Week 6

[bathymetric]

Good morning, New Rapture. A new day is dawning.

Another week at the bottom of the sea. You may start to mark the passage of time by the increasing number of people you seem to be bleeding each week - look how few of you there are now. Nearly half your number gone, and for what? The shadowy machinations of some madman? You've met some others, but they seem unable or unwilling to solve this problem for you. Time marches onwards.

In the abyss, New Rapture starts to wake. It's small things, for now - the lights of a building here and there, the flicker of a neon sign for some small business. The restoration of this city continues.

Speaking of this city, there's a new branch of your little slice of it to explore. It's certainly the most picturesque of the branches you've seen.

There's more to see and do, citizens of New Rapture. And hey, there's coins to get, too.



SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

[ ooc: Welcome to the sixth week of Unknown Seas Round 3! Please make sure to mark any investigation toplevels accordingly, post your ac, and you can reach either Mayor Fontaine or Eleanor for conversations! ]

Comments

[onemillion]

[Right, the penguin. Rossiu nods.]

It's... certainly not easy, no.

[Tainted by bodies...]

But we can enjoy our time here, at least.

[...for now!]

[inaclearing]

Hopefully. It's, ah...it's not that dangerous, for a forest. Clear paths, temperate. Contained.

[onemillion]

Do you think it could be dangerous?

[Obviously he hadn't really thought about that at all so uh. Hmm! Bad!]

[inaclearing]

Some experts think that nearly 1600 missing people were just lost to the wilds back home. Disappeared into the woods.

[A real normal statistic to just have in your back pocket? Brett cracks a smile a second later.]

I'm being dramatic. This is all cultivated land. But the woods where my cabin is - where I was before this - the town's lost two people to them over the past two years. That's how I inherited the cabin at all. I'm used to...thinking about that, every time I look outside.

[onemillion]

[That's a hell of a statistic to pull out of nowhere!!]

Oh, I can certainly see how that would be your first thought here, then. I must admit, I'm not very familiar with the woods. We haven't had many people decide to venture away from Kamina City since we reclaimed the surface, although I can imagine it would be incredibly easy to become lost and disoriented in them.

[Leading to attacks by animals or even starvation or dehydration... Yeah, he can see where that'd be deadly!!]

[inaclearing]

I'm not exactly trained in survival, so I stay out of them. Hiking trails every now and then, maybe, but...I guess I've gotten a little superstitious about those particular woods.

Still...

[In the tone of someone making a quotation:]

"The truth is, there’s really only one thing that kills anyone who dares to venture into the untamed wilderness - our innate tendency to make emotional decisions in critical situations."

We're no safer from that here.

[onemillion]

[Oh, now that's a fitting quote.]

You're right. I can see how that could lead to terrible consequences out in the woods... but perhaps it's true of any dire situation. Decisions born of emotion aren't always a bad thing, of course, but making any sort of rash decision can be a detriment in a situation like this.

[inaclearing]

[ain't it just?]

It's about acting out of panic, or - or anger. Or grief. Instead of...you know, having anything else to fall back on, like training or experience.

Not that any of us exactly have experience at this kind of thing, I guess. [Not anymore.]

[onemillion]

No, certainly not. And taking a moment to try to clear your head and look at things rationally isn't easy, particularly in these circumstances.

[Fear in particular is great at that!!]

[inaclearing]

Yeah. You have to be prepared and trained for situations like that - to have practiced so much that your brain will seize on those habits, rather than just reacting. Those of us who are combatants are maybe a little better prepared. And then you've got people like me and Jonathan...

[It's a little wry.]

[onemillion]

Yes. It isn't easy, and even those who seem to be prepared can still fall prey to paranoia and fear. Even so, the fact that you're here means you've been doing a good job, doesn't it?

[Don't worry Brett, you're fine.]

[inaclearing]

I think it mostly means I've been lucky.

[He shrugs.]

Don't worry, I'm not gonna start talking about how useless I am. I know we've all got our strengths. Just - god, I feel so helpless.

[onemillion]

I understand. Truly, I... have often found myself wondering what more I could be doing and whether there was anything I could have done for the others that died...

But I think that's the point of this place - we are supposed to second-guess ourselves. We are supposed to feel helpless because we aren't supposed to succeed.

So everything we find, every step we take as a group is something to strive for - because we aren't supposed to be a group. We will find a way forward and we will find a way to put an end to this.

[Because considering anything else simply isn't an option.]

[inaclearing]

...yeah. Yeah, okay. Believing that is really the only way forward, isn't it?

[He sighs, and is quiet for a moment.]

Maybe we should...do more things together. All of us. Most of the times we're together as a group are...because someone's died. I know no one really feels like it - I don't feel like it. But that group painting thing was nice.

[onemillion]

I think it helps. It... may not seem like it sometimes, but building a sense of comradery against the Mayor is very important. More organized activities like that could prove helpful in that regard.

[inaclearing]

[.....]

We could go bowling.

[onemillion]

Do you think enough people here know how to play? And how to teach it to those of who don't, of course.

[inaclearing]

Sure, it's easy. Bowling isn't really about being good at bowling, anyway. It's something you do while you hang out with your friends and eat nachos.