WEEK 1

[biteys]

WEEK ONE

❝Don’t panic. You’re waking up somewhere unfamiliar, but try to relax. You aren’t dead, and I don’t have any intention to harm you. You’ve just been selected for a very special mission. A delivery, I guess. I’d do it myself but… let’s just say I can’t travel in the state I’m in. Take the blue container I’ve left to where I’ve marked on the maps within eight weeks, and you’ll be able to go home happy. More than, really. Any time or place you want to go… I can send you there. It's kinda my thing. Think of it as your payment. Everything else you need to know, I’ll tell you in time. Know that I’m sorry that I had to resort to this, and I’ll pay for my sins in Hell.❞

!

the beginning of the end

That’s what’s playing on repeat on a tape recorder, when the survivors come to.

Characters will find themselves in a humble, American townhouse, which other than being a bit dusty, is still mostly clean. All characters will be sprawled out on the floor and furniture of the living room, in front of what looks to be a giant portal. Characters will also notice they have a seemingly indestructible silver wristband around their wrists, and they have nothing with them but the clothes on their back.

Take a look around, and you'll realize that everyone in the room is likely a stranger. Aside from the tape playing, there's little explanation or proof that what's being said to you is even true. For all you know, one of the people in the room could be responsible for you being suddenly taken here.

Exploring the house's many rooms will reveal that there are small stockpiles food, water, weapons (a few guns, a few bats, a few knives), and maps, along with a large, strange container of blue liquid. The maps all chart a route from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and sport detailed recommended time stamps on them. Strangely, the recommended path occasionally diverges into two separate routes.

Upon searching the house, Haru Okumura finds a set of notes, while Leontuzzo Bellone finds a separate set. They are free to keep these notes to themselves, or share them with the group.

Nothing has anyone's names on it — not the notes, and certainly not the supplies. Everyone will have to compete for the same things. Or maybe all of you can be civilized about this, before anyone goes hoarding weapons and food? Maybe you can even introduce yourselves, while you're at it. For some strange reason, every window and door in this place is locked (and impossible to break), and will be for at least 72 hours, as if someone wanted you all to be cooped up together for a time before heading out.

Most interestingly, in the deepest basement of the house, there's a room with a large, heavy dresser shoved in front of it… and a low moaning and banging emanating from the other side. The door’s slightly ajar, and a closer look reveals a zombie is the source of the sound. Context clues around the basement, like the PhD in interdimensional travel hung up on the wall (for a Dr. Bei), hint that the woman inside is whoever left you this cryptic message - the woman who brought you here, allegedly. But she's long long gone, only this monster left in her wake. It seems she was smart enough to lock herself away to prevent you from being harmed, at least... and it'll give you a preview of the threat that looms outside.

sewer diving

After 72 hours have passed, one and only one door unlocks – in the very same basement that the zombie of Dr. Bei can be found. It leads down to a dark, dingy tunnel that connects to the sewers. Not only is the smell awful, but (non-infected) rats scurry about, keeping to the shadows – but the smell of any of the food you've taken from the house will attract them. Careful!

The party will need to create some light to navigate their way out and keep the rats at bay, or they’ll be bumping around in the dark for quite a while. Now might be a good time to share if you have some matches, or a special talent for being a lantern. Mercifully, there's only one exit that actually opens down in this labyrinth, as if it's a route the Doctor designed to take all the time.

At one point, Puppy falls into the sewage, and loses something they brought from the house.

oh! that's a baseball

Once characters make it out of the sewers, they’ll be a day’s travel to the first mark on the party’s map: “Dodger’s Stadium.” The road they’ll have to hike to get there is winding, curvy, and uphill, which will give the party a good overview of the now dilapidated Los Angeles, along with the many abandoned buildings and cars that litter the place. The stadium itself looks to have been cleared of threats and fashioned into a safe spot a long time ago, as all entrances but one have been completely welded shut. The high walls keep zombies out, and the winding path up here deters most of them from even approaching.

Inside the stadium, there’s some baseball merch (and equipment) to scavenge, not to mention some really old peanuts! Delicious. Maybe there are even some old fireworks laying around this place. Setting up camp here won’t be very comfortable… but at least it’s very safe. A luxury the party won’t have for much longer, if the map is anything to go by. You'll be heading through the city, next, so rest up while you can.

!

week one objectives

➤ make acquaintances with your fellow travelers
➤ decide what to do with the zombie of dr. bei
➤ arm yourself with what you can find
➤ scavenge some portable food from the house and while traveling
➤ make camp at the stadium

code

Comments

[titlecard]

[ He sure was!! But it's okay, it's better now. He had to take some of Dr. Bei's old clothes so he could actually have a shirt again, but since they don't actually fit him, he's kind of stuck in something of a crop top situation ... Surely he'll find something better later, it's fine.

Can't help but blush a little at her remark, though. ]

Uh, yeah. I guess I probably should have offered sooner...?

[ His bad. ]

[irreversal]

[ not him walking around in dr. bei's post-apocalyptic lululemon athleisure,, ]

Lucky~ You'll really carry me while you fly? Like a superhero?

[ she doesn't seem bothered that he didn't offer earlier, because to be fair, no one really should be acting like a diva like she is right now, buuuut it's all for the sake of team-building (?). ]

[titlecard]

[ he probably apologized to the zombie for taking her stuff too ]

Oh. [ Immediately brightens. This is a normal conversation! Normal is good! ] Yeah! I am a superhero, actually. I've flown people before.

[ Maybe carrying her would be therapeutic? Maybe this actually is team-building?? ]

[irreversal]

[ Buddy...

Also— oh. She was half-joking, but... She blinks at him for a moment, as if to make sure she really heard him right. ]

Really? Huh. What's your superhero name? Are you allowed to say it?

[titlecard]

Sure. I'm Invincible.

[ ... Followed by his smile fading. ]

It sounds kinda dumb when I just say it like that, huh.

[irreversal]

[ Yeah, she has to stifle a laugh, at that. ]

Hey, your words, not mine. You should probably let me know your regular name, though, so we don't have to go this whole time calling you Invincible.

[titlecard]

Yeah... That'd be pretty bad, wouldn't it?

[ He is nailing this social interaction. Just doing an A+ job over here. ]

Uh, I'm Mark. Grayson. Probably better to just call me Mark, isn't it? [ Continuing to nail it!! He shuts his eyes for a second like he knows he is in fact not nailing it.

Opens them again, trying to recover. ]

How about you? What's your name?

[irreversal]

[ He's doing great at this... ]

I'm Shoko Ieiri. Call me Shoko, then, Mark.

[ She gestures at him and his feet which are not touching the nasty sewer floor. ]

So, about carrying me...?

[titlecard]

[ Oh! Right, right. ]

Sure thing, Shoko. I got you.

[ And at least his arms are relatively clean — no blood, no sewer gunk — as he leans over to scoop her up in a princess carry. Doing this has him feeling more confident; he needed that, actually.

Almost teasingly: ] How's that? Better than walking down here?

[irreversal]

[ For what it's worth, she's seen some blood and gunk in her time, it's just... she'd rather not deal with it more than is absolutely necessary, and he's right here offering to carry her, so!! Up she goes, looping her arms over his shoulders to hold on.

To his almost teasingly, she answers definitely teasingly. ]

Yup. Way better. My hero~

[titlecard]

[ He can't help but laugh at that as he rights himself properly with her in his arms, moving them forward through the sewers once again. ]

That's my job. [ And even something as small as this still feels nice to do, so he's actually pretty happy right now, circumstances and environment and sewers be damned.

A little quieter: ] Pretty sure that's why I'm here.

[ Not to carry her, but to be a hero. Another world for him to look out for... It has to be a good thing, but he also obviously isn't alone in this mission, so he looks back down at her, wondering. ] Do you know why you ended up selected?

[irreversal]

[ to be a hero, huh...? Shoko can't help but wonder about what it's like. Superheroes are known and loved and recognized for their efforts, aren't they? A far cry from what it's like for jujutsu sorcerers like Gojo and her. ]

Eh...I can heal people. That's probably why.

[ Or at least she hopes it's that, and not to keep an eye on Gojo. ]

[titlecard]

You can? That's awesome!

[ If she doesn't sound enthused about her abilities, then Mark will more than make up for it. Probably because it is legitimately awesome, as he shoots her a grin. ]

We're probably gonna need that. I mean, I know I get beat up a lot. [ he just said he was a superhero... who goes by Invincible... ] At the risk of sounding weird, I'm glad you're here.

[irreversal]

[ The contrasting enthusiasm he shows for her healing compared to her own, and compared even to how awkwardly he'd stumbled around the topic of him being a superhero - Shoko can't help but chuckle at it all. ]

You're funny. Didn't you say your superhero name was Invincible? So how are you getting beat up a lot?

[titlecard]

[ He kind of stops moving forward for a second, a little blush creeping along in response to her very astute observation, before getting back to it. ]

Ahah... yeah... Well, I've only been doing this for about a year, so I figure I'll get better sooner or later. Right?

[ In the zombie apocalypse it had better be much sooner rather than later, but he isn't in the right headspace to consider that at the moment, so nevermind. ]

[irreversal]

[ He sure blushes easily... Endearing! She thought a superhero going by Invincible would be cockier, like Gojo. ]

A newbie, huh? Well, a zombie apocalypse like this is going to be one hell of a training camp for you!

You get hurt, come find me. Okay?

[titlecard]

[ Sometimes reality comes at you with a steel chair and you get humbled relatively quickly... but only after you've chosen your superhero name.

Regardless, he beams at her. ]

Yeah, but I know I can handle it. [ Okay maybe not that humbled. ] And I will. Thank you.

[ A beat. ]

I mean, hopefully I'm not coming to you too much.

[ shhh why can't he keep his mouth shut, why is he ruining the moment ]

[irreversal]

[ He's so awkward, it's hilarious, and Shoko can't help but chuckle. ]

Definitely don't. It'll be troublesome for me if you guys get hurt a lot.

[titlecard]

[ Awkward little smile, like he knows he's sounding kind of stupid, but hey, it's harmless.

Although... ] Not that I think any of us are looking to get hurt, [ he certainly isn't, ] but is there a limit to your healing abilities? Or are you kind of just good to go always?

[ Not that he wants to test that!! But. It's a relevant question. ]

[irreversal]

[ She hums thoughtfully, at that. ]

Aha, that's a good question, Mark. There is a limit. I can heal at any time, so long as I still have cursed energy. But if I get tapped out, then - kukaa - I'm finished.

[titlecard]

Cursed energy... [ He mutters the phrase to himself, since it's an unfamiliar one, before speaking back up proper. ] Kind of sounds almost like regular energy? Like if I run out of energy then I'm probably done too.

[ Sounds like something to avoid!! Although regular energy can be replenished, so... ]

How's cursed energy work? Like if you take a break you can get it back, or is it a finite resource?

[ please be the former, that'd be way better ]

[irreversal]

[ She snaps her fingers and nods. ]

Yup, kind of like regular energy. Just that cursed energy comes from emotions.

[titlecard]

Oh. [ Thoughtful look. ] Which emotions do you need to recharge?

[irreversal]

You know. This and that.

[ Negative emotions, though they've been trained to be able to generate cursed energy more naturally, too. But she doesn't feel like explaining. ]

Go ask Gojo, if you really want to know. He's the top of our class or whatever.

[titlecard]

[ ...

He's met Gojo; they argued over what to do with Dr. Bei before the big group meetup and everything. He's still not sure what to think of the guy, hence the little moment of pensive silence at first. ]

Sure. I will.

[ will he? unclear, but perhaps, ]

[ i wrote this tag before the dice rolls i just needed to pick an icon still lmao ]