002 - Growing Pains

[tabularasa_mods]

Growing Pains State of the World ▲ Locations ▼ Bestiary
OOC ▲ Comments A Light In The Darkness
Light seems to have been especially tricky for the world to comprehend, but it finally, finally seems to have figured things out. Light comes from more than just the sky, and now signs and lamps that were once dark have begun to glow brightly. From the Wall Market's dazzling exhibition of color to the dimmed street lamps of the City of Tears, the whole world has been made bright and lively once more without losing the comfort and tranquility that darkness brings. Even the broken screens of the Hammerlocke Stadium give off a pleasant glow, and the world doesn't seem to care that some lights need electricity to stay on - lights are simply lights, as far as the world seems concerned.

Unfortunately, these new lights are a little too simple. Without any need for a power source, there's no way to turn the lights off - if something is deemed a light source, it will always function as a light source. The only way to stop it is to destroy the object beyond recognition, but that might not be the most practical solution. Covering up the lights is the next best thing, but it's a task that's easier with some sources than others. At least no one needs to sleep yet.

Difficulties aside, now seems like the perfect time to start exploring all those new corners of the world that were previously too dark to navigate. Fire is an easy, safe and portable light source that anyone can use, and it even puts itself out after awhile. Just be careful not to get stuck in the dark by a stray breeze.

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Who's Hungry?
Animals need to eat. People need to eat. These are simple facts that people lost in the strange, changing landscape all seem to be well aware of, yet appear to not apply to this world. That is not to say that people can’t eat or drink, for many people do, but there is no actual need. Eating provides nothing but the knowledge that one has eaten, and anyone might go without food entirely. Lately, some might have found eating has become more satisfying and fulfilling an act, as though food is providing them with a vaguely-defined something they didn’t get before. It doesn’t seem to mean much in the grand scheme of things, but perhaps it allows them some sense of normality.

When hunger sets in, it’s sudden. Every person, whether or not they ever needed to eat in their homeland, is hit with a powerful, overwhelming sense of hunger, to the point it feels that if they do not eat they will soon starve. Those who have never eaten in all their time here might easily find themselves so hungry they can barely even move, and have little choice but to eat. Fortunately, food is plentiful. If it can be put in the mouth, chewed and swallowed, it is food, and thus will give a person temporary relief from their hunger. What goes in does not appear to come out, instead simply becoming part of that person and revitalizing them. How long it takes to feel hungry again seems entirely random, and each time there is no lead up - someone is either fine, or they are starving, without any in-between.

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Starving Mad Beasts
When people suddenly remember hunger, so too do the animals of the world. For some creatures this isn't an issue - the tall-necked beasts continue to graze on the treetops like they always have, and the smaller creatures seem content with snacking on whatever small scraps they can find. Not all creatures are so easily satisfied, however, and the more aggressive ones have turned to attacking other species for food.

The vicious water dragons are quick to clamp their mouths on anything within reach... but, lacking teeth, this doesn't amount to much. Still, they're as persistent as ever, and in a way their inability to viciously devour their prey only makes them more dangerous. These beasts are starving, and for all their skill in chasing down prey they can do little to actually eat their catch, which means they're constantly on the hunt and out to get anything that moves. Perhaps it might even be a good idea to help them out, if feeding the fish might make them a little less aggressive.

The machines are far better equipped for hunting, and all the more dangerous now that they're hungry enough to take a bite out of someone. Death is not a concept the world understands, so it's not like they're doing any permanent harm, but it's still a bit unnerving to see animals limping by with bite-sized chunks taken out of them. They haven't had a taste of people yet, but it doesn't seem like it'll be long before they try.

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Mushroom Hunting
Mushrooms are a new sight within the world, and a perfect snack to satisfy that sudden debilitating hunger! Harvesting them can be a bit of a problem, however. For one, they are massive, and the task of cutting one down and breaking it into edible chunks is made much easier with a group of people than one person working alone. Finding the mushrooms in their dark habitats may also be difficult... although, it is much easier to spot a mushroom the size of an entire person compared to something much smaller.

The real problem with mushroom hunting is where they can grow, which is nearly anywhere indoors. Though light now comes from other sources besides the sky, there are still buildings with dark corners that might suddenly acquire a giant mushroom or two (or three, or four) if left alone. And if those mushrooms are allowed to remain, they may just continue to grow, and grow, and grow...

So, if you don't want giant mushrooms bursting through your roof, it might be a good idea to keep an eye out for them before that happens.

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code bases by tricklet

Comments

Hungry

[halloflamer]

"G-Gramps!?"

A panicked voice calls out as Oak groans and rolls over, and after a few seconds Blue is rushing to his side, resting one hand gently against Oak's back to support him and another to his shoulder. Even Eevee rushes in and coos, worriedly pawing at Oak's cheek. His immediate concern is something like a heart attack- Blue always did worry that he would push himself too hard when he was out in the field, like this! But soon enough, he hears the weak mumbling, and is at least a little less panicked. The hunger had hit him too, huh?

"Just hold on, okay? I've got something for you." Blue urges, reaching to his trainer bag with one hand. Luckily, he's been gathering and drying mushrooms as emergency rations for exactly this purpose, bundled in a makeshift roll he'd made from some cloth.

He unwraps it and offer up some slivers of mushrooms to Oak to eat- they've even been nicely seasoned with salt, pepper and different flavors he'd simmered them in with ingredients from the café, to make them more appetizing. "Here, can you eat on your own?"

[symbolofstrength]

With Blue's support, Sam is able to sit up, weakly reaching over to give Eevee a reassuring pet. In his starved state, he's able to smell the mushrooms long before they appear, and eagerly accepts the offering.

"I think I can do that much." He remarks, before beginning to eat. The mushrooms seem to warm him from the inside out, soothing the aching void, which grows smaller and smaller until it's not bothering him anymore.

"I feel much better now. Thank you." He goes to pet Eevee again, as if apologizing for worrying it.

[halloflamer]

Eevee seems relieved once Oak is able to sit up and give him pats, flicking his tail to and fro and rubbing his fuzzy cheek to the man's hand. Blue breathes a deep sigh of relief and flops back to let Oak eat, and the strength seems to return to the man bit by bit. Thank goodness....

"I can't believe something this strange has started to happen," Blue shakes his head, watching as Eevee happily parks himself by Oak's lap to take pats. "I thought it was strange that we don't get hungry, or tired, or anything like that... But I didn't expect it to hit so suddenly."

He watches Oak for another moment to make sure he didn't collapse again, and frowns. "Are you feeling okay now, gramps? Do you want me to fetch you water, too?"

[symbolofstrength]

Hope you don't mind Sam shamelessly cuddling your Eevee while he talks, Blue.

"No, it's alright. But we should still carry food and water with us, just in case." His first order of business to reassure the young man. Though he is at something of a disadvantage when it comes to carrying things, having given up his labcoat after the Smeargle ruined it; now all he has is his pants pockets. If only he'd had a bag when he showed up here....

"It is a bit odd, isn't it? About as odd as all the new places and creatures that show up sometimes. And how light went away and came back again." He can't put his finger down on a time frame, of course, but there are things here that weren't part of the initial wave of substance; this world is getting built up in stages.

[halloflamer]

No one would mind Eevee cuddles! Not least of which was Eevee, who happily crawls himself to Oak's lap and curls up there, ready to receive all the attention he could handle.

"Yeah, I'm glad I thought to start carrying some stuff around," Blue agrees. He always carried a water bottle in his trainer bag, and he usually had a stock of berries or snacks for Pokémon, too- to pep them back up after battle, if nothing else. Luckily, humans could use those just fine, too... Maybe he could find something in the marketplace that had popped up, for gramps to carry around, too.

Blue had started to hear a lot of different theories from others about what was happening in this world- whatever it was, it was beyond what he'd initially expected. "...Gramps, do you think there's someone consciously doing all of this? Or do you think it's sort of-- the natural world adapting to us?" That was one theory he couldn't decide how he felt about. On the one hand, the idea of nature adapting around them felt less sinister, in a way.

[symbolofstrength]

If nothing else, he can use a bindle, even it's not the most glamorous way to carry things. At Blue's theories, he hums thoughtfully, idly petting Eevee.

"I feel like everything's been too random to be the work of a person. And I'm not sure where they would be." Unless they're on the other side of the void somehow. Or if they're pulling a Zero Escape/Dangan Ronpa and one of the people trapped here is really the mastermind, pulling the strings when no one is looking. Of course, the idea of this place having an intelligence is a bit disturbing in its own right -- should they apologize for walking around on it?

[halloflamer]

"It's more like stuff is just showing up naturally, right?"

Blue hums.... That's what he had been feeling, too, but he didn't know quite how to word it- because it wasn't really natural at all, with anything from buildings to the very laws of nature themselves seeming to appear at random. After all, this place lacked even the passing of days, or a sky, so much as they could tell.... Well, whatever it was that was overhead of them, this 'sky' never changed from a kind of brightly gray overcast with no visible clouds.

He had wondered if something this bizarre could even be the work of a legendary Pokémon; at best, it was like an incomplete world... Maybe this was what the world was like before Arceus finished it.

"Whatever it is, if it's natural, then we should be okay, right? It doesn't seem like anything that bad has happened yet, like something to tell us we aren't supposed to be here." Well, of course they aren't supposed to be there... But there was a difference between their own situations, and how this place 'felt' about them being there.... Oh, Blue's head is going to hurt if he keeps trying to think in that direction...