Everyday Disco

Image

Encounter Conditions

None

Initial Text

(With pop music playing)

Pop music pours through the Happy Hour, echoing back at you from every direction and filling every available space. The dancefloor is completely covered, but the dancing itself is fairly orderly.

(With spooky music playing)

The composition of the dancefloor is a bit different than when you came in and the dancing is… well, more like swaying and whispering to each other than dancing.

The eerie music doesn't help, just making it seem like some creepy hive activity.

(With harsh music playing)

Unlike the crowd you saw when you came in today, the dancers seem to be mostly from the punk subculture… to put it mildly. It's mohawks and shaved heads and faux leather and "cybernetic" piercings as far as the eye can see.

You suppose you could call what they're doing "dancing," but it's more likely to send someone home with a black eye or bloody lip than what most people would recognize.

(With heavy music playing)

Metal screams out from speakers scattered through the Happy Hour, filling the air with impressive instrumentals and hoarse shouts that could really be in any language. You can't honestly tell.

The dancefloor seems more crowded than usual. You think the difference is mostly just how much people are thrashing around, but there are a few more people cutting loose on the floor as well.

(With festive music playing)

As ancient carols chime over the dance floor, students of all stripes have gathered into small groups. None of them seem to be dancing. Actually, it seems like most of them are complaining about Christmas.

Summary of Choices

1. Join in - various results, depending on music playing and other factors
2. Pick pockets (evil) - gain various minor items, depending on music playing?
3. Start a fight - various results and various opponents, depending on music playing
4. Show the petition - (During Halloween 2012 with a halloween museum petition equipped)
5. Offer some plastic fangs - (During Halloween 2018 with a plastic fangs)
6. Walk around - leave?

Or, with festive music playing, Join in is replaced by:

1. Join the chat -
2. Try dancing -
3. Complain about viral carols - (After being infected with Viral Carols in Christmas Call)

Choice Text and Results

Join in

(With pop music playing)

You try to dance, but you're missing either the rhythm or the utter lack of self-awareness these students have… maybe both.

You hook your comm up to the music system to see if it makes any more sense after listening for a while.

You've gained 10 energy of Dance Music.

With pop music playing, Dance Music and one of Happy Hour or Fae Blessing or Center Stage:

You can dance! Or at least you feel like you can dance, which might be the same thing.

And nobody makes fun of you, which helps.


You've earned 2 XP in Reflexes

You've earned 2 XP in Will

With another song in your list and pop music playing

You do your best to dance along. You have rhythm, it's just totally the wrong rhythm.

You feel a bit better for standing out of the crowd, though.

You've earned 3 XP in Will

(With spooky music requested)

You try to join in, but don't seem to know the steps… or maybe they're all just very strange. Either way, it doesn't take long to decide it'd be better to just enjoy the music.

You've gained 10 energy of Emerald Gift.

(With spooky music requested and another song in your effects)

You're not sure how any of these students know what they're about to do next. It's like they're networked together somehow, twisting or tugging or flailing like… well, like they choreographed it all in advance or have done this enough they can read exactly what other people want them to do.

You've earned 2 XP in Perception

or? (I had dance music, but that's not a guaranteed trigger):

You dance along to your own music amidst the crowd. They don't seem to mind it, but you're kind of glad you're off in your own world being your own person.

You've earned 3 XP in Will

(With spooky music requested and Emerald Gift Live, Emerald Gift, or Hunt for the Gift)

You sway from side to side with the students, joining in as they toss sparkling green lights and writhing mists across the crowd. You watch as artists assemble dioramas from the the mist stuff and other students engage in a tug of war using a "rope" of twisting light.

You've earned 4 XP in Will

(With harsh music playing)

You try to dance along to the thrashing music, without much success. Or, at least, the other students laugh at you and make rude comments about your parentage, so it's probably best to assume you didn't succeed.

Even through the laughter, the music has pounded its way into your brain.

You've gained 20 energy of Brain Staples.

(With Dance Music, 571, or (any other music?) on your comm and harsh music playing)

You definitely have a rhythm, just not the rhythm everyone else seems to be dancing to. Although the students on the floor are bumping into each other constantly, one of them takes offense when you collide with him.

(Fight Punk Student)

(With harsh music requested and Brain Staples, Industrial Mohawk, Punk Pants and Punk Jacket)

You thrash along with the rest of the crowd. They seem content to crash into you and let themselves be crashed into, so presumably you're doing something right.

You've earned 2 XP in Strength

You've earned 2 XP in Will

(With heavy music playing)

You try thrashing around with them, but can't quite get into the brutal spirit it demands. The music's pretty good, though, so you download a track.

It's pretty inspiring. You might feel up to dancing later.

You've gained 20 duration of Imported Metal.

(With heavy music playing and Imported Metal or Garage Metal active)

You join the thrashing mass, laying into your fellow dancers with abandon. Even when you crash into them, they get pushed right back up towards you.

And the people don't even seem to mind getting thrashed into, they just smile and get back up. Maybe that's what being a kid is like.

You've earned 2 XP in Strength

You've earned 2 XP in Will

(With heavy music playing and some other music effect active)

You thrash around for a bit, but your music and the stuff they're pumping over the speakers aren't really getting along. Your comm's powerful enough it's audible, but definitely not powerful enough to drown out the stuff they're playing.

You've earned 2 XP in Strength

Pick pockets

It's painfully easy to pick pockets in this crowd, with everyone constantly bumping into each other anyway.

With pop, punk, or eerie music playing (evil (1))

Unfortunately, most of the students don't seem to be carrying much while they're out dancing, but you keep searching until you find a pocket that isn't empty.

See pickpocketing. On failure:

Thankfully, nobody notices your attempt.

You've earned 3 XP in Reflexes

Or:

You're not sure if you put your hand in the wrong pocket or if the drunk barreling at you was just looking for a fight in the first place. Either way, the crowd is too tight to get away easily.

(Fight Roaring Drunk)

On success:

You found: 1-2? of: Eclipse, Legion tract, caramel bar (needs confirmation)

(With heavy music playing)

You clean up on the dance floor, grabbing at anything that isn't nailed down. With the amount people are thrashing around, it's difficult to grab anything, but nobody notices what you're doing.

You found: <2-3? of:> battered cred chip, caramel bar, fresh cred chip, Metros light, legion tract, pep pill, protein bar, trendy Midgard cap

(With festive music playing)

A fair number of the students are even carrying cred chips… probably holiday spending money, now that you think about it.

You found: 1-2 of: Brain Staples single, caramel bar, Eclipse, Legion tract, Metros Light

You found: 2-3 of: battered cred chip, fresh cred chip

(Or, once per day, with enough Stealth Power? (4 is not enough, 10 is))

You manage to collect some cred chips, probably the students' holiday money, and a bottle of spirits that smells intensely of peppermint. Wooah!

You found: 4(?) of: battered cred chip, fresh cred chip

You found: peppermint schnapps

Start a fight

With pop music (evil (2))

You push several members of the crowd before one finally responds. She spins around with more speed than you'd expect from a drunken college student, throwing a punch as she turns.

(Fight a Dancer)

With harsh music playing

You pick a punk at random out of the crowd and shove him as hard as you can. He responds about as well as you'd expect.

(Fight Punk Student)

With spooky music playing (evil (2))

You push one of the students as hard as you can, sending him sprawling to the ground. A moment later he bolts, disappearing into the crowd.

Bloody coward… fast, but a coward.

You've earned 2 XP in Will

With heavy music playing (evil (1))

You start thrashing around even more violently than the other dancers. Most of them perk up quickly and clear out a circle, but one is drunk enough to stand his ground.

(Fight Drunken Dancer)

Or, with heavy music playing and wearing clubbing shirt/pants/trendy hat: (evil (1))

You start thrashing around even more violently than the other dancers. Most of them realize to get the hell out of your way, but a few seem to take it as a challenge to their manhood.

(Fight 2 Drunken Dancers)

---

History

Start a Fight (during Christmas)

(With festive music playing)

You start shoving students left and right. The hipsters scatter like leaves caught in a breeze, but some students seem to have a bit more spine.

Then again, maybe the hipsters just don't want to explain black eyes and broken bones when they visit their parents for Christmas.

(Fight Punk Student)

Offer some plastic fangs (during Halloween 2018)

(After talking to the student in Lonely Streamers three times(?), with non-heavy music playing)

One of the dancers grabs the fangs. "Fucking vampires! Yeah, man!"

He looks almost thoughtful for a moment, "It'll take a bit to get the vampire getup together. Maybe I'll get a cane!"

Older results no longer available:

History

Join in

(With pop music playing)

You try to dance, but you're missing either the rhythm or the utter lack of self-awareness these students have… maybe both.

And now you have the song stuck in your head.

You've gained 10 energy of Dance Music.

---

Walk around

You carefully skirt the edge of the crowd, slowly making your way around the dance floor.

See Walk Away

Join the chat

You do an impromptu survey of the students loitering on the dance floor. For all that they're complaining about Christmas, they seem pretty excited about the university's Abominable Snowman competition.

Word is that it'll actually have official university sanction this year, after the Halloween festivities went off so smoothly. Other than that, they're looking forward to getting money from their parents to blow on music, booze, or Eclipse.

You've earned 3 XP in Perception

Or, during Christmas 2013 or Christmas 2014:

You do an impromptu survey of the students loitering on the dance floor. For all that they're complaining about Christmas, they seem pretty excited about the university's Abominable Snowman competition.

After a rocky start a few years ago, it has official university sanction this year, which the students seem extremely pleased by. Other than that, they're looking forward to getting money from their parents to blow on music, booze, or Eclipse.

You've earned 3 XP in Perception

Try dancing

Huh, yeah, this stuff really isn't good dance music. A few people clap at your attempt, but you think it was probably "ironic" clapping.

Even if you made a total fool out of yourself, it gave you a good chance to enjoy the music.

You've gained 20 energy of Classic Carols.

Or, with a song other than Classic Carols playing:

As hard as dancing to this music would be in the first place, it's even harder while you're listening to something else. You're lucky you didn't break something.

You've earned 3 XP in Reflexes

Complain about viral carols

You join into their circle of complaints, adding your opinions on viral marketing to the mix. One of the students nods sagely, noting that he's never had problems with it, because he always pops an Eclipse before he heads back across the Quad.

Several of the other students just laugh at him, insisting he just doesn't notice and that the only real way to prevent it is to already be listening to other music. The circle rapidly breaks down into two factions, both ignoring the student suggesting basic computer security measures.

On the bright side, by the time they're done, both factions offered you a sample of their preferred solution.

You found: Eclipse

You found: Brain Staples single

---

From Halloween 2012

Show the petition

(With pop music playing)

The crowd swirls around you endlessly. People seem interested in speculating about Halloween, but less about the petitions.

Eventually, though, you find that people break down if you ask enough times.

(Or, after getting the petition signed)

You make your way through the crowd, pestering people. Unfortunately, it seems the only people who fall for that trick are the ones who already signed for you.

(With spooky music playing and the Halloween Museum Petition equipped)

You corner some students easily and launch into a conversation about the Art Museum and how it would make a perfect site for the upcoming Halloween festivities.

They listen attentively, noting how spooky the last art showing there was before the fire. They're also fans of the dorm, but you manage to persuade them that it's best to retire on top with the Emerald Gift.

They line up to sign your petition.

You've earned 5 XP in Will

(Or, with the Halloween Counterpetition equipped)

You corner some students easily and launch into a conversation about the Dorm Ballroom and how it would make a perfect site for the upcoming Halloween festivities.

They listen attentively, noting how sweet it was to have Emerald Gift there twice and how spooky it is that Midgard's had it sealed off all year. You convince them that the Art Museum, although cool, doesn't have the history of the ballroom.

They line up to sign your petition.

You've earned 5 XP in Will

(Or, after getting the petition signed)

You check through the crowd but only see familiar faces.

You've earned 2 XP in Perception

(Or if you don't already have the halloween counterpetition)

"Naw naw naw," one of the students interrupts. "The Art Museum is trendy, sure, but the classics are classic for a reason. We've had Emerald Gift," he gestures towards the speakers, "only the best band ever, there twice. To say nothing of the whole horrible catastrophe a couple years ago. And some people were reporting werewolf attacks last year? How cool is that?"

"Here," he hands you a clipboard, "take this."

Hmmm. Looks like you got counter-petitioned.


You found: halloween counterpetition

(With harsh music playing)

The crowd, unfortunately, doesn't seem to be very interested in petitions. The chorus of witticisms like "find another hole to die in, you pathetic fuck" and "go fuck a drone" rapidly degenerates into "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

The drunken student nearest you is all-too-willing to comply.

(Fight Punk Student)