it creeps and leaps and glides and slides

[venatical]

Who: Everyone who sees the network post re: the explosion and the impending blob threat!
When: Morning of Day 196. The blob threat and altered personalities have an open-ended date, atm, so people can be dealing with those as they wish!
Where: One of the science labs.
What: The orb causes an explosion of sorts in the lab, which results in two things: 1) some characters act "off," their personalities altering in some way, and 2) there are tiny red blobs (very The Blob-esque) everywhere that are harmless until you get close enough and you realize they want to jump onto your face.

[ The lab is a mess; cabinets and drawers are open, some faucets are dripping, and there's glass and scattered paper and things everywhere. Most troubling, however, are the blobs that like to suffocate people.

Freeze them, contain them in cupboards or whatever intact container you find handy, see if they're afraid of the Bunsen burner, try to use weapons on them -- best to get them cleaned up quickly, though! ]

Comments

[noblexcompanion]

There are basic washing machines. Nothing fancy. And yeah, there's a big ol' machine that sometimes gives us stuff, or punishes us. We're pretty sure it's what brings us here in the first place.

It's all great fun. [ No need to be sarcastic, Donna! ]

[commandertoolbelt]

Punishes you?

[ Gods, that is so screwed up. It's like... it's almost as if this machine thinks it's a god, actually. Still, he makes a thoughtful noise, eyeing the other blobs almost absentmindedly. Maybe... ]

But it's just a machine, right? Maybe I could hack it.

[noblexcompanion]

Good luck with that. The machine doesn't like to be messed with. It's more likely to make our lives a misery.

[ Do not mess with the machine! Bad things happen. Donna likes not being killed. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

Machines are my specialty, [ Leo says dismissively. Well, he's not lying; he does have a special power over machines. He could even operate a helicopter just by touching it without ever seeing one up close before, so he's not worried. ] If anyone can handle it, it's me.

[noblexcompanion]

... Just try not to get us all killed. I kinda like not dying.

[commandertoolbelt]

You're that worried about a machine? Who's controlling the thing?

[ He's not seeing the issue here. ]

[noblexcompanion]

That's the point! Nobody is controlling it. It controls itself. It's sentient or sommat.

[ Excuse her while she stabs another blob. Trust her on this, kid. The machine is bad news. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

[ That actually makes him pause for a moment, the gears turning in his head. ] So it's an automaton, then?

[ Of course, that's when one of the blobs takes the opportunity to jump at his face. ]

[noblexcompanion]

[ Woah! Pay attention to the blobs, Leo! They need your full attention if you don't want your face munching off! Jeez! ]

You got a little something right there... [ Donna tries to pull the blob off of him. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Leo says... something in reply, but it's lost, muffled by the red goo. He tries setting his nose aflame, not enough to burn since this lady is obviously trying to help, but enough to motivate the blob to move. And when it pops off, there's still some left on his face, which he rubs off with a grimace. ]

I never knew I hated Jell-o so much until today.

[noblexcompanion]

Well it likes you, obviously. It was going straight for the tonsil hockey!

[ Donna looks him over with concern, despite her joking. ] You okay? No skin peeling off? No weird aftereffects?

[commandertoolbelt]

Gross.

[ He tries to rub the stuff off on his clothes, which doesn't work at all. It just kind of... smears around. Leo makes a few disgusted noises before leaving it, turning back to her. ]

Nothing I can tell. I would've thought it'd be poisonous, at least. [ Aren't the "weakest" ones always? ]

[noblexcompanion]

Well don't go and jinx it! You should be thanking your lucky stars it's not poisonous! Unless it's slow acting poison...

[ Jeez, Donna! Way to bring a downer on everything. ]

Not going blind or anything? How many fingers am I holding up? [ Three. The answer is three. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

Well, you're a ray of sunshine, aren't you.

[ Still, he double-checks everything, and nope, seems good. He does give her a sidelong glance when she asks. ]

Three. Is this normal around here?

[noblexcompanion]

[ Hey! She's just been here long enough to know that more often than not when strange stuff happens, it's strange, bad stuff rather than strange, good stuff. Unfortunately. ]

The blobs? They're new. But there's always something weird going on around here. Usually pain inducing. Or just bloody terrifying.

[commandertoolbelt]

Sound like par for the course for me.

[ Ah, the wonderful life of a demigod. He sighs, unimpressed. ]

Is it the machine that makes all the weird stuff happen?

[noblexcompanion]

As far as we know, yeah. We used to think it was the scientists causing all the crazy rubbish that goes on, but since we came here there's been no sign of the scientists.

Maybe it was the machine all along.

Maybe it got fed up with the scientists and got rid of them. We just dunno.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Hmph. That doesn't sit well with him. ]

Maybe I'll be able to figure it out. Machines are kind of my specialty. Do you know where it is?

[noblexcompanion]

Uh well, see... That's the thing with this place - the rooms move.

[ She knows how crazy it sounds, believe her! But she's not crazy! It's the truth. ]

And I wouldn't try tampering with it if I were you. Or blobs won't be the worst thing it throws at you.

[commandertoolbelt]

...Right. So, the place can rotate. It's got to be programmed somehow.

[ He gives her a look. ] I think I'll risk it. I've never met a machine I can't figure out. [ Well... the Archimedes sphere still has its secrets, but he can still use it. ] I can probably get it to work with me, if nothing else. I have a way with machines. It's in my blood.

[noblexcompanion]

Bit like a Rubik's cube. It can be frustrating at times. But you usually find the room you're looking for eventually.

I still wouldn't recommend messing with the machine though. Not unless you want to deal with the rest of the residents being mad at you when it decides to punish us all.

[ She slaps another blob out of the way. Blobs beat some of the worse things the machine has thrown at them. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

[ His expression is doubtful. The lady's obviously been here longer than he has, but she doesn't understand quite right. He isn't the counselor of the Hephaestus cabin for nothing, you know. ]

Why would it punish all of you for just one person doing something? Doesn't sound very fair.

[noblexcompanion]

[ He could be the king of Tralalalarly land for all Donna cares. The machine is still bad news. She's seen it's bad side enough times since she's been here to know. ]

Hate to tell you kid, but life isn't fair.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ He rolls his eyes. ]

What, really? How could you do that to me? That's like telling me Santa Claus isn't real or something.

[noblexcompanion]

[ She can do that too, you know! ]

How dare you! Of course Santa is real! Where else are the elves and the reindeer going to get work?