COMMENCE VOYAGE

[bathymetric]

Fun Fact: Did you know the Atlantic Ocean has a surface area of 41.1 million square miles? No reason.

...

There's something uneasy in the air as you come to.

Well, "come to" is an interesting word in this case. It implies waking up, which is not exactly what happens. None of you are in beds, nor are you really asleep in the traditional sense. One moment you're somewhere else, doing something else with your time, and the next? You're somewhere on board a massive cruise ship - maybe lounging on a deck chair by the pool, maybe getting some Gains in the exercise room, maybe enjoying the tasteful décor in the buffet - and you have no idea how you got here or how you might get back. This is not your beautiful house. If you have a beautiful wife, she isn't here.

What you do have, apart from 25 other unlucky souls, is a small smartphone-like device in your pocket with only a handful of things on it: a clock reading 11PM, a pdf of a ticket in your name on a special Atlantic Liners New Year's Eve Cruise, an app labeled Passenger Profiles with some basic information on your traveling companions, and a message:

Welcome aboard, passenger! Please feel free to partake of any of the facilities while you wait for the big event! Remember: when midnight comes, you better make your way to the theatre at the back of Level 1 for the main event! The Captain and the First Mate will be there to take care of you all personally, and to help you ring in the new year in style!

Well, that's a start. But what you do until then, it seems, is up to you!

Comments

decks

[guffawsungraciously]

[Jasper, meanwhile, only seems mildly confused by the creature speaking to him. He thought he was familiar with most monster species in the world, but this one seems a little...

...not... designed by Akira Toriyama...]

I believe I am corporeal enough, as is the rest of the situation. I suppose I cannot blame you for disbelieving your eyes if this is as much of a departure from your previous surroundings as it is for me.

Re: decks

[ahelpingpaw]

Oh, good. I haven't gone insane or anything. After the surprise dunking in the pool I was starting to fear I didn't get enough oxygen in time...

[It'd explain hallucinations, really. But hey, looks like he's fine. Meaning this creature he's talking to is real. That's a different concern to have, really]

You seem to be taking it...calmly enough?

[Enough to be mildly confused at Filbo and not be panicking and running and demanding answers very loudly, at least]

[guffawsungraciously]

...you woke up in the pool? How... unfortunate.

[Definitely not an aquatic monster, then...]

Well, in any case, I see no point in running around like a chicken with its head cut off. We are far more likely to find out what is going on here if cooler heads prevail.

[ahelpingpaw]

Exactly! We can't just fall apart every time bad happens.

[Hah!]

Well, the Captain should have answers. The problem is that there's no guarantee those answers will be the ones we want.

[Says he, blissfully unaware the answers will be pretty much 'go kill each other will you?'. He's imagining something along the lines of not being able to get off the ship for a few days, not that.]

[guffawsungraciously]

I do not particularly expect them to be the ones we want, no.

[Jasper doesn't exactly expect how bad they'll be, but he doesn't expect them to be great!]

So I believe it to be of some import that we learn as much as we can on our own, all things considered.

[ahelpingpaw]

If only we had something to negotiate with. We don't really have anything.

[No money, and even if he did, he's sure it wouldn't be valid here]

[guffawsungraciously]

Unfortunately, no, we do not. Not that we know of, anyway.

[Maybe if they get creative... but who knows man!]

In any case, I am sure we can begin planning further after whatever this event happens to be. It is not exactly easy or even plausible to break everything down in one hour, after all.

[ahelpingpaw]

Besides it's midnight. Many of us are going to be too tired to do much. Not that I like the thought of sleeping here, starting to work in the morning may be for the best.

[And kudos to those who manage to get a good night of sleep even after being told to murder each other. Surprisingly enough, that includes Filbo, but that's because he was too exhausted to really stay awake the whole night worrying about things]

[guffawsungraciously]

Admittedly, it does feel a bit as though we just woke up... but I imagine processing all this will take enough of a toll that we likely will not feel up to it.

[...like, sure, he's going to be staring at the ceiling for most of the night silently dealing with an emotional crisis, but.]