the leader of said club. ]

Why? I feel great. And I think you're great. Is that so bad?

[anewhope]

It's not bad as much as . . . completely foreign.

[ There are people who look up to him, but he's quite sure that nobody thought he was great. But then those are the perils of being a Superman. ]

[winscenario]

Really? [ Jim frowns a little. ] I find that hard to believe. You look distinctly cooler than most of the human race. You'd think you'd... you know, stand out.

[ And he doesn't even know about the whole Superman thing. ]

[anewhope]

I look cooler?

[ He glances at himself. Only his stature really stood out and Clark makes up for that in his non-threatening body language. ]

No, people easily miss out the big guy.

[winscenario]

You're kidding, right?

[ Vague gesturing at Clark's... well, everything. ]

You're tall, good-looking, broad shoulders, all muscle everywhere, chiseled jaw and pretty eyes— the question is how would people even miss you? I'd definitely check you out in a crowded room.

[ And Jim has an eye for these things so just trust him here. ]

[anewhope]

I try not to call attention to myself.

[ And he usually leaves the minute he does. It's a reaction he's trying to put down even now. ]

Besides, isn't all of that superficial?

[ Not that he's knocking on it. Physical attraction is important, but when Clark usually displays his powers, people don't think about how good-looking he is. ]

[winscenario]

It's a wonder how you manage that.

[ Jim can't imagine a guy like him going by unnoticed. Props for that, really. ]

A little, sure, but it's not irrelevant either. It's normal for people to like looking at pretty things. [ Eyes go down, then back up. ] Or pretty people.