Desolation

[RPGeesus]

Please read this first!

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So heres how this adventure works.
It is set in the same universe as my old adventure, You are most certainly human.
I will only be doing one (or two, if there is need for it) picture per update, as I plan to put a great amount of effort into making this a very visually appealing adventure.
As such, there will probably be lots of text describing the results of your suggestions.
Also, while I hope to get better at this as I go, the updates may be very slow to arrive, as it can take a while to make these pictures.

Every image can be clicked for the full resolution version. Great for wallpapers!

DESOLATION



A man walks down a deserted street, the only sound comes from his footsteps and the hiss of his protective mask filtering dust and toxins from the bitter cold air.
The buildings of the city are dark, save for one. A massive tower with what appears to be a stylized 'AS' lit in brilliant blue. He walks away from it, despite its apparent signs of inhabitation.
He does not walk at a constant pace. Instead he stops and looks around every minute or so, as if searching for any sign of life in this dead city.
As he passes a series of small shops, their once colorful and animated signs now dark, he stops.
His hand goes to the pack that is slung over his shoulder, and after a few moments digging around inside, it emerges holding what looks like a military grade radio.
He lifts it to his mask and speaks:

"Is there ANYONE out there? I've been walking all over this city, there has to be SOMEONE listening.
Please, if anyone can hear me, respond. I don't need shelter, I'm not asking for food, I just need ANYONE to talk to.
I don't know how long I can go without hearing a voice other than my own.
Anyone?
God damn it... God damn it..."

It is clear from the tone of his voice near the end of his rant that he has been alone for quite some time. He is now simply standing, his shoulders are moving slightly, as if he were sobbing.
It does not look like the isolation is doing anything for his mental health.

It is then that he hears static over his radio, followed by a voice...

==>

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And you, dear readers, are that voice. Suggestions will be used as if there is someone on the radio talking to him, so wording them as such will be helpful!
Also, as a note, he does have a name already.

[Whimbrel]

"Identify yourself, stranger."

[Mibbs]

"We read you, whats your position. Over."

[Galloglasses]

"Go to garage one. No questions. The Package will be waiting. You have five minutes to get in and out, it is all that can be garaunteed"

[Kaynato]

"Area clear... Area clear... All survivors... Report to coordinates... *static* ... ...under main building..."

[Xartarin]

"This DJ Rehab here with *static* and we got a greeeaaat show for you today, listeners! Remember to call when you hear the seal clap, the tenth caller gets a FREE *static*. But for right now the lines are open, let's take some calls."

[TheRealSolitair]

"Holy shit, someone new! It's about time! Hey Jack, how long do you think this one'll last? Eheheheheh... Yeah, I know he can hear me. What's your point?"

[RPGeesus]

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So glad to see suggestions! Because this will take time to paint (well), I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm working on the next update. Might be a couple days, as this is something I'm doing in my spare time.

This first update will be a bit of character exposition, so any suggestions along those lines work (Going with the basic suggestions for this one).
Just as a tip though, as the "voices on the radio" you guys are not characters the protagonist is likley to meet. My thought process is that whoever is on the other end is an observer, offering advice and guidance. Ideally your suggestions will be from your own perspective. This is more advice than requirement though, if you have something you feel would make the story more interesting, please feel free to say it.

Because of the way this adventure works, I probably won't be able to fit more than one or two suggestions in at a time, so to start off with, I'll be using the more basic commands. Don't worry though, If I don't use your command in an update it may well show up in a later one.

Well, that was more than I planed to say. I hope this does not come off as controlling or anything like that, I just want as many of your commands to fit into these updates as possible.

[Staff Deployment]

(Eeeeeee hee hee hee hee hee I love how this is going to work I'm gonna keep an eye on this)

"Hey! Hey wait quick! Who is this? Where are you? What are you doing?"

[Sprak]

"######alutations. Pardon our tardines#####sponding ###########adio wa################################## are you?"

[Solaris]

GREETINGS THIS IS STARWHALE. STARWHALE WISHES TO INFORM YOU THAT WANDERING AROUND A DEAD CITY IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A HOBO OR BUM. DO YOU WISH TO BE ONE BECAUSE IF SO STARWHALE CAN CEASE HIS SPEECH FUNCTION RIGHT NOW. GO FIND A JOB YOU SOON TO BE HOBO AND OR BUM. THIS HAS BEEN STARWHALE.

[Anthano Zasalla]

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Oh hey neat this is a thing

"This is... listen, it doesn't matter.

Where the deuces are you?"

[K25fF]

Explain your situation, where are you?

[Naristar]

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So glad to see suggestions! Because this will take time to paint (well), I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm working on the next update. Might be a couple days, as this is something I'm doing in my spare time.

This first update will be a bit of character exposition, so any suggestions along those lines work (Going with the basic suggestions for this one).
Just as a tip though, as the "voices on the radio" you guys are not characters the protagonist is likley to meet. My thought process is that whoever is on the other end is an observer, offering advice and guidance. Ideally your suggestions will be from your own perspective. This is more advice than requirement though, if you have something you feel would make the story more interesting, please feel free to say it.

Because of the way this adventure works, I probably won't be able to fit more than one or two suggestions in at a time, so to start off with, I'll be using the more basic commands. Don't worry though, If I don't use your command in an update it may well show up in a later one.

Well, that was more than I planed to say. I hope this does not come off as controlling or anything like that, I just want as many of your commands to fit into these updates as possible.

I'll wait to make suggestions till the next update!
I'm glad this is here It looks like this will be hlarious
also does this mean WE might just be figmants of his sad lonely mind?

[Zolen]

"This is insane hobo, yes I do have a flaming donkey."

[Dalmationer]

"Mibbs? Is that you? Hold on a second! That's not Mibbs guys! Gut the imposter!"

[Dmatix]

"Greetings, Pilgrim. You have a long way ahead of you. I will, if you allow me, provide whatever aid I can. Shall we begin?"

[Blizz98]

>"Greetings fellow *static*ill*static*m *long burst of static* but you can just call me 'Bill', who *static*e my *static* fellow vagabond?"

[RPGeesus]

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Update is almost done! Would you guys mind if I combined the key points of your suggestions into one coherent conversation?

[Xartarin]

YES, THAT WOULD BE THE WORST THING POSSIBLE TO- nah that's fine

[Mibbs]

the nice thing about this medium is even with input you can do whatever the hell you want. Go for it

[RPGeesus]

It is then that he hears static over his radio, followed by a voice...

"Identify yourself, stranger"

The voice on the radio is full of static, and the man is clearly startled as he quickly moves the device to his ear.

"This is Isaac Lawson. Who... Who am I speaking to...?"

This is an outcome Isaac clearly never expected. His voice sounds uncertain, as if he no longer trusts his own senses when it comes to good news.
He takes his finger off the 'send' switch and waits for a response.
There is another burst of static, and the voice on the radio responds.

"This is... listen, it doesn't matter. Explain your situation, where are you?"

Isaac still seems shocked at hearing another voice, but his excitement becomes clearly evident as he starts telling his story with rapidly increasing speed and enthusiasm.

"Where to begin... Well like I said, I'm Isaac. I've been wandering around this city for months, since the evacuations actually.
I would have evacuated, or at least gotten down to a shelter before the impact but I worked at AugSoft...
they told us that there was nothing to worry about, that the building was fortified against any kind of disaster, and that our work was far to important to be left unfinished."

Isaac pauses here, whatever work he did at AugSoft clearly brings back unpleasant memories.

"Anyways, I did not have any close family members within 5 states, so I was not worried about being separated from them. We all stayed and continued to work on our projects, sealed inside the building. Outside we could see the evacuations, it was chaos, as I'm sure you know. We had front row seats when the dust cloud hit, and we could see windows shattering as the pressure wave hit them. After that it was quiet outside."

He does not seem to feel the need to elaborate further about whatever devastating event caused all this, apparently assuming that it is common knowledge.

"After a couple months, some of the other researchers started getting... nervous. Being sealed up in a building for that long, with no natural light, and nothing to entertain yourself with but your work... It gets to you. I don't know where exactly it started, but out of nowhere there was a riot. there was security of course, but there were hundreds of employees in that building. It started getting real bad, and I decided that I would rather take my chances outside with the dust and poison than have my head bashed in by some insane IT guy. I broke into an equipment locker, took everything I could carry, and hot-wired one of the big metal blast doors to open for me."

He pauses to take a breath, then begins again calmly.

"I don't know what happened inside the building after that, there was a lot of pretty dangerous research in there... Who knows. After that, I just started wandering around the city. According to the date on my HUD, its been about... three months since I left. Sometimes I thought I caught glimpses of people, usually out of the corner of my eye, or thought I heard footsteps, but yours is the first voice I have heard in all that time."

He stops, waiting for a reply. Static can be heard on the other end for several moments and Isaac starts shifting nervously, hoping his new friend is still there.
The static intensifies for a moment, and then the voice is heard once again.

"Well, you certainly explained your situation...
Sorry it took so long for me to respond, we are having trouble with our radios. I will, if you allow me, provide whatever aid I can. Shall we begin?"

Isaac says nothing for a few moments, and then responds.

"Well I don't know about aid, but it might be nice to have some company for a change. I can patch a visual feed to your terminal too, assuming you have one.
So, any advice on where to go next? Now that I got in contact with you, I don't really have a goal anymore."

Isaac waits for a while before hearing the voice respond...

==>

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And thats an update.
Hope I did not butcher your suggestions too badly, I tried to make them sound like they were all being said by the same person.
Don't feel the need to only direct him to obviously important places that I include in my pictures. Think if this as an actual city (I'll end up making a map of where we have been soon enough) and even minor locations might have something interesting. This adventure is about exploration, and is an exercise in both art and storytelling for me.

[K25fF]

"Look around. Is there anything nearby that looks interesting or out of place?"

[Dmatix]

"First thing first, let's get you somewhere safe. You might not have realized it yet, but these streets aren't as empty as they seem".

[Whimbrel]

Get yourself a weapon..or at least something that looks like one, at a distance. If you encounter something hostile, you don't want to appear defenseless, even if you actually are.

Look for a convenience store, or a pharmacy. You'll want to have a supply of first aid and basic survival items on hand; bandages, medicine to fight infections, iodine drops to purify drinking water, that sort of thing.