abraxaslogs | INTRO LOG #2

Entry tags:

INTRO LOG #2

Intro Log #2

It has been two months now since the initial group of summonings first took place. Castle Thorne, or at least the part above ground, is buzzing with a vibrant air of hope following the 'success' at the Singularity. Eager smiles and excited chattering are to be found in nearly every corner of the castle and surrounding town. The honored guests may find grateful looks turned their way more often than not. A new and brighter day seems to be dawning on the kingdom.

In the dungeons it's a different story entirely. The mood is somber and uneasy. The prisoner taken for trial has yet to return, and no word has come regarding her or her fate. There has been no mention of any further trials as of yet and guards seem to have little patience for unruly behavior or even conversation. Some seem to not even look at or acknowledge the prisoners at all.

[ Feel free to continue threads from the TDM here or start your own! As cell and room assignments will be short-lived due to this month's event, you're free to assume whichever cellmates and roommates you like instead of officially signing up as long as there are ICly no more than four people in a cell or room at once. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Unfortunately, Julie knows for a fact that she won't live long enough to necessitate self-reflection like that, at least not unless she gets to live in this new place for another decade or something. Death is a helluva ride. So she's fine to keep on lying to herself for a while about her place in the world.

Julie also thinks that ruling the world directly is a bit too much trouble. No, her goal has always been to be the person whispering in the ears of the ruler. First Lady, puppet master, whatever you want to call it. All the glory, none of the true work.

Hair bouncing, she nods enthusiastically, eyes lighting up. There is something deeply unfulfilling about a life of pure leisure, so she did like to engage in the opportunities she had to play ringmaster at The Inferno. ]

I was on camera! Like an emcee, I would introduce stuff and talk to people when we did broadcasts. It was fun, I never thought that'd be somethin' I'd get a chance at. And I was good at it, too. My friend, she was the entertainment director. [ She sighs. ] Not that this seems like the kinda place that has TV at all.

[ Fingers flexing around the bars, she knits her brow thoughtfully, musing on what, exactly, went wrong. Sure, there was some kind of freaky divine intervention happening when she died, but was it only the psycho showing up with a nuke that brought them down? Or was it Lloyd's televised betrayal that sent them all straight to hell? ]

You lose 'em the second you blink. One minute of dead air and they go scatterin' like roaches, even after you gave 'em the world.

[ Sure, that's an admirable goal. Power is still the name of the game, though; if you don't have it, you're left vulnerable to the whims of whoever does. There are no true allies in the world; that's a risky move. And besides, it's not like having to do real work is a bad thing. Why have power at all if you're not going to use it?

His eyes follow her hair bouncing, and he ends up smiling in spite of himself at her genuine enthusiasm. Small town girl who made it big beyond her wildest dreams, huh. Even if it was essentially as a reality TV show host, but hey, that's what controlled the lemmings, wasn't it. As long as you know you're better than that, it's a good position to be in. ]

Nah, no TV here. Seems like a town crier kind of place, doesn't it? [ He frowns, mulling it over. ] High profile stage actor would probably suit you better. People are idiots; as long as you're a celebrity, you'll have a following.

[ He raises his eyebrows at give them the world. Something happened there; something big enough to have left an impact. ]

Maybe less screen time here means longer attention spans. [ It's a flippant remark, more derogatory about how primitive things are here than anything else, but maybe there's a kernel of truth to it, too. Who knows. ] Still, you make that mistake once, get a second chance, you know how to avoid it on the second go-around, right? Give them less than the world. Only what they need. As long as there's that little bit more you can keep dangling in front of them, you'll always have them. Shouldn't be too hard here.

Stage actor, ya think? I never tried out for plays or nothin' in school. Could be fun.

[ She does seem to preen at the idea that she could be a celebrity, or at least the insinuation that she has the necessary qualities for it. Julie is the exact kind of person who deeply wanted to be an influencer before the world went to shit, although she had lacked the necessary lifestyle and so never tried. She was self-aware enough to save herself the embarrassment.

Nodding again, she turns the idea of holding things back over in her head. Had that been the problem? Had they given too much, too fast? Maybe they could have, you know, held off on the nuclear warhead aspect of it all. Maybe that was what went wrong.

(It was not.) ]

Plus, I mean, I guess the whole situation is just so different. For most of us. Besides, it ain't like we gotta figure this all out today or anything. Up there or down here, they ain't expectin' us to have our shit together yet.

[ It's hard not to feel at least a little bit of warmth at suggesting something for her and apparently being right on the money with it. It's productive, at least. Gives someone in a rough patch something to aspire to. And not like it's charity — there'd be an advantage to being on good terms with someone who could garner a following.

That's way off in the future, though. But you've gotta sow the seeds first if you've got any hope at getting results. ]

Sure. Though I don't think they care as much about the adjustment period for anyone down here. [ Or care about anyone down here, for that matter. He isn't being condescending this time, either; prisoners' rights actually are a thing. Or should be, but he's yet to be in any world where that's the case. Not that that's something he's going to be passionate about, or anything. A pause. ] How's that going, by the way? You know, since there isn't exactly a whole lot to see or do here.

[ Not that he cares, really. Definitely not. It's just basic manners, checking in on the wellbeing of someone who might carry potential for you down the line. That's all. ]

It's shit. Least as far as I can tell.

[ She hasn't really been around long enough to specifically say that there's absolutely nothing worthwhile in the dungeons, but she's pretty fucking sure that things aren't about to take a sharp turn after lunch. It's funny, before all of this, she hadn't thought herself to be very progressive about things like prisoners, but being in a castle dungeon has certainly turned her around on it.

She shrugs. ] I mean, they feed us, at least. But they don't tell us anythin'.

[ Which also seems short-sighted, if she's honest. They surely can't be expecting to just keep filling the cells, right? And they don't exactly seem raring to slaughter them en masse either, so what is the plan? Julie may come from a place where they have slaves that they force to fight to the death for nightly entertainment, but at least there's a shred of an idea for sustainability there. ]

Are they givin' y'all stuff to do up there? Like a job or whatever? I just don't really understand the point of all this.

[ Brad frowns. Yeah, he'd agree with her on her assessment of whatever Thorne's actual plan is here. Not like anyone in these dungeons committed a crime, as far as he knows, so there's nothing to punish or rehabilitate. Not like anyone in this world would miss anyone in the dungeons, either; killing off every mistake that comes through would be a whole lot easier.

He shrugs at her question. ]

Not really. You get the sense they want something from us, but nobody's been clear on what. I'd say they're giving us time to get comfortable and acclimated before springing whatever it is on us.

[ Which he doesn't mind. He likes the sense of vacation this place offers, and the accommodations are pretty good. At the same time, he is curious as to what's in store for them — but he's content to wait. It's not going to be six to eight months here, he's pretty sure of that.

He cocks his head in thought. ]

They're spending resources keeping everyone down here alive, though. So if I had to guess, I'd say they want something from you guys, too.

[ Probably something different from the ones they're treating well. Which, hey, that's not nefarious at all. And thankfully, not his problem. ]

[ Her face twists as she thinks further about the matter. The harder she thinks, the less sense it all makes, like how movies don't stand up to close scrutiny. But if that's the case, then what does it mean for their reality here? ]

But if they bring us all here for the same reason, then wouldn't you think they want the same thing from all of us? Y'all up there don't know their magic anymore than we do. Even if they say we're somehow criminals, we're still all startin' on the same foot.

That's assuming we're all here for the same reason.

[ His nose scrunches a little as he frowns in thought, small tsk sound escaping from his mouth at the implication. Farming people inter-dimensionally just to lock them up before something else that's almost certainly worse would be particularly fucked up.

At the same time, it'd make sense if you wanted to collect people for some fucked up purpose while ensuring you have no emotional attachment to them. Really, he should be taking notes. Mentally only, obviously. ]

I'm not sure how they determine who they want for what. [ And it is a good question. Brad can be an asset here, he knows he can; at the same time, he's met people upstairs who have only ever known the fantasy environment, lived and breathed it, acted as actual warriors or magic users. He doesn't exactly fit in with that. (Yet.) ] Whatever their system is, though, some people are just gonna draw the short straw.

[ Tough luck, kid. A beat, and then: ] But you've got your people to get you out of here, so you'll probably be fine.

But they don't seem to know who they're gettin' until they pull us outta that well. So they can't be choosin' "reasons" until they see us. They don't even care who we are.

[ Which is true. She's been told that they're all supposed to be reincarnations of other people, somehow, but they seem to be reincarnating people they... don't like, too? From what she can tell, that's how this is going down, and apparently the sole determining factor of why some people are welcomed and others aren't. And it makes a hell of a lot more sense than simply imprisoning people at random.

She sighs, frustrated to be stuck in a system without clear guidelines. How can you break the rules if you have no clue what they are? She's had to fly blind enough in the past year, this seems unfair. And it being unfair is very important now that she's being subjected to it. ]

Sure, but it ain't a system to trust no matter what side you're on. Who says they're gonna keep treatin' y'all well if you don't save their world or whatever?

[ He shrugs. Just because it doesn't make sense to them doesn't mean it doesn't make sense. Though that's something for him to do in his time here — figure out the whims of their summoners. Captors. Whatever. Understand their motivations, you get that much closer to a foothold in their ranks.

Scoffs at the idea of trusting anything. ]

Have you ever seen a trustworthy system? They're pretty much all garbage by design. Of course here's no different — that's why you work your way up the ranks. Make yourself so invaluable that the system can't operate without you. After that? You're fine, or at least you get to take everyone else down with you.

[ That's the plan. When has it not been? ]

[ She snorts at the mere mention of a trustworthy system. It's not that she disagrees with Brad's plan, it's simply that she doesn't see a way to make any of them invaluable. For all they know, their only value is to be cannon fodder in the struggle to save Abraxas, or what-the-fuck-ever this is all about. ]

So what's gonna make you so valuable to 'em? I doubt they got a need for a money guy.

[ He tilts his head, smirk on his lips. A small one, sure, but the cockiness is there. ]

Maybe. Maybe not. It's about patience. Watching, waiting, seeing where they have an opening that you can fill. Besides, I'm a man of many talents. It's not like you broadcast everything you can do on the first day, right?

[ Never hurts to keep something in your back pocket. Like possibly being surprisingly adaptable to a place like this.

Or having more motivation than ever before to finally kill a pig, or whatever the equivalent here is. It's a fresh start. No preconceived notions. Time to be completely ruthless, because the consequences of not living up to that image are... Well. It's time to be ruthless. There are no alternatives. And who knows where desperation can drive people, how useful it can make them to others.

Not that that's something in the back of his mind, or anything. ]

Oh, many talents? [ She laughs at his hint of ego, entertained, then waves her hand between the bars. ] I'd think it'd make you more valuable the quicker they know what you can do. Closed mouths don't get fed, and all that.

[ Julie is the kind of person who tends to ask for what she wants. Sure, she can hold her tongue when she needs to; everyone who lives at the Inferno can, because if you don't, you might get your heart ripped straight out of your chest. But if she were upstairs, she'd be busy as hell finding the easiest native to manipulate. She's pretty sure some of those mages would cream their robes if she cozied up to them. ]

I'd try guess one of your talents, but I don't even know what they'd think is useful. Archery?

Well, I've already got their favour. [ It's not even a dig; he is already upstairs, can afford to take his time in proving his worth. Her laugh is still nice to hear, though. Look at that, they've already got rapport. ] I lay it all out for them now, they're just gonna want to know what else there is. Blowing your entire load early? Not the best strategy.

[ And he had to grow up learning how to be patient. Farm life. Or his older brother getting that head start on life, always with that easy avenue to one-up him when they were kids. ... Young adults. ... Adults. He's still waiting, really. Not so much relevant now that he's in a different world, but he's still waiting for that chance to pull one over on Zack. Whoever else. So... yeah, he can wait.

Inclines his chin at her guess. Still a little smug; a little impressed, too, even though that had to be out of nowhere. ]

Sure, that's a minor one. Though I am a pretty good shot. [ He shrugs. ] This does seem like the kind of place that respects the whole medieval weaponry angle, doesn't it? Can't fight all your battles with magic.

But that's like sayin' that you should always be hidin' your skills at work or school or whatever. You wouldn't get Cs all through math class just to make a big show outta gettin' an A on the final.

[ Julie did not go to college. If she had been born somewhere else, or to a different family, she probably could have. Sure, it would have been rendered irrelevant by the fact that the human race swiftly entered the end stage of extinction, but she's clever enough that she would have qualified for something better than the shitty, dead-end life she was born into.

Archery was just a guess based on the locale, really, and the fact that the guards carry swords instead of guns. Also, she does not have a particularly deep knowledge of medieval life to pull conjecture from. ]

Seems like it might be smarter to try magic all the time, though, 'cause they will be fucked if they're still on swords when someone else figures out guns. Ooh, you know what's a good old-timey weapon, though? Those sticks with the spiky ball on a chain. I'd fight with one'a those.

[ School? She's definitely younger than he is, but wow, talk about something he hasn't thought about in a long time. ]

Real life isn't exactly like school, though. Think about it more like advancing in a competition. You don't have to do your best every round, you just have to be good enough to advance. Then, when the stakes get higher, start pulling out all the stops. There's no need to overexert yourself before then.

[ Like, hey — swords are his thing, but he hasn't felt the need to bring that up. Although, that's something he should definitely be looking into while he's here. Get a sword. A real one, at that. That'll be... well, awesome.

Can't help but smile at her enthusiasm. ]

A mace? Yeah, that's not a bad choice. One way or another, it's still good to keep something that's not magic as an option. This dungeon? [ He raps on the wall beside him with his knuckles. ] Apparently they've got all magic disabled down here. Stands to reason they can stop magic from being a thing elsewhere, too. Weapons don't just stop being weapons, though. It's good to have a backup plan.

[ And hey, she wants hers to be a mace? It'd be a good look for her. He's all for that particular hypothetical. ]

[ She is actually old enough that her go-to shouldn't be "school", but rural shitholes lend themselves to arrested development. No jobs with ladders to climb, no new people, no point in continuing to grow on a personal level. Stakes? What are those? We don't know her.

Also, her preferred method of winning competitions is to brutally wreck everyone else, so there's that. Someone else has better chili at the church cook-off? Put dirt in their pot. Someone beat you out for a spot on the cheerleading squad? Take a tire iron to her leg. It's not as elegant, but it's all still very effective.

She still nods, absorbing this wisdom and filing it away. ]

So you think you got somethin' that's gonna be that valuable to 'em?

[ Well, yeah, brutally wrecking people is the way to go, isn't it? Unless you're in something for the long haul, which is almost certainly the case here. A more subtle touch is necessary. And if there's a way to brutally wreck people while being subtle about it... usually through psychological, untraceable means...

He hums. ]

I might. [ Truth is, he's at something of a loss. He could probably traditionally fight here, sure. He's genre-savvy, which might mean something. But he doesn't have abilities like others here seem to, so there's gotta be something else. ] Hell, you might, too, and they've got you down here because someone fucked up. Or they're scared of something. [ A beat. ] They're not exactly the most forthcoming upstairs, which you can't really blame them for. Still. Might take a bit of time for it to all come together.

[ So, you know, gotta be prepared to play the long game. ]

[ She tilts her head a little, sensing that he might not have the clearest idea of how his skills can be utilized here. She doesn't doubt that he has skills, but what are skills in the face of magic and shit?

But then again, she doesn't actually know what they want with any of the people they pulled. They must be offering something that the natives can't, even those of them without magical ability. ]

Well, if you ask me, they better get it together quick. They might have magic turned off down here, but these guards got swords, not wands. Enough people get real fed up, and, well...

[ Through the bars, she holds up a fist. ]

Attica.

[ It's all a big mystery, isn't it? Motivations and how far one is willing to go could play into it, too, but he's not about to get into that with someone he just met. It's better to be seen as at least somewhat out of place than to be known.

He raises his eyebrows a fraction in acknowledgement, not a smirk but not not a smirk playing on his lips at her reference. ]

Hopefully with less blood this time.

[ Or, shit, maybe more; doesn't make a difference to him. But, you know, it'd be nice if you could avoid that, Julie. ]

All it takes is one spark, doesn't it? The right person snaps in the right time and place and there you go. See any candidates for that? [ He gives her a knowing look. ] Or anyone you'd push in that direction?

[ All the while keeping your own hands clean, of course. ]

[ She shrugs. As long as she's standing after it all, she doesn't really care how many people die. Especially not guards. ]

I'm gonna give it some more time, but... it's easy pickings down here to find someone like that. Half these sorry fucks have been down here for months, starvin' and squabblin'. They're already on the edge. Just need a breeze to blow the right way.

[ And, as she will soon learn, infractions are incremental. Soon, Eponine will be doubly punished for having the honor of getting her face smashed in. Sure, Julie will have to suffer a bit, but she's not suffering the most, and that's what counts. ]

[ He'd agree with her: whatever way you can come out on top is the most important thing. In a way that makes sure you're still standing, no matter how many others fall around you. In any way that gives you the slightest bit of leverage, any kind of advantage over anyone else. After all, the only person who really matters is yourself. Anyone else can take advantage; anyone else can be a weakness.

He hopes it never comes to that point with Julie. He really does like her. There's something refreshing about being in the company of someone else who gets it: how the world; how basic survival works. ]

Just don't get too cocky. [ It's more a formality than an actual warning; he's sure she knows. She's clearly put some thought into it. ]

I wish you the best of luck, Julie.

[ And apparently their sign's the lucky one, so hey, she might just get it. ]

[ She smiles at him and it's less sharp than it was before. It's nice to meet anyone outside the bars, and the fact that it's someone she can, at the very least, relate to is even better. Even back home, most people just didn't get it. ]

If you ever wanna talk shit, you know where I am.

[ Because based on almost every other person she's met here, they're incredibly shit-talkable. Even the ones she already knew. Especially the ones she already knew. ]

See ya around, Brad.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

INTRO LOG #2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject