biteys: (Default)
NIMBO ([personal profile] biteys) wrote in [community profile] turnout2024-08-03 09:54 am

week 6

WEEK 6


!
home, home on the range

Last week’s events have understandably driven the group off the intended course — so this week will be about righting your little forest-beach-detour.

However, it seems the rain that began at the tail end of last week hasn’t quite let up yet. Mercifully(?), the worst of the storm looks to be over, which means the party will only have to be mildly soggy instead of fighting for their lives against daunting sheets of rain.

Perhaps due to a combination of poor weather, overexertion, and lingering germs in any of the places everyone’s been traveling through, Leontuzzo Bellone and Mark Grayson come down with the flu.

Covering a wide area of land between the lighthouse and the next marked place on the map are a series of abandoned farms and vineyards. Fruit trees and grapevines have all been left to grow (and overgrow) naturally, and with the party passing through at the height of summer, there are plenty of fresh peaches and grapes to be plucked from the foliage on the way. The rain has made the ground muddy and sticky, which may lead to some unfortunate falls…but maybe it’s worth it for a tasty treat.

Also in the abandoned farms are, of course, farmhouses and barns. There are stray farm animals here and there who have happened to survive through sheer luck, though there are no human inhabitants. No living ones, anyway: there are only skeletons, telling the tale that people died here long ago, perhaps of natural causes. One can only hope they did not succumb to the virus as so many others have. There are medicine cabinets inside the houses that have standard things like painkillers, cough syrup, and things of that nature, so it might be a good time to stock up.

As characters linger in the farms, they’ll also notice another side effect of their bracelets: throughout the entire week, they’ll be empathically linked to the other survivors, being able to feel their emotions as strongly as they would feel their own.


city escape
Once the group passes through farm country, you’ve finally made it to the outskirts of your destination, San Francisco. The map seems to suggest that you should travel along the east outskirts of the town along the bay, rather than directly through it — similar to how the party had stayed to the edges of Los Angeles.

Hordes here are similar to the ones in LA, though with the added difficulty that San Francisco is very hilly. Groups of zombies will chase the survivors uphill and downhill: they seem to have limitless stamina, so running up the hills and hoping for the best isn’t the best strategy. Conversely, they run full speed down the steep declines of San Francisco roads, which can lead to them completely wiping and possibly knocking you down with them.

Several zombies are also special: of the zombies that attack downhill, a handful have retained enough intelligence to simply stand or sit on abandoned skateboards and bikes, which increases their speed greatly. Of the zombies that prefer to attack uphill, they’ve learned that throwing anything they can find at their prey may slow them down — pieces of glass, bricks, and even shoes might be thrown at the survivors.

Henry Townshend attracts the attention of zombies in these hilly zones, forcing the need for a City Escape™.


fisherman's wharf + pier 39

Towards the end of the week, as characters continue taking the long way around San Francisco, they’ll eventually end up at the northeastern section of the city. More specifically, Pier 39, and the harbors it borders.

Here, after all the rain and gloom, the weather is a bit clearer, allowing characters to look out into the bay and see some marine wildlife that has kept away from the virus; there are hundreds of sea lions and seagulls here, though because they stay down on the rocks below the pier, the sounds of waves crashing drown out their incessant barking.

There are a number of abandoned shops here, and similar to the mall the group traversed weeks ago, many of the stores seem to be looted, but there are still goodies to be found here and there. With the wide variety of goods, from music boxes to candy to jewelry, there’s sure to be something that tugs on the heartstrings you’re all sharing this week.

Take a look around, find a souvenir, and maybe pick what store you’re going to be camping out in for the night?

This week, Ninety-Nine is infected.


empression: (Two shots of vodka can be good)

[personal profile] empression 2024-08-06 12:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Mm, I do. [ With a smile, taking in the smirk. There's a prickle of regret, because Hella's right. They should have taken pictures together, when they'd all been intact and healthy and hopeful, not when everything had gone horribly wrong the first time they split up.

Truly, things had changed far too much already. ]


It's a shame we haven't been able to find a camera, going forward... but I think this is a good idea. And I think as long as we keep discussing everyone, keep making what memories we can... that should help, at least a little.
bicth: (pic#17160436)

[personal profile] bicth 2024-08-06 09:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Her expression softens a bit as Haru agrees with her, tucking the kitten back into her collection. Then, she sighs. ]

Or maybe, when we get to where we're going, there might be files on us with pictures... something we could take and make copies of.

[ They didn't even get to give most of their group members who have passed on a proper burial or anything like that. But she wants there to be some way to honor them as they keep moving forward. ]

Since I dunno if we can really carry these. [ They're like, fighting for their lives just carrying the things they have now. ] It's just too sad, if no one's thinking about them.
empression: (This pirouette might kill you)

[personal profile] empression 2024-08-07 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
... Why don't we do this? [ As her fingers idly bury themselves in the dog's fur. ]

We all have different memories with them, I'm sure of it. Perhaps when we were split up, or during the moments where we could regroup and relax. So, provided they aren't anything too personal, I don't think it would hurt to do something like a memory exchange. We could share stories of the memories we've made with everyone and that could tide us over? Until we have access to photographs.

But also, Hella-chan, if you want to take any of these with you, I certainly don't mind assisting. At least one could fit in a hoodie pocket.
bicth: (pic#17160438)

[personal profile] bicth 2024-08-11 04:12 am (UTC)(link)
[ She nods, looking down at the plushies in her arms. ]

Yeah... I'd like hearing about them a little more. From the others. I don't wanna weigh us down with more stuff.

[ It'll feel like they're keeping their fire burning, at least for a little while. A tiny smile tugs at the corner of her lip, thinking she should set an example. ]

Like Kotoha... you know, she told me she'd help me make some money, when this was over.

[ Theyd bonded over doing fraud its fine....... ]
empression: (Can't read my--)

[personal profile] empression 2024-08-12 01:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Help you make some money? As in, find work?

[ Sweet Haru not even considering fraud-- ]
bicth: (pic#17160402)

[personal profile] bicth 2024-08-12 06:11 pm (UTC)(link)
No, come on Haru.

[ She teases Haru like she's not picking up on something obvious, her smile growing more mischievous. ]

She had that copy ability. All she needed was a little cash aaand....
Edited (remembers to put this in past tense bc kotoha DIED) 2024-08-12 18:11 (UTC)
empression: (If you came here to kill me)

[personal profile] empression 2024-08-14 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
Eh?

[ ???? ]

Eeeeeeeeeeeh?! W-wait, Hella-chan! That's not right!!
bicth: (pic#17160401)

[personal profile] bicth 2024-08-14 05:28 am (UTC)(link)
Why not? Seems pretty fair to me... she would've been getting it by using her own powers. What's wrong about that?

[ And Hella was the brains behind the operation, it would've been perfect. ]

And I'd have been using it to boost the... economy!

[ she remembered what that word means, please clap ]
empression: (You think you've ever seen)

[personal profile] empression 2024-08-16 01:34 am (UTC)(link)
There's quite an elaborate system behind a proper economy, so adding money without an understandable source would have led to counterfeit claims eventually, or worse...

[ Haaaa. ]

You two were always so lively and mischievous, I can't say I'm surprised...
bicth: (pic#17291699)

[personal profile] bicth 2024-08-16 08:22 pm (UTC)(link)
That's just a bunch of big fancy words for saying we'd get in trouble.

[ Hella waves a hand dismissively, clearly not taking the threat of counterfeit and fraud accusations very seriously. ]

How do you know all that much about the "economy" anyway?
empression: (She ain't got to love nobody)

[personal profile] empression 2024-08-16 09:30 pm (UTC)(link)
It was something my father was interested in, so I learned.

[ It wasn't terribly fascinating. ]
bicth: (pic#17160492)

[personal profile] bicth 2024-08-20 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)
You learned, or you were forced to learn?

[ Hella doesn't know much about parents... almost everyone in Syndicate is an orphan, herself included. Haru doesn't look especially enthused while talking about it, so she has to wonder. ]
empression: (She ain't got to love nobody)

[personal profile] empression 2024-08-21 12:17 am (UTC)(link)
... The latter.

[ Well. Yes. ]
bicth: (pic#17160405)

[personal profile] bicth 2024-08-22 11:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Eugh. Sounds boring.

[ Which is her light way of saying that she doesn't think it's right for parents to force their kids to learn anything... Hella thinks education is important and all. But being forced to do anything never sounds right. ]

Your dad made you do a lot of stuff like that, huh?

[ in her experience, people who force people to do things don't stop at just one... ]