nopetrainstuck | (Day 1) ==> Lyndis: Enter.

(Day 1) ==> Lyndis: Enter.

Your name is LYNDIS NIVALI, and you are decidedly ON EDGE.

Waiting so long for your fellow players to get into the GAME WORLD (whatever it is) before you has played hell on your nerves. You are THIRD TO LAST, and the meteors have been FUCKING SHIT UP more and more as you wait. There's so much DUST and SMOKE in the air that you can barely see the stars anymore, even with as far away from the NEAREST CITY as you are.

The horizon in the direction of said city is GLOWING RED. You're pretty sure what parts of the city haven't been COMPLETELY ANNIHILATED are currently ON FIRE.

You occasionally feel EARTHQUAKES, which you are aware are actually METEOR STRIKES. There have been a number of ROCKSLIDES on nearby cliffs, and even one some distance away on your own. So that's yet another thing to worry about, as if YOU DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH.

At least you got IOCIDE into the game. If you do die, at least you will have accomplished ONE USEFUL THING in your entire meaningless life. That the accomplishment in question is SAVING THE LIFE OF A HIGHLY UNSTABLE AND VIOLENT HIGHBLOOD is so fucking ironic you would almost laugh if your throat weren't so dry.

Still, you've managed to SURVIVE for this long, and finally it seems to be your turn in the ENTRY ORDER. A certain seadweller is setting up his SERVER PROGRAM even now; your CLIENT PROGRAM is already running on your husktop. All that remains is for him to CONNECT.

And for you to ENTER THE GAME without dying horribly.

Since you're waiting around with nothing to do anyway, you decide to MAKE A MEMO.

artfulTransgressor [AT] RIGHT NOW opened memo on board status update.

AT: so for anyone who hasnt heard
AT: or whos already in the game and has missed this beautiful hellpocalypse
AT: alternia is seriously going to shit
AT: i haVent eVen been too near any direct meteor strikes
AT: and theres nothing but rocks out here so i dont haVe any fires going on either
AT: and shits STILL bad
AT: you can barely breathe anymore
AT: too much shit in the air
AT: smoke and ash and dust from the impacts
AT: i cant eVen imagine the hellpits the cities must be
AT: more and more rockslides are happening out here though
AT: the earthquakes are setting em off
AT: so if you could hurry the fuck up adelle thatd be fucking loVely
AT: id almost rather be hit by a meteor than buried aliVe

After much consternation, you acquire a CRUXITE GEODE. Which, of course, to your eyes just basically looks like a ROCK. It's just as well that SMASHING it to reveal its CRYSTAL INTERIOR is exactly what you're supposed to do, because flinging it at the wall of your cave at full force was HIGHLY THERAPEUTIC.

And then...

You find yourself in the LAND OF CLIFFS AND CONCRETE. Oddly, it doesn't look much different from the part of Alternia that you came from...save that there appear to be CLIFFS and RUINED HIVES very similar to your own dotting the barren landscape. Both your own cliff and ruined hive at the base of it were apparently brought with you.

The other difference is that it is very blatantly DAYTIME...and you're out in the sun. Shockingly, you're not being FRIED TO A CRISP; you're merely uncomfortably hot. Clearly the game world is not much like Alternia.

AT: holy
AT: shit

(OOC: Lyn can be contacted anytime before, during, or after his entry to the Medium! ~~Though there will be a period of ten minutes or so immediately following his entry where he won't be able to be contacted.~~ In particular, his coordinating the details of his entry with Adelle will be happening in the comments~)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You can't say you were expecting a whole lot from Lyn's hive, but this is hardly a hive to begin with, you think. There isn't a whole lot of things to get in the way, at least, so for most of the part you just set the things down and rearrange a few of his piles out of the way.

}!{ Oh.
}!{ So that's where most of the shirts I send you go.

You're not sure what you expected from having a server. But it was decidedly not this, with someone tossing around all your shit.

oh my fucking god
just
stop
theres nothing aside from the generator i cant goddamn moVe myself
and you shouldnt touch that anyway its hard enough for me to keep working as it is
just tell me if you need something outta the way and ILL moVe it
stop fucking with things

also iVe told you like a dozen times i dont need all the flowery dressy shirts
if thats where they end up when you send em anyway its your own fault

}!{ I'm just clearing out space so the machines are all in easy reach of each other!
}!{ And I'm not upset.
}!{ It's rather cute, actually.

shut up
nothing about this is cute
and we wouldnt haVe time for cute eVen if it was

also dont put all that shit in here ill haVe no fucking room left
drop the big ones outside

Of course, the ledge directly outside your cave is where your lusus is buried, and the rock pile takes up most of what little space there is. It doesn't occur to you that your suggestion is a disaster waiting to happen.

}!{ Ufufu, if you say so.

You set the Totem Lathe and Alchemiter in his hive, before you scroll outside to go set down the Cruxtruder. Seeing that rock pile just means you decide to clear it out of the way to make room.

...You simply weren't expecting to see a lusus skeleton beneath it.

You realize your error right when you start hearing the sound of rocks being moved, and you dart straight out of your cave.

DONT
FUCKING
TOUCH
THAT

It is a bit too late for that, you think, but you carefully set the stones back down in place.

You're not sure what you should say.

You can't really think of anything to say, either. You simply watch Adelle rearrange the stones, and once he's finished you step in to adjust them a bit more to be as they were. You also replace some of the little trinkets and shiny stones that seem to litter the pile that were dislodged in the attempted dismantling.

The silence, coming from you, is probably a little unnerving.

}!{ I'm sorry.

...For quite a few things, you feel, not just because you went and desecrated a grave.

no big deal i guess
its not like he giVes a shit

besides
it happened a long time ago

You shrug. You were distinctly upset for a second, but - the pile's fine, and so there's nothing to worry about.

}!{ You do, though.
}!{ ...In any case, I'll put the Cruxtruder in your hive, if that's fine with you.

i care about the pile not getting fucked up
its fixed now so
yknow
whateVer
no harm no foul

You look down at your hive at the foot of the cliff.

am i gonna need to get between it and the other machines really fast at some point
cause i can make the climb down in about a minute
but getting up again takes at least three

}!{ Quite possibly!
}!{ It is the machine that releases the kernelsrpite and Cruxite Dowel.
}!{ And the one that starts the countdown.
}!{ I can't say how much time you'll have.

shit
can you place it anywhere closer
i mean i guess if i haVe to
i can captchalogue my lusus and you can move the rocks so theres room up here

}!{ It doesn't look like there's any more room, so...

...fuck it
hes probably safer in my sylladex anyway

You may or may not be aware that you're talking about him like he's alive. You do that on a fairly regular basis, even though you never truly deceive yourself on the reality.

You're...not happy about having to disturb the pile that you've more or less come to associate with him, though. Or all the little gifts you've brought him over the sweeps.

So what eventually happens is that you captchalogue the whole pile as a single entity. PROBLEM SOLVED.

You notice that, but you make no comment for this is not the time to do so. You set the Cruxtruder down where the rock pile used to be.

}!{ Are you ready to start?

yeah i guess
so what do i do
how do i open this thing
and more importantly what do i haVe to do once its open
maybe you better giVe me the directions now

}!{ Firstly, I need something heavy to use to get the lid off.
}!{ You have to give the kernelsprite an item of some kind to prototype it so that it has some personality, apparently.
}!{ Since it is supposed to be your guide for the game.
}!{ Then you have to take the Dowel to the Totem Lathe to get it carved, before bringing it to the Alchemiter to create the final product.
}!{ You will have to break it to enter the game.
}!{ Sounds easy enough, yes?

what sort of item do i give this kernelsprite thing
also it sounds pretty simple i guess
but im betting it wont be for Various reasons

}!{ Anything, technically.
}!{ I suggest you pick something you wouldn't at least mind being able to talk to you.
}!{ And let us not jinx ourselves, mmhmm?

...could it be my lusus
would that work or would it just be some kind of creepy skeleton thing

}!{ That would work!

You pick up a nice, heavy rock from the cliff face, and hold it near the Cruxtruder lid.

}!{ Are you ready to begin?

If 'that would work' means that yes, your lusus would come back in some kind of weird sprite form...the possibility is almost staggering. Even your usual pessimism can't squash the wild hope you suddenly feel. You've missed him every night of your goddamn life, and he could come back. You could talk to him again for real, instead of just to his bones.

It's amazing you can feel any kind of hope at all as meteors rain down around you on a planet that's swiftly being wrecked, but you do. Maybe you wouldn't have willingly paid this price to see your lusus again...but you would have given a hell of a lot. And getting him back would do a lot to compensate you for your world being turned into a meteor-pocked wasteland.

yeah im ready

}!{ Here we go!

You smash the rock against the lid, watching it fly off and the Kernelsprite and Cruxite Dowel fly out.

The kernelsprite is extremely strange-looking, and you have to stare at it for a moment.

Then you pick up the cruxite dowel - which is surprisingly heavy, but you opt to carry it rather than captchalogue it because you want your lusus to stay at the top of your modus - and look up to the sky. As choked as the air is, you're wondering if you can see your meteor.

It takes you a long moment to pick it out. Not because it's hard to spot - it's anything but that - but because you actually think the whole sky's gone fiery red before you notice, way off in the distance, hints of darkness that actually mark the far edges of the meteor. It's literally so big that you can barely see around it.

You drop the dowel again.

oh my god

That's no meteor, that's a SPACE STATION. Or a moon. Or something of likewise appreciable size.

You were expecting a lot of things! The meteor especially, since that is kind of the whole problem here.

Just not something that looks like it'd level an entire major city in a single go, and then some.

}!{ Lyn.
Lyn get to it right now.

mother of fuck
how much time do i eVen haVe it looks so fucking CLOSE

You're still staring at the meteor, and so you miss a rapid series of developments behind you that involve a cloaked adult troll appearing out of thin air, crouching, and launching himself straight into your kernelsprite in a single leap. You only spin around when the flash of light from the prototyping gets your attention.

...who the hell is this guy with the sprite tail?

...is that a troll?

...is that an adult troll?

How the hell did someone sneak up on YOU, of all people?

WHERE THE FUCK DID THIS COME FROM.

You haVe Very little time. Go to the lathe.

WHAT???

You had about only a second to see the adult troll go and PROTOTYPE HIMSELF, which is far too little time to do anything. In fact, you're staring long and hard at the screen right now, because holy fucking shit there's an adult troll and he is now a sprite and THERE'S AN ADULT TROLL WHAT IN THE NAME OF JESUS IS HE DOING HERE.

I
what
When did he show up
He showed up out of nowhere Lyn I

You can feel some of your usual composure slip away because THIS WAS THE LAST THING YOU EVER EXPECTED TO HAPPEN, and you're too stunned to care for the moment.

You're no help at all in answering Adelle's questions; you're too busy gaping.

the fuck is that
the fuck is this
the fuck are you

The sprite offers no answers; he looks, if anything, irritable.

You haVe to carVe your cruxite artifact before the meteor arriVes.
You haVe less than three minutes.
Do you want to die?

This gets you moving, although part of it is just wanting to be away from the sprite guy. You bolt into your cave, utterly forgetting the dowel.

what the fuck is going on adelle?!

You forgot something.

The thrown dowel almost hits you in the face.

I don't know!
He just --
He showed up out of nowhere and threw himself into the kernelsprite!
I --

You have to suck in a deep breath to keep yourself focused. Right, right, adult troll, two minutes on the countdown --

TWO MINUTES ON THE COUNTDOWN.

}!{ Okay, look Lyn.
}!{ We have a little less than two minutes on the clock now.
}!{ Just get get in.
}!{ We'll...figure out what to do afterwards, just get through this.

oh god

The reminder of how close you are to horrific death gets you moving. You scoop up the dowel and manage to get it into the lathe on the second try; your hands are shaking more than a little.

Your sprite - whatever he is - appears to be simply floating out on the ledge by the cruxtruder, doing absolutely nothing of value, but you'd swear you can feel his gaze even with solid rock between you.

"Oh god" is right. You're keeping an eye on that adult troll sprite, while also checking the countdown timer.

You're just a little anxious, really.

It feels like the lathe takes hours, but really it's only a minute. But you've barely got any of those to spare.

As soon as you have your dowel - which looks a little disturbingly phallic - you bolt with it straight for the alchemiter. Holy shit, you're not going to have enough time...

you better be talking to whoevers next on the list adelle

Now your quirk is gone, too.

Be prepared to break the artifact, Lyndis.

HOW IS HE SUDDENLY HANGING RIGHT OVER YOUR SHOULDER

But the alchemiter is already working. It produces a massive, beige-colored stone, and off of it tumbles a smaller rock. Then the larger stone vanishes, leaving you with...

...what looks like a plain rock.

This is supposed to save your life?

Stop staring at it and moVe, you imbecile.

It's at that point - with about three seconds left on the timer, and counting down - that you whirl and chuck the rock straight at your asshole sprite, who vanishes. The rock hits the wall, falls to the floor, and cracks open, and for one second you see the crystal lining inside -

And then everything goes white. Your name simultaneously drops from Trollian.

You wish you had the chance to get in touch with Lyn immediately after his entry, however you've been rather busy with other matters. Matters such as the guilt of finding your lusus dead and realizing it was your fault for being so careless, of talking to him once you prototyped him with your sprite, taking out the imp infestation of your hive and touching base with Forbes to get your thoughts together.

It's honestly an hour or so after everyone has entered the game that you finally get around to messaging Lyn, hoping he's not too busy.

You know, you should consider having more fai☥h in me in ☥he fu☥ure when I say I'm cer☥ain ☥hings will work ou☥.
I hope your new loca☥ion is be☥☥er ☥han mine or Forbes'.
I'm sorry I couldn'☥ check in wi☥h you sooner, ☥here were ☥hings I had ☥o a☥☥end ☥o.

you should haVe more faith in my skepticism
granted i guess we all made it in aliVe
or i guess i haVent heard otherwise
but things are still pretty shitty

I can'☥ deny ☥ha☥ because ☥hings are pre☥☥y shi☥☥y on my end as well.
This is really only ☥he beginning and I have no idea how far ☥his is going ☥o ☥ake us.
However, I am de☥ermined ☥o see ☥his ☥hrough wi☥hou☥ any of us needlessly dying.
There's clues around, and I'm going ☥o find ☥hem and figure ou☥ jus☥ wha☥ ☥he fuck is expec☥ed of us.

oh well if thats all you need you should talk to my sprite
he apparently knows all about eVerything foreVer if you belieVe that
and if you can tolerate listening to him talk for fiVe minutes together
i cant

Mine has some informa☥ion, bu☥ no☥ every☥hing.
Wha☥ did you pro☥o☥ype wi☥h?

oh i neVer got the chance to prototype anything
my ancestor prototyped himself while i was staring down a meteor the size of a small moon
no big deal

You are considerably angry, bitter, and utterly strung out with nerves. This may be coming through slightly in your text.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

(Day 1) ==> Lyndis: Enter.

DURING

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