On the seventh day at precisely 1:32 AM the campus disappears.
Everyone trapped in the experiment falls unconscious (if not sleeping already) only to wake up sometime afterward in a modest one bedroom apartment, in a stark minimalist building. You still remember yourself, you still remember Derleth, thankfully no one appears to be under the influence of an alternate timeline (again).
No, this is something else.
Next to where you sleep is a card. It has your name, where you work, an address and your next scheduled shift. It’s something suitable, perhaps within your current career field, or something else you might have chosen if only given the choice.
The back of the card simply says Hello. :)
WHERE ARE WE?
Megalopolis. It isn’t much of a name. It might as well be Metropolis, Megacity, Cosmopolis, or any other dimestore thesaurus word meaning “big city.” Most people just call it the city.
Where is the city located? Impossible to say. There are no routes out of Megalopolis. The ships never leave the docks, despite shipments being loaded and unloaded from the boats. The highways lead straight back in or around the city limits. There is no airport.
WHAT IS THE CITY LIKE?
Most of the buildings are made of strange, geometric shapes. The place is big on brutalist architecture, which might give the impression that buildings, roads and whole swaths of the city might move and shift.
But it isn’t all brutalism, there appear to be pieces or chunks of things from other places. A heavy love of neon lights and eighties-retro inspired fashions that scream Blade Runner, flying cars and heavy machines that look like they were invented in the 1930s, redwood trees that sprout from somewhere deep below the city in all matter of random places, so tall, they’re impossible to see where they begin or end no matter where you crane your neck.
It’s a strange city made of borrowed pieces. And now it’s borrowed you.
WHERE IS THE CAMPUS?
Derleth appears to be gone. Isn’t that what you wanted? To be free of its influence. Clearly whatever brought you here is only trying to help. It wants you to be happy.
There is another university here. Called The University, or The U for short. Maybe your character works there? Or goes to school there? Goooo, Mascots!
Not college age? There is a high school as well, for students and faculty to attend, City High School. Goooo, Buildings! (Rival high schools in the city include Street High School (go cars!) and Park High School (go trees!)-- They are very good school names, yes? The City is very creative.)
WHAT ARE THE PEOPLE LIKE?
The locals? Well.
They’re human and they’re alive. For the most part they’re friendly, mild mannered*. None of them seem to notice or think much of your arrival. If you tell them you’re new, they’ll say ”welcome!” and leave it at that.
Sometimes, it feels like they’re watching you. Or someone is watching you through them. Then the moment vanishes. What was that? Did you need something? The people here do their best to be helpful.
*There are exceptions. Criminal and unsavory elements do exist in the city and are much less kind. But it’s more like they’re playing a role, missing some important spark to them.
WHAT TO DO THIS WEEK
Pick Your Day to Day
Do you work? Go to school? Something else? Maybe you’ve decided to forgo that. After all, it only lasts one week. Right?
Finding (a Piece of) Derleth
It’s not like folks haven’t gone a week without Derleth before. Remember Dino Island? That was fine, right? Except pieces of Derleth have a way of popping up around the city. So maybe Derleth is here after all?
FAQ
Do I have to wake up in a one bedroom apartment?
Hey remember that post I made on the OOC community where you could give your character some optional plot? If you came up with something and a modest one bedroom doesn’t make sense in the context of that plot idea, then you can give your character a living space/situation that makes more sense.
In the future, if we go with this pilot, AC is going to be used in order to get vehicles, better living situations, etc. But save your activity for now! This is just the pilot, after all.
What about food, clothes, starting money?
Your character’s apartment is furnished, came with clothing, and has food. Is the clothing your style? The food to your taste? Do you have as much money as you’d like in your brand new banking account? That I leave up to your best judgment as the player to give yourself interesting material to work with this week.
I came up with a plot idea, do I have to go with that idea forever if we select this pilot?
No! You do not! However you can? Also if you want to change things up, there will be opportunities to do so as the City does its best to try and make you all happy. Please be the City’s friend.
On the card my character receives, does the job have to be legal/legitimate?
Not at all! It doesn’t even have to be an actual job. (Natasha’s Trust Fund Kid, for example.) But some of you prefer a life of crime. I’m sure if the City gives everyone what they want, that it will completely work out and will not be a source of conflict and strife at all.
Does my character have to go to school/their assigned job?
No. They could ditch. But then what would you have them do? Think about what you want your characters to do, accomplish and how you want to continue to develop your lines.
My character tries to escape the city! They fly away! Steal a boat! Something!
This is a pocket world, albeit much larger than Derleth. There’s nowhere to escape to. There’s only the City.
Hey! But there were some parts of the campus I liked! Ikol’s cool sky, the expanded Green that Julia accidentally created-- can we keep those?
They’re gone! Or perhaps “missing” is the most accurate term. There will be a plot to find Derleth. Keep your eyes peeled for a few optional IC/OOC events that will be happening during the pilot.
Can my character talk to the city? Psychic? Magic? Smoke signals?
We’ll save that for a future plot if this pilot is picked up. :)
I need a visual of the City!
I made a pinterest board.
This pilot is so small/short.
We’ll expand it later if it’s picked up. I thought I’d give you all a break from another 14 page document. (I KEPT IT SHORT THIS TIME, GUYS. YAY ME!!!!!)
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