Intro Log: The Forgotten City

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeah, I don't know. I just feel so great about everyone here. You're all pretty amazing, you know.

[ He nods, smiling even through the gloomy description of their current situation. Somehow none of those things seem to be quite so important to Jim right now, not anymore. ]

Me? Well, I'm from Earth, but I rarely ever set my feet down there these days. I'm a starship Captain. And no girlfriends or wives. Also no boyfriends or husbands, in case you're wondering. [ He raises an eyebrow, lips twitching. ] Why? Thinking of applying?

Well, you're attractive and friendly enough. I might be considering my options.

[This is essentially the most amusing banter she's had since arriving here, which means she's definitely smiling. And trying really hard not to laugh.]

I'm also from Earth, by way of London. Schoolteacher that rarely ever has the time to set my feet down at home thanks to planet hopping. No boyfriends or husbands, though you may have to accept the occasional affair with Jane Austen as a part of the deal.

[ She could always laugh, too. At this point nothing would offend him, really. So long as he gets to stick around and bask in her awesomeness then all is well. ]

Jane Austen? Wow. I mean, no worries. I'm not a jealous guy. But wow. You actually know Jane Austen? She's from literally ages ago for me. [ The planet hopping bit is intriguing, though. He's very sure that kind of technology wasn't around when Austen was alive. ] What year are you from?

[His reaction makes her eyebrows arch as she looks all kinds of pleased with herself. She rocks back a little as she nods in response to his questions about Jane Austen.]

I pop by and visit her from time to time. It's 2013 on Earth, in the time I'm supposed to be from. But I'm not sure what year it was on the planet I was last on, before I wound up here. Either way, she's from ages ago for me, too.

Time traveler too then, huh? Alright, I do have my own ship but that's officially much cooler. [ Although time travel isn't something Jim's unfamiliar with, and it also happened to mess up a lot of things in his universe— enough to split it into two, actually. So usually he's not personally a fan, but her version definitely sounds much nicer. ]

It's 2263 for me. Or it was, before I ended up here.

[Oh, so he has his own ship. She looks suitably impressed. She's just about to ask if it's a ship that can travel through time and space and has a chameleon circuit when he mentions the year he's from. And that gets her to laugh.]

2263? Hope you don't mind older women, then. Being born in 1986...well, let's just say it's a good thing I'm actually only 27.

[ The Enterprise might be pretty impressive in its own right, but it definitely can't do all of those things. Not that Jim's about to complain— he wouldn't trade her for any other ship, not even ten blue boxes. ]

Well, you're looking pretty amazing for being over 250, I'll give you that. [ He grins. ] But for what it's worth, age gaps never bothered me.

[Making a show out of essentially preening at his words, she places a hand on his chest as she rises up to whisper,]

Careful. There's such a thing as too keen.

[Laughing as she leans back, she finds herself in better spirits than she's been in a long while. Whatever he's on that puts him in such a good mood, she's not going to complain since it's brightened her day.]

[ His lips twitch a little in a weird mix of amusement and awe, eyebrow raising. ]

What? No way. What's so wrong about showing interest? [ Even a lot of interest. Yeah okay, maybe not ideal. And Jim's had enough experience with being too keen to know it doesn't always work in his favor, but he's not exactly in his right mind at the moment. ]

You've got a really nice laugh. And that's not a a come-on, for the record. I do mean that.

[His compliment makes her smile a little more, to the point where she has to look away to avoid feeling stupid. ]

There's nothing wrong with showing actual interest. Or complimenting me. Do go on.

[She moves to link her arm through his so they can walk and talk. He doesn't actually have to keep talking about her, someone needs to help her keep her ego in line.]

[ How she can feel stupid with a guy acting like a complete idiot next to her, that is a wonder. Also for the record he thinks the smiling and head-ducking are all very cute. ]

So how does an early 21st century school teacher end up planet hopping and time traveling?

[ Pausing on the compliments so he can ask that very important question. ]

It's a long story that involves a time traveling alien showing up on my doorstep dressed as a monk. There's robots involved, and near death experiences, but the end result is I let him take me out traveling on Wednesdays.

[All too happy to talk about her adventures, she freely tells him about how she met the Doctor. With how sad and homesick she's been recently, getting to talk about good memories is welcome.]

Sounds like fun.

[ He does raise an eyebrow at her, playful smile tugging at his lips. ]

So any guy with a ship will do, that it?

[She does a very good job of looking cross at that. Luckily, that look only lasts about three seconds before she's laughing.]

I'm almost thirty and still single. I can't afford to be picky. Any bloke with a ship'll do.

[ Jim chuckles too, not looking the least bit put off by her look or her answer. Which he knows is just as joke, but even if it weren't, Jim can't really talk. Not like he's ever been picky. ]

Well sadly I don't have my ship here. Or else I'd take you for a ride too. [ He tries to sound innocent but there are still copious amounts of innuendo there, sorry Clara. ] Is that a deal breaker?

[There's no way for him to make that sound innocent, and from the grin on her face, she doesn't mind in the slightest.]

I'd say it is, but I don't want to get off on the wrong foot by lying.

[ Well at least she doesn't mind, so that's good. Not that Jim looks like he'd have been too upset either way, but still. ]

Yeah? That's great. [ He tugs her a little closer by her hand. ] I was hoping I could stick around, spend some time together. Since you're so great and all.

[Her lips purse together, almost as if she's trying not to laugh, but she does let him pull her in closer. ]

I wouldn't say no, if you wanted to stick around. Thing is, there isn't exactly a lot to do here. Especially since there's not a chance I'm letting you do anything that requires taking off these suits.

[It's a desert and things suck, and she's still not sure he isn't under the influence of something. It's not like they have a lot of options here.]

Aw. Way to crush a guy's hopes. [ He's joking okay. ] It's nice to know that option was on the table if not for the suits, though.

[ Boy, does Jim ever appreciate people who are straightforward about this sort of thing. Even if he wasn't even thinking about that himself. Not this time, anyway. ]

We can just talk, I guess. I do happen to enjoy that too, for the record.

[Staying in close, she tries really hard to duck her head and hide the fact that she's smirking in amusement.]

Oh, I'm sure your hopes will mend themselves when they hear that I'm sure there's plenty of creative ways to work around the suits. 'Til one's figured out, just talking'll have to do.

[Chuckling, she presses a kiss to his cheek. He's a little weird, but still a gentleman. She can get behind that.]

I'm sure you have plenty of fascinating stories about your ship, yeah?

First piece of good news I've heard. [ Raising his eyebrows at her, his head tips a little and his grin widens when she leans in to kiss his cheek. ] We could always be pioneers in that discovery, you know. I'm sure a lot of people here would be really grateful.

[ Sure, Jim. Because anyone's priority when stranded on an alien desert planet is to get laid. ]

Yeah, a few. About the places we've visited too. I'll share if you do?

Sounds like a good way to spend the day. Come on, then. I'll find us someplace decent.

[She loves hearing stories and getting to tell them too, so she can easily get wrapped up in doing that for hours. So she starts to lead him toward her favorite place to sit in the shade during the daytime.]

Question, though. Are you generally this forward with everyone you've just met?

[ Jim follows willingly, all too happy to share some of his stories, but most of all eager to learn about hers. She could probably lead him down a cliff right now, honestly, with how keen he seems on following after her like an awed puppy.

Also, sitting in the shade sounds pretty great. ]

Kind of hard to say. I used to be, but... feels like ages ago, actually. Guess I'm just feeling particularly friendly. [ He shrugs. ] Do you mind?

[She's still not convinced that he's not on something, but figures that if she can keep an eye on him then he won't go and do something stupid. ]

If I minded, I wouldn't be spending time alone with you, would I?

[She teases him a little, nudging him with her hip as she does.]

I just want to make sure I shouldn't be keeping a closer eye on you, is all.

[ Oh he's definitely on something, but of course Clara wouldn't know. She will, however, when they inevitably meet again. Jim doesn't often feel embarrassed but he'll likely have an apology or two to spare to a few people at this point. ]

Well, I make no promises. But you definitely have my full and undivided attention now.

[ The problem is his attention seems to be a little all over the place right now. But as long as he's near Clara she'll continue to be one of the greatest and coolest people he's ever met. ]

(no subject)

ex_bossily211 - 2016-11-28 21:18 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

winscenario - 2016-11-29 00:40 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only