TEAM ETHANOL LOG

[recollecters]

TEAM ETHANOL

After that strange Retrospec post, you may be wondering how to contact this "technician". Luckily, your phone or whatever device you have handy to check the network chooses that exact second to go haywire... Team Ethanol roster: Almedha, Augustine Sycamore, Chuuya Nakahara, Heine Rammsteiner, Izumi Sena, Kazuma Kiryu, Nui Harime, Peko Pekoyama, Rosalind Lutece, Weiss Schnee, Yukiko Amagi, Zaveid. On whatever device you use to view the retrospec application, you may note the following scrolling on the screen instead of the usual options: ALERT: CRITICAL TIME-SPACE ANOMALY ACTIVE. SEARCHING FOR ADMIN... SEARCHING FOR ADMIN... DESIGNATED ADMIN CANDIDATE: EMPLOYEE #91962 M. MAHONEY PLEASE INPUT AUTHORIZATION CODE. The prompt does not seem to be for you, however, as the text prompts continue to scroll, this time with some input. > ********************** ACCEPT ADMIN STATUS Y/N? > y DESIGNATE PROGRAM TO RUN. PLEASE BE ADVISED WE ARE SYSTEM CRITICAL. > run subroutine designation echolocation-alpha CONFIRMED. EMPLOYEES ACTIVE IN AREA: 2 > list employees EMPLOYEES ACTIVE: M. FITZWILLIAM LEVEL 0 ACCESS, INTERN M. MAHONEY FULL SYSTEM ACCESS, ADMIN > search for alternative assets CONFIRMED. SENDING ALTERNATIVE ASSET LIST. Names scroll by on the screen. and look, there goes yours! It seems like someone is manually picking and choosing from a list of every Retrospec user who didn't disappear into the void, and several names queue up. > initialize support team CONFIRMED. TEAM DESIGNATION? > ethanol CONFIRMED. TEAM ETHANOL MISSION PARAMETERS? PLEASE BE ADVISED SYSTEM ENERGY LEVELS ARE CRITICALLY LOW. > make contact with sysadmin > contact point entrance 6 > temporary access level 1 granted CONFIRMED. MISSION PARAMETERS SET. TEMPORARY ACCESS LEVEL 1 GRANTED. The screen clears itself, and instead of the familiar retrospec logo, there is simply TEAM ETHANOL as a designation. the application will refuse to show anything other than a map, with one point highlighted in red. it is, of course, up to team members to decide whether or not they approach the access point. Team Ethanol's access point is in the Recollé Graveyard. Team members will find the grave of "G. Mahoney" will move aside to reveal catacombs so long as they approach it in groups of two or more team members. Only Team Ethanol team members can see or enter the catacombs at this time. Please see the Objective 1 toplevel for more information on what they can see when they travel further down the tunnels. This is the Team Ethanol Event Log. You are free to toplevel and thread as you choose on this log, but only team members may utilize this log. Important links to mod toplevels are: Mod Questions & Participation Reporting. Please be aware you are responsible for reporting your own participation & objective completion efforts with links; the moderators will try to keep up with threads, but as we are currently running several teams with participation, we require you to keep us up to date! Please read each of the toplevels and instructions! The schedule for Team Ethanol is as follows: WEEK 1: Objective 1; CLEAR: M. Mahoney WEEK 2: Objective 2; IC mission briefing; CLEAR: W. Guo WEEK 3: Objective 3; IC mission briefing 24th: Objective 3 closes (8PM EST), Final city-wide log posted (9PM EST) Objectives will be given in mod toplevels to this post with instructions; please check the log currently for Objective 1 to see how this will work. NPC interactions will be rnged from your team roster once per week, and toplevels for those will also be posted, although all team members can hear/see these interactions!

Comments

[adoringpast]

Nah, she can take care of herself, even with all those injuries on her. 'Sides, I can just ping her through this.

[ thank god for lvl2 access. he does scowl at chuuya getting his chosen major wrong, though. ]

And no, I'm a music student. I can only put together melodies, not fucking bones, eugh.

[ does he... really have to touch bones again. sure they're in a crypt but. fucking seriously now. he walks over to the pile of bones and gingerly picks up a random one. ]

Might as well start with the easy ones we knew from high school. This one's part of the backbone, right?

[eyestitch]

[A helpful teammate right run back and report on the remaining rooms. Instead, Nui runs to the center or so of the main chamber and yells her updates instead.]

Here's what we've got, so listen up! There's a chest in that back corner with, get this, another hole to fill with a random object! Huge surprise!

[She cups her hands around her mouth and continues.] Anyway, there's another riddle, too! The more there is, the less you see! Easy peasy, right?

[Then this hypocritical nightmare child really tries it:] Let's get a game plan together, team!

Sent from my iPhone

[doublesmall]

Fuck-

[that clatter in there? it's the sound of chuuya dropping a bone he'd picked up when her shouting startles him.]

Can we plan at a lower fucking volume?

[... because yelling right back sure is lowering the volume. he sighs and doesn't bother picking that bone back up, pulling his phone out and heading back toward the door.]

You keep trying things in here, okay? I'm going to go find a signal and figure out what parts we need. Ping me if anything goes wrong.

[and on his way out, he calls back to nui:]

The game plan is we come back to this in a minute! I'll be back in a few, we'll move on if we need to!

[adoringpast]

[ WHY ARE THEY SHOUTING, they might attract unnecessary attention to this hall? goddamn. he merely gives chuuya a mere nod and goes back to figuring this skeleton puzzle. ugh, the mobile data simply isn't enough here - he really needs to get outside for reception.

sighs. okay. picking up what looks like a femur, he places it at the missing thigh part of the skeleton and that seems to fit? it's all in the matter of matching what's missing, since usually bones come in pairs or something like that. the only difficult part is finding the tinier bones among the pile of larger bones and putting them in the hands and feet. so annoying... ]

switching up a bit w permission here o/

[doublesmall]

[and chuuya will be gone for a bit! either he's gotten help or he's managed to download some skeleton reference images, in the interest of puzzle solving one of these two things has definitely happened out there.

he finally makes his way back with the info sena's going to need for his skeleton project, which he honestly is tempted to make sena do just because he was grossed out by the bones so clearly it'll toughen him up a bit.]

Hey, Sena--

[chuuya holds his phone up so he can observe.]

This should do it.

[adoringpast]

[ chuuya please, high school was hell enough as it is so don't make him go through that shit with this stupid anatomy project again? he's learned his lesson, definitely. he's actually in the middle of assembling the left foot when chuuya barges in with the skeleton references on his phone, and sena squints into it before breaking into a confident grin. ]

Nice. Can't really figure out the other ones myself, but --

[ he's even arranged the pile of bones according to size while they were gone so that it'd be easier to go through them. just gonna pick the right ones to go over here, over there... so give him around 5 mins to put this guy together. ]

[doublesmall]

Just don't finish that up without all of us, alright? No telling what's gonna happen when that thing's back together. I'm gonna go check out what Nui was talking about.

[not that he doesn't trust her to tell them what's up, but he does want to check it out, okay.]

You wanna mess with that some more, or are you coming with?

[maybe just get it mostly put together so they can do finishing touches with everyone present, that's probably safe.]

[adoringpast]

Yeah, let me just --

[ okay, maybe he's almost got it together? give or take 75%. he stands up and dusts himself off and nods to chuuya before going ahead to meet the silly girl at the main hall. just what was she babbling loudly about while he was in there anyway? ]

Yo. [ a little wave. ] What were you yelling about again? Some kind of riddle?

i'm back and i definitely DELETED 'POSTED FROM MY IPHONE' I'M SO MAD

[eyestitch]

[Nui does a 180 to point at the corresponding door.] Over there! It's 'darkness!' And if it isn't, this place is seriously messed up!

[In addition to all of the reasons this place is seriously messed up. But this is the thing that gets a comment.]

Anyway, future Nui is here! Where's the stiff?

[She weaves in between Chuuya and Sena's likely dumbfounded-looking bodies to duck back into the skeleton room, picking up some foot-looking bones from the piles, since they seem like they'd be the most likely to still be missing.]

it wanted us all to know tho

[doublesmall]

Wh-

[yeah chuuya is DEFINITELY DUMBFOUNDED here. In Comes Nui and he just sort of-- stops short, sighs, and slowly turns right back around to walk back into the skeleton room.

this is his life, he guesses]

The stiff's not going anywhere, don't worry. Think we've almost got him back together, we just need a few of these...

[he pulls his phone back out, checks the reference, and picks up another little bone or two to go add to their best friend Bernie over here.]

phonetagging is hell so i getchu

[adoringpast]

[ wait, we're naming our bone buddy now? you two are ridiculous. ]

We're not finishing him up just yet though, in case it comes back to life once we do and starts attacking us or something.

[ and the last thing they need is yet another monster to deal with, jesus fuck. ]

Anyways, you solved the riddle on your own? I thought you're not supposed to go on ahead without us?

[ this isn't fair, you! ]

[eyestitch]

[She stops in her tracks, bones in hand.]

Wait, so you did all that running around just to let him sit here? Jeez... there could be monsters behind that door, or that gate, or in that stupid chest!

[She spins one of the foot bones in her fingers. Maybe she's realized that they're bulk bones made in China.] I didn't answer it! I'm just saying, that will definitely be the answer!

[doublesmall]

[weekend at bernie's is a treasure so yes, his name is bernie now.

anyway!!]

If that's not it, I don't know what else it'd be. Kinda obvious, you know? [now watch us get swerved.] And listen, at least we waited for all of us to be here before we set anything off.

[team 'don't split the party actually wait bye' is going strong on that front. chuuya sets the bones he'd picked up in place, squints at it...]

Shit, I missed one-- which one of you's got the one that goes right here? [with a little gesture at the right spot. it's another of those tiny ones they've been fitting into place, easy enough to overlook if you're just grabbing bones.]

[adoringpast]

Wait, wait, hang on. I arranged all that here, okay?

[ just gonna rummage through the pile of smaller bones that sena had lovingly organized earlier until he grabs what he assumes is the right one? idk man. just gonna hand that to chuuya and get this over with. ]

So we'll try that room next then... Hopefully it'd just be a room with something important inside and nothing else.

[eyestitch]

Do we wanna count 'em up?

...Like, the human body has 206 bones, right? We could be missing some really little ones!

[Actually, she'll go ahead and start doing that from the skull down while the last, hopefully last, pieces are put into place, singing the dumbest song about head bones being connected to the, NECK BONE that ever was written.]

[doublesmall]

Nui, you seem fine and I like you, but I swear to god I will leave you down here if--

[--except apparently the skeleton is... doing a little dance to the song?? chuuya trails off as he stops and stares, watching this all happen, before he takes the key their buddy is offering and turns to silently walk away, back over to where he left the chest.

fuck this shit, he's out]

[adoringpast]

[ god

fucking dammit nui

he's just gonna stare oddly at this...?! he's a music major of all things and yet nui's just -- for once he's at an utter loss for words, but at least bernie isn't attacking them this time?

whatever. he's had enough. wait for him chuuya, don't leave him alone with her?! ]

[eyestitch]

[She is DELIGHTED!!!

Nui claps along with the skeleton dance and seems genuinely disappointed when it's over, even sticking around to poke at Bernie a bit to see if he has any further responses for her.

Ah, well, dead is dead; she can't go weeping over her lost love like a widower by the ocean!

She's delighted x2 to find that her riddle answer is the correct one. Less delighted is she to see another skeleton laid out in front of them.]

I think I know who this is a job for! [Who's gonna piggyback in the stiff, boys?]

[doublesmall]

[well chuuya did kind of designate himself the Hauler Of Things by carrying the chest, so...]

Alright, alright, give me a sec here.

[he will return momentarily with bernie! it's time for his starring role as Reference Material-- i mean, they are definitely uniting the skeletons out of the goodness of their hearts and would never use his poor inanimate body for puzzle solving.

anyway chuuya will be here, holding bernie for sena and nui to work off of while they reassemble his friend, because teej needs to sleep]

[adoringpast]

[ siiiigh, more anatomy projects. but at least they have a reference guide now? ]

Right, so. You take care of the upper part of the skeleton and I'll do the legs. Can't be that hard with the three of us here now.

[ so let's get to work. no need to organize the bones into piles according to size, since they're kind of in a hurry here. even so, sena can't help but hum the same tune nui used with their dancing skeleton friend without realizing it as he puts together bone after bone after bone. ]

[eyestitch]

[Somebody (Nui) looks smug as shit right now. The song's not so annoying when it's helpful, right? She starts from the ribs up, working with larger bones that have obvious symmetry to get the big mess out of the way.]

Ah, to have such a lean and striking figure... standards are so high these days. Look at these visible collar bones! [Speaking of...she slots a missing clavicle into place and then goes around back for the scapula.]

I don't think there's a lot missing up top...it looks like we can make these two lovers reunite in no time!

[She'll just start singing too while she and Chuuya finish up. That way, lady-friend skeleton will have a tune to dance to!]

[doublesmall]

[if chuuya ever hears this song again he's gonna punch something. the neck bone won't be connected to anything anymore.

for now, though, he tolerates it in quiet suffering-- he'll just give bernie a touch of weightlessness to leave him hanging in the air so that he can free up his hands, then joins nui and sena in reconstructing their second friend here, busy constructing a new hand for her.]

Why do they have to be lovers, huh? Maybe they wanted to be separate from each other, maybe his sense of humor sucks and she didn't want to be stuck with him.

[maybe he kept singing songs about bones.]

[adoringpast]

Does it really matter? They're dead, either way. Love can only take you so far.

[ so bitter... but at least that got him to stop humming that stupid song, and continues putting this girl's foot back together. ugh, why does her toe bones have to be so freaking tiny?

besides, what's gonna be this chick's name anyway because sena has no idea for one. ]

And how do we even know that these bones belonged to a girl anyway? All these bones look the same to me anyway.

[eyestitch]

[y'all got a problem with rampant heteronormativity or what?]

Well, that's the way it usually is, right? Only some people get love stories! Ah, but I like your idea better. Taboo skeleton love...

[She pats the skeleton on the shoulder.] All done up here! What do you think, sweetie? [She's probably asking the skeleton.

Who at least will answer with a happy little dance as soon as they're all done.]

[doublesmall]

Pretty sure any kind of skeleton love is taboo.

[he's just putting that out there

and then he attaches the skelelady's hand to finish her off! after which he steps right the fuck back because he doesn't need to get smacked in the face if this one dances too, which of course it does. lord.

he's just gonna grab the key and flip it over to sena.]

Here, catch. There was another chest around here, right?