Ragnarok

[PigeonBrain]

It's Ragnarok, the end of the world as you know it. Can you and your sister make the journey home safely, as the world around you breaks down into chaos, or is this the end of Frederik and Marie?

Fimbulvinter 1.1

The snow falls heavily, clinging to your thin jackets like spiteful toddlers. The weather blindsided you completely, here in the end of the autumn holiday, and now you're stuck in Copenhagen, 200 kilometers away from your winter wardrobe.

It's cold, but not nearly as cold as your stomach when you realize that you don't have money for the tickets.

You were visiting your grandparents along with your sibling. Your grandparents aren't exactly the most titillating company, so you spent most of the time shopping like the stores would burn down tomorrow.

It seems you forgot to keep a look at how much money you were spending, because no matter how many times you swipe the credit card, the same message keeps popping up like a bad pimple.

Rejected.

This is awful. What on earth was so important that you spent so much money on it?

[] Clothing. It's said that fashion in the capital is always three years ahead of times. Well, it's also three times more expensive.

[] A gamer laptop. With a 4 gigaherz intel core and graphics that makes your eyes bleed, this computer is to die for.

[] Write in.

Obviously, this is your fault, because you are:

[] Marie Solvej Pedersen, eighteen years old. As the older sibling, you're naturally in charge. Some might call you gloomy, but you like to think of yourself as levelheaded. It's your credit card, and you if you hadn't made the mistake of letting your younger brother borrow it, you would have known there wasn't any money on it.

[] Frederik Jan Pedersen, sixteen years old.Though you're the younger sibling, you don't take orders from anyone. You don't have much experience with credit cards, and hadn't realized what it meant when it was rejected while you tried to buy a birthday present for your girlfriend yesterday. You "forgot" to mention it to your older sister, because you thought the problem would go away if you ignored it.

Well anyway, there's nothing to do about it now. You try to call your grandparents, but they don't pick up. They probably left it off the hook again.

You call your parents.

Mom picks up the phone and you almost slump over in relief. You explain the situation to her.

Mom is a master at the art of sighing. She's sighing like the world is held up by her breathing. "Alright, I'm going to be angry with you when you get back, but for now, let's think about our options. You can still board the train even if you don't have a ticket. If you receive a fine, we can pay for it later."

Needless to say, you'll both be forced to do chores around the house until the money's paid back.

"Or, you turn around, go back to your grandparents and spend the night. I'll make a money transfer and you can take the train tomorrow. You'll miss a day of school though."

The train arrives in two minutes. What do you do?

[] Take the train

[] Return to your grandparents' house. You still have enough pocket change for the bus.

Please vote in plans, thank you

 

[veekie]

[X] Clothing. It's said that fashion in the capital is always three years ahead of times. Well, it's also three times more expensive.
[X] Frederik Jan Pedersen, sixteen years old.Though you're the younger sibling, you don't take orders from anyone. You don't have much experience with credit cards, and hadn't realized what it meant when it was rejected while you tried to buy a birthday present for your girlfriend yesterday. You "forgot" to mention it to your older sister, because you thought the problem would go away if you ignored it.
[X] Take the train

 

[RandomLurker]

[X] A gamer laptop. With a 4 gigaherz intel core and graphics that makes your eyes bleed, this computer is to die for.
[X] Marie Solvej Pedersen, eighteen years old. As the older sibling, you're naturally in charge. Some might call you gloomy, but you like to think of yourself as levelheaded. It's your credit card, and you if you hadn't made the mistake of letting your younger brother borrow it, you would have known there wasn't any money on it.
[X] Take the train

 

[The Grey Mage]

[X] A gamer laptop. With a 4 gigaherz intel core and graphics that makes your eyes bleed, this computer is to die for.
[X] Frederik Jan Pedersen, sixteen years old.Though you're the younger sibling, you don't take orders from anyone. You don't have much experience with credit cards, and hadn't realized what it meant when it was rejected while you tried to buy a birthday present for your girlfriend yesterday. You "forgot" to mention it to your older sister, because you thought the problem would go away if you ignored it.
[X] Take the train

 

[kylina]

[X] A gamer laptop. With a 4 gigaherz intel core and graphics that makes your eyes bleed, this computer is to die for.
[X] Frederik Jan Pedersen, sixteen years old.Though you're the younger sibling, you don't take orders from anyone. You don't have much experience with credit cards, and hadn't realized what it meant when it was rejected while you tried to buy a birthday present for your girlfriend yesterday. You "forgot" to mention it to your older sister, because you thought the problem would go away if you ignored it.
[X] Take the train

 

[bluefur87]

[X] Books. You've always been one of those people who seems to hoard them, despite this modern age, and the capital had many unusual and rare ones that you couldn't pass up.
[X] Frederik Jan Pedersen, sixteen years old.Though you're the younger sibling, you don't take orders from anyone. You don't have much experience with credit cards, and hadn't realized what it meant when it was rejected while you tried to buy a birthday present for your girlfriend yesterday. You "forgot" to mention it to your older sister, because you thought the problem would go away if you ignored it.
[X] Take the train

 

[Cornix Argentus]

[X] Books. You've always been one of those people who seems to hoard them, despite this modern age, and the capital had many unusual and rare ones that you couldn't pass up.
[X] Marie Solvej Pedersen, eighteen years old. As the older sibling, you're naturally in charge. Some might call you gloomy, but you like to think of yourself as levelheaded. It's your credit card, and you if you hadn't made the mistake of letting your younger brother borrow it, you would have known there wasn't any money on it.
[X] Take the train

 

[MechaJesus]

[X] Clothing. It's said that fashion in the capital is always three years ahead of times. Well, it's also three times more expensive.
[X] Frederik Jan Pedersen, sixteen years old.Though you're the younger sibling, you don't take orders from anyone. You don't have much experience with credit cards, and hadn't realized what it meant when it was rejected while you tried to buy a birthday present for your girlfriend yesterday. You "forgot" to mention it to your older sister, because you thought the problem would go away if you ignored it.
[X] Take the train

 

[PigeonBrain]

None of you are voting in plans, making me sad... Well, I'll live.

Depending on how I count, the tally is either

[X] Clothing - 2
[X] Laptop - 3
[X] Books - 2

[X] Frederik Jan Pedersen - 5
[X] Marie Solvej Pedersen - 2

or

plan @veekie - 2 (@MechaJesus )
plan @RandomLurker - 1
plan @The Grey Mage - 2 (@kylina)
plan @bluefur87 -1
plan @Cornix Argentus - 1

Seeing as the planformat is too diverse, I'll be counting it individually unless things drastically change tomorrow.

 

[PigeonBrain]

Voting's closed. New chapter will be up soon.

 

[PigeonBrain]

Fimbulvinter 1.2

[X] Frederik Jan Pedersen
[X] Laptop
[X] Take the train

I find it entertaining that all of you chose to take the train. Did you think the quest would end if you didn't?
------------

The decision's made before Mom is even finished speaking. Expensive as it might be, you're not spending another night with your grandparents. Besides, even if you prance around in a skater boy cap and purposely talk like you're high on some strange mixture of drugs, you actually like school.

"We're taking the train. Be home by ten." You hang up.

Marie gives you the stink eye. What? She wanted something else? Should've mentioned that before you hung up then.
------------

The train rolls in and hisses as it prepares itself for a short rest before departing again. It is the king of snakes, and it does not need breaks, or entertainment, nor food. It does nothing but carry you obediently to your destination or die trying. Humanity truly is great.

Right now however, you would prefer if it were a little less great. Your fellow passengers bump up against you and each other like swine flooding into a slaughterhouse transport.

The discomfort is exacerbated by the amount of luggage you're carrying. You both brought a trunk from home, and adding to that the bags you bought while shopping, it quickly gets annoying.

You enjoyed the shopping-trip quite a bit, by the way, even if you weren't buying stuff for yourself. You were mostly just there to help Marie decide. She's hopeless on her own, always so indecisive. Honestly. Well, she does have her moments of independence you suppose. You tried to encourage her to buy clothing — you've never seen her in anything more interesting than a turtleneck sweater — but in the end she bought a gamer laptop. Typical. It's probably just going to make her even more gloomy.

Well, at least she bought something for herself. The original intent of the shopping trip was to buy gifts for the upcoming Christmas. Still a bits away, but it always sneaks up on you, and you have far too many relatives. This time, you're definitely prepared.

The stream of human bodies starts to ebb as people fill into the seats. You look towards Marie. Should you try to find seats?

However, Marie is looking at something else. You follow her gaze. There's a sign hung up in the corner of the window of the train.

Do not lose your ticket. If you cannot show a ticket, the fine is 750 kr.

Well, that's just great. You're two, so that makes it 1500 kroner. That's an awful lot of money.

"You could buy a cheap laptop for that," Marie mutters darkly.

Or three of the necklaces that you'd been eyeing for your girlfriend, you think to yourself. That reminds you that you don't have a birthday gift for her.

Marie taps her wrist, and her eyes flicker back and forth, showing her anxiety. She's probably getting freaked out waiting for the ticket inspector. There's almost no doubt one will show up. They always do when it's crowded.

Marie leans in close so the other passengers can't hear.

"Maybe we should hide in the bathroom."

You:

[] Hide in the bathroom. Who knows what the other passengers will think when they see you squeeze into a toilet with your sister, but at least you won't have to pay the fine.

[] Try to find seats. The value of pride and comfort cannot be measured in money. You probably won't find seats though, and facing off against the ticket inspector will no doubt be a harrowing experience.

[] Split up, but stay in contact via phone. That way, you can warn the other when the ticket inspector makes his round, and you'll only have to pay half the bill. It's like something out of a spy-movie, but it'll deplete your mobile batteries, and who knows if it'll even work anyway.

 

[bluefur87]

Huh, so the older sibling is acting like the younger sibling? Weird.

[X] Hide in the bathroom. Who knows what the other passengers will think when they see you squeeze into a toilet with your sister, but at least you won't have to pay the fine.

Personally I want to use our superior younger sibling intelligence to suggest hiding on top of the train. Sadly write ins do not seem to be allowed on this vote.

 

[veekie]

[X] Hide in the bathroom. Who knows what the other passengers will think when they see you squeeze into a toilet with your sister, but at least you won't have to pay the fine.

 

[PigeonBrain]

Huh, so the older sibling is acting like the younger sibling? Weird.

[X] Hide in the bathroom. Who knows what the other passengers will think when they see you squeeze into a toilet with your sister, but at least you won't have to pay the fine.

Personally I want to use our superior younger sibling intelligence to suggest hiding on top of the train. Sadly write ins do not seem to be allowed on this vote.

Click to shrink...

Well, they're close in age, but also remember that you chose Frederik, the ultimate brat. Don't trust a word he says.

write ins are allowed, always.

 

[bluefur87]

[X] Sis is stupid, there are totally people who hide in the toilets all the time. We can hide out on top of the train the way home, just like a hobo or in an action movie. Though we probably shouldn't fight on top there.

Changing my vote for awesome then.

 

[PigeonBrain]

It... looks like my story's not really gaining momentum. Still, I'll post the next chapter. Not sure if I'm going to continue after that though.

 

[PigeonBrain]

Fimbulvinter 1.3

I really like this story, so it kinda saddens me if it ends like this...

[X] Sis is stupid, there are totally people who hide in the toilets all the time. We can hide out on top of the train the way home, just like a hobo or in an action movie. Though we probably shouldn't fight on top there.


You don't want to hide in the toilet. It's smelly in there. "If it's that important to you," you say. "We can hide on top of the train like hobos." Not that you've ever seen a hobo do that. If they're feeling suicidal, they tend to throw themselves in front of the train, not on top of it. "…Or action movies," you say after thinking it over a bit.

Marie gives you a flat stare. "One. How? Two. It's snowing. Three. No."

Typical sis, shooting down your suggestions. She's such a windbag sometimes.

Marie glances around. "Come on, we're finding some seats." With a precise flick of her hand she activates the motion sensor, making the door to the next cabin open. You move down the train.

The snow is falling heavier than before, you notice. In the span of a few hours, the snow has already formed the blanket that tends to show up in deep winter, or the occasional spring.

But in October? Crazy. Probably all the global warming.

You make it all the way down through the compartment without finding an available seat, and end up in another one of those compartment-in-between-compartments, completely identical to the one you were in before. There's a group of eastern europeans with a lot of baggage and a woman reading a book sitting on the steps to the platform. That could be dangerous when the train stops and the doors open, though it's none of your concern.

More importantly however, there's a toilet, which Marie shoves you into without discussion. She follows behind and closes the door by pressing the button.

Now, if it were any other pretty blonde-haired girl shoving you into a toilet… As it is though, you just wrinkle your nose before hogging the only seat in the room, aka the toilet. You flip open your mobile and starts texting. You don't get a reply from your girlfriend, sadly, but one of your friends are online. You send him a message marveling at the amount of snow, which you paraphrase: "holy shit hav u see the snow?"

He sends back: "Duh, everyone have."

Another message. "Check the news, it's fucking global."

You send back a lol, which makes him get insistent that it's true. The messages spiral into a weirdly dedicated attempt to persuade you of his honor scout truthiness, until finally you get sick of it and closes the discussion.

Sometimes you just don't get his humor.

Marie is crouching on the floor with her old laptop over her knees. Her new one hasn't been set up yet. "What're you doing?" you ask her boredly.

"Nothing."

You scoff. You've heard that answer from her a million times now. You used to think it was porn, until you realized that Marie is pretty much the definition of a bore.

"You got internet access?"

"Yeah."

"Can you check DMI?" Danish meteorological institute's website. You could go check it yourself if you had an smartphone, instead of the 2007 piece of crap you're lugging around right now. The only good thing that can be said about it is that it's durable and that's something you curse, not praise.

Your parents' argument is that "if Marie doesn't need it you don't either".

Yes. You have matching phones. A horrible reminder of the years where your parents bought you matching clothes and cooed over your sibling cuteness.

You suspect their attachment to those years is the main reason you still haven't gotten a new phone.

"This can't be true," Marie suddenly says. "It's not April 1st yet is it?"

You sit up. "What're you talking about?"

You want to hear her say it. She does.

"Every news feed I've checked collaborates the story," she mutters. "Snow in Hawaii, Australia, china. Snow in deserts. Look."

She turns her computer. You're not sure what you're supposed to see. "What? A white circle?"

"It's the satellite photo. That's how earth looks from space right now."

"Holy shit."

You both sit in silence for a while, contemplating the fact that you're sitting in a train toilet hiding from the train conductor while a global catastrophe is in development. It seems small in comparison, yet at the same time, there's no way you're leaving the toilet with the threat of a train conductor still out there.

You return to your previous activities. Marie hides behind her computer again and does whatever mysterious loving things she does with it, and you text some of your other friends. Your girlfriend finally replies, triggering a lengthy session of endearment-combat and experimentation with new smileys. You also tell her about the mystery of the global snowfall, and, no, she doesn't believe you. You expect she'll text you back in a few minutes after verifying your story.

Then the train shakes. Not the usual, this-thing-we're-on-is-moving shaking, but a much rougher did-we-just-run-over-a-body shaking. Only except of a body it must be an army, because it doesn't stop after a single bump.

Almost immediately afterwards, you feel the train slowing down roughly, as though the driver slammed the break. It doesn't help the turbulence at all.

You fall off the toilet and is left scrambling for something to hold onto. You grab onto the toilet, regretting it immediately after some of the bowl-water spill onto you.

Marie's laptop goes flying. She leaves it to its fate and instead tries to get a grip on the sink. This means the laptop is sliding directly toward you, hitting you rather painfully in the thigh. You swear. "What the hell is this, an earthquake?"

Marie says something about tectonic plates that you don't quite hear, because the sound of screaming from outside the toilet drowns her out.

Marie keeps sliding around, unable to get a grip on anything, so eventually she slams the button to open the door. With the door open she can get a grip on the doorframe, which is so smart you decide to imitate her instead of continuing your kinship with the toilet bowl.

This also lets you see what's going on outside. There's luggage everywhere, and several people are lying on the floor. There are red spots on the floor that weren't there before, and you realize suddenly, that it's blood.

The train's communication system suddenly comes alive. "We seem to be experiencing an earthquake, and so we've stopped the train. Please remain calm until, uh, it's over."

The announcer doesn't sound very calm though, and fumbles a bit in the end. You suppose it's difficult to follow protocol when there is no protocol. In between being scared shitless, you admire the fact that he tried at all.

A minute passes and the shaking seems to be worsening. You cling to the wall harder and ride it out.

Finally, with a one last shutter, the earth stops shaking. A few seconds of silence passes before the communication system comes back to life.

"I just wanted to know if you're seeing this too or if we're the only ones seeing a giant monster thing…"

The announcer's voice peters out rather pitifully and that's definitely not protocol.

And then, because so much crazy shit has happened the last few hours, you head over to the windows to see if it's true.

It is.

There is a giant standing a few hundred meters away. You can only see it's naked torso and head above the trees, but it's not snowing anymore and it's large enough that you can see plenty of details. It has faces scattered across its body, on its shoulder, several small ones on its arms, two intersecting ones on its left chest, and a large slanted one across its stomach. Each face is twisted into a painful expression, even the one not jutting out of a wrong place.

The giant looks at you and roars.

There's an almost magical moment where nobody screams or moves or does anything. It seems to last eternity, but it's probably less than a second.

The spell is broken by the hiss that means the train doors are opening. No message is spoken this time, but then again, it's pretty obvious what they're saying.

Not that you have it in you to run. The giant is moving towards you and there's screaming, scuffling and terrified sobbing all around you, but you? You're frozen with fear.

There's nothing you can do.

What do you do?

[] Die (default option)

[] Write in.

If no one votes, or it ends in a stalemate, I'll go with default option. I'll check in on this story again in a weeks time or so?

 

[veekie]

[X] Grab the laptop and your sister and run for it. It probably can't see you if you aren't with the train.

 

[bluefur87]

Okay, so no immediate voting for me until some discussion is done.

First, how to get away from this thing? Scattering is an option, certainly, and there is a chance we can survive as it goes after other people. We don't know what else is out there at the moment, including more possible giants. It also could still find us and kill us. We could also hide in the train, in the bathroom. This is still risky because it will likely attack the train to some degree. Luckily this isn't some crazy movies so vehicles aren't all made out of TnT, as such the train will twist, but otherwise stay safe. I fully expect many other dangerous animals out there, but I think they're only slightly more likely to find us in the forest than they are in the train.

I suppose my best question is, is there forest on the opposite direction of the train from the giant? It's taller than the trees so we might be able to hide from it in the forest.

 

[Cornix Argentus]

As you mentioned, it's unlikely that the giant will completely destroy the train, if only because some people will inevitably try to run, and they'd be a more enticing target (unless the giant's after something specific). So I'm thinking the part of the train furthest from the giant would, while getting shaken around a lot, probably be the safest area inside the train. So if there's not anywhere nearby we can use for cover, that's an option. Should probably see if we can find something better, first.

 

[PigeonBrain]

Annnnnd the story lives! Yay

I suppose my best question is, is there forest on the opposite direction of the train from the giant?

Click to shrink...

Uuuh, I hadn't expected anyone to want careful description of the surroundings, but alright: yes, there are trees on both sides of the train, but it's an urban area, so don't expect the forest to be very big.

I fully expect many other dangerous animals out there

Click to shrink...

 

[bluefur87]

So, staying in the train seems like the safest immediate option, though it's still a gamble. The town is a good chance, we have odds of surviving in a hidden building, but it might attract the thing's attention. The forest is... it strikes me as a trap, honestly. There's likely more bad things in there. Problem with the train is, do we stay and go for immediate survival gamble, and risk being trapped should... anything, decide to stake out the train, or do we make a break for it now while we have meat shields as cover to somewhere that is likely to be much safe, though a realistic target for things that want people dead?

I think I'm leaning on staying in the train currently myself.

 

[Sydney Sand]

I think running is our best bet. I don't think the monster will go away once it's finished shaking up the train and eating anyone who falls out or runs too slow. It might have some way of detecting life that we don't know about, so getting away with a scattering of people is, I think, the best plan. I think we should run fast and hard and hope that too many people don't follow us and make us a bigger target for the big bad.

 

[bluefur87]

I think running is our best bet. I don't think the monster will go away once it's finished shaking up the train and eating anyone who falls out or runs too slow. It might have some way of detecting life that we don't know about, so getting away with a scattering of people is, I think, the best plan. I think we should run fast and hard and hope that too many people don't follow us and make us a bigger target for the big bad.

Click to shrink...

Hmm, fair enough.

[X] Grab the laptop and your sister and run for it. It probably can't see you if you aren't with the train.

 

[Cornix Argentus]

Yeah, I can see getting out being significantly harder if the giant's specifically trying to get at the train.

[X] Grab the laptop and your sister and run for it. It probably can't see you if you aren't with the train.