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.

▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲
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.

▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲
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.

▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲
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.

back to top

code bases by tricklet

Comments

[indigloaming]

"Y'all don't use money?" She'd heard about lifestyles like that, communes or something. It kind of falls apart in large enough groups, though, doesn't it?

The fact that she's continuing to eat the spicy curry without complaint should serve as an answer as to whether she likes it, so she'll address the other question.

"Guess so. Don't worry, though, I won't hurt ya none." To demonstrate, she extends an arm, a finger, and gives Blue a gentle poke. She is indeed very warm, warmer than a human, but not to the point of burning. "Ever see somebody like me before?"

[halloflamer]

Blue blinks slowly.... "Uh, well not right now... I mean, everyone's come here from different places, right? We don't even all have the same kinds of money. And there's no banks, or anything..."

...Was this girl native to here...? Blue hadn't considered it, but that would maybe explain her not knowing.

Watching her reach out and poke him (with only a little anxiety!), she seems pretty normal! The warmth is more like what he'd expect from a warm lamp, or something.

"Um, well if you're asking, then no. Are you from somewhere outside Earth, too?" He'd already met some aliens and stuff, so it wasn't unheard of!

[indigloaming]

Well everyone coming from different places isn't so odd -- space stations and the Outpost are like that. But the matter of money....

"What kinda place is this, that y'all got different money? What's wrong with pixels?" Pixels are common to all the space-faring races, so the idea of using something else seems... downright primitive.

"I was raised on Earth, but I'm a Novakid. We're kinda like... lil' humanoid stars? Kinda." How a bunch of sapient plasma in a humanoid shell functions 'biologically' is a mystery for the ages, even to Novakids themselves.

[halloflamer]

"I can't really tell ya that," Blue shrugs sheepishly. Gee, this girl must come from a place where this kind of situation was pretty normal, to think nothing of what was going on around here, huh?

Well, that's what he thinks anyway, but then she says that she's....from Earth? Blue certainly had never met a person like this before, but she didn't seem quite like a Pokémon, either. Speaking of Pokémon, though- Minior comes to mind, from what she describes- or maybe one of the Pokémon rumored to have come from the moon, like Lunatone.

"I've heard of Pokémon like that, but never people..." He muses, spooning himself a small bowl of curry for himself. He props himself up to sit and eat across the counter from her. "If you're from Earth, though, you've met lots of other humans before. Right?"

[indigloaming]

Well, not exactly this situation specifically, but there's a lot of interspecies communities out in space. And she's still reeling from being brought back from the dead, give her some slack.

Sensing that he might be misinterpreting her statement about being from Earth, she adds:

"I mightta been raised on Earth, but Novakid aren't native to Earth. We're as alien to y'all as Florans or Hylotl." Possibly even more alien, considering they're not even biological. "What's a Pokemon? Ain't never heard of that before." He's talking about it like it's an Earth species, but surely she would have heard of it if there was anything like that on Earth?

As an afterthought, remembering he asked her a question:

"Sure, I met a lotta humans. Most of 'em lived on Earth. Didn't meet as many after that whole thing went down, though." 'That whole thing' being the destruction of Earth, of course.

[halloflamer]

"Oh... So you are an alien!" Blue cheerfully beams. At least he doesn't seem the least bit put off by it... "There sure are a lot of you around here... And you're all different! Boy, I'd like to see some of the places you come from, sometimes. Alien Pokémon have crash-landed on Earth before, and I've seen some of those, but never people."

...You know, on account of not coming from Ultra SunMoon timeline. A very important distinction. "Pokémon are what we call.... Well, most people here seem to call them 'animals'. On Earth there's just people and Pokémon, but since alien Pokémon life has been discovered, too, I bet there must be people out there, too."

Hmmm. Indeed, Blue sort of gets the sense that whatever she's talking about 'that whole thing' sounds like it's probably kind of something bad. He decides he'd rather not sour the conversation, so instead he asks, "What kinds of Pokémon do you got out in space where you're from, huh?"

[indigloaming]

"Just people and Pokemon on Earth? But I grew up on Earth, and I never heard of 'em." By 'people' she's just going to assume he means the various humanoid sapient species, not just humans. What kind of culture does he come from, that he calls animals 'Pokemon'?

"But anyway, if ya basically mean animals an' such, sure, we got those. Could show ya a few if my Manipulator was workin' and I could get at 'em." Because Capture Pods are blatantly ripped off of basically Pokeballs.