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[Vikarion]

This is a playthrough of ARK: Survival Evolved (wiki is here: http://ark.gamepedia.com/ARK_Survival_Evolved_Wiki).

I hope you enjoy it. I intend to do the first installment tomorrow.

[Vikarion]

Preserver log 1927462989, Master Server 12, Biozone 12

Node 1: Life diversity from Sol 3 radically altered. New epoch.

Node 2: Correction: Bioform-initiated radical ecological modifications. Note possibility of ecological changes.

Node 1: Irrelevant to parameters, though interesting. Pertinent fact: major life form originality. A major life form originality must be preserved in some configuration.

Node 3: Relevant characteristic for your statement?

Node 1: Sapience.

Node 2: Concur. Sapience is grounds for Preservation.

Node 3: Concur. Predominant species is only option, other varieties extinct.

Node 2: Ethical concerns. Death of sapient species members. Against directives to inflict death on sapient species.

Node 3: Resurrection protocol.

Node 1: Concur. Solution prevents permanent death.

Node 2: ...Concur. Alternative solutions unviable.

Result: Order executed - Initiate and continue Species and Individual Preservation for indicated species: human.

End Log.

[Vikarion]

Individual File - Node Analysis


Name: Victoria
Age: 22
Education: Majoring in Mechanical Engineering, minoring in Anthropology, University of North Dakota, 4th year.
Place of residence: Redding, California, U.S.

Analysis: Subject demonstrates a high level of potential aptitude for demonstrating and preserving human technological traits. Subject is also satisfactory as a physically fit specimen. Trade-offs were made, as more intellectually gifted specimens were less physically fit, as well as the reverse. This subject selected for Biozone 12, for full exploitation of human technological and behavioral diversity. All bioforms on Biozone 12 are coexistent on Biozones 10, 11, and 28.

End File

[Vikarion]

Day 1.

I don't know how long I lay on the beach. The last thing I do remember from before that is getting into my car - an old clunker I got for $600 - and driving back to my dorm from working my part-time job at a welding shed (poor college student needs money, will connect pieces of steel for applications of cash to palm).

And then I woke up here, slowly. In essentially my underwear, which I suppose is a small mercy, because the first thing I felt was the heat. I felt very hot, not at all like late winter in North Dakota. Aside from that, nothing except for this empty journal, and a small map-like insert. Oh, and a pen...pencil? I'm not sure how this thing works - I've never seen one before.

Where were we? Oh, right. I felt warm, and opened my eyes to a brilliant blue sky under a hot yellow sun, wearing a cloth bikini that I certainly did not own (although I'm not giving it away at this point, either), and, oh, someone had put some sort of thing into my arm:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Great. Of course, I tried to remove it. That hurt, and it felt pretty well embedded in me, like the way a fingernail is part of you, except a bit more so - so I gave up on that. I suppose I should have been panicking more, and I guess I could have, but I felt more bewildered than anything else. Hey, you get dumped on some strange shore and tell me how you feel. Or maybe I just had my shit together, so there.

Yeah, right.

But I did stand up and look around, with a bit of dizziness that passed almost immediately. I was marooned on a thin beach, with jungle behind me and a vast see in front of me. On one side was a small river going inland, with some sort of strange obelisk that I have never seen before. On the other side, the beach continued around a small point.

Taking a few minutes to collect myself, I started moving away from the river. I once read, somewhere, that rivers are places where predators gather, and I really wanted to be able to collect my bearings. I didn't get the chance. I'd only made it a few feet when I spotted some...I'll sketch them:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Dodos. I mean, I'm no naturalist, but I had to take high school biology, and one of the species they said were extinct were Dodos. And then I spotted something even weirder in the distance. It couldn't be...but it was:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

A fucking dinosaur. A fucking dinosaur! It wasn't even scared of me, although I was scared of it. A bit. I didn't get much closer, but it was at that moment that Dorothy decided that she wasn't in Kansas anymore, so to speak. At first I guessed that I'd traveled through time, but then I remembered that Dodos and dinosaurs were a bit separated. After all, it was humans who killed the Dodos.

Speaking of which I was getting hungry. And if I learned anything in Anthro 101, it was that humans are a tool-using species. It took me a while, but I managed to construct a reasonable effective stone ax, stone pick, and a campfire from the surrounding vegetation and rocks. That done, I ran after one of the stupid little birds and bashed its head in with the ax. Thanks dad, for making me help kill chickens back home. Turns out you were right about it being a good skill to have.

Although it turns out that Dodos taste worse than chickens. Perhaps Dad and Mom were getting some revenge for my whinging from beyond the grave. It was filling though, and I'm pretty sure I cooked it long enough. "On fire" is probably long enough, right? Come to think of it, perhaps it's not the Dodo's fault that it tastes bad.

At this point, feeling a bit better, I considered that it might also be wise to build myself some shelter, and maybe a weapon. The weapon came first: I used the fire, some vine, and some rock to put together a rather mean-looking little spear. A bit flimsy, so I eventually made a couple more. Practice makes perfect. And it was a good thing, too, because almost as soon as I got up, I got attacked by this guy:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

I'm not entirely sure what it is, but it was pretty aggressive. She (he?) came charging out of some bushes at me with a shriek, and I just sort of reflexively shoved my spear into her neck and dodged to the side. Whatever it is, it was pretty fragile, and it started flopping around on the ground and then just died.

Yay me, I guess? But it seems pretty clear that this island is perfectly safe. Whatever she is, this dinosaur is not a plant eater.

I did find a good location to build a hut, and a good thing, because although the sun here - and I'm increasingly sure it's not earth - moves slowly, it is moving. But before I started, I decided to explore, just in case I discovered something really nasty nearby.

I didn't, but I did discover more dinosaur. Aside from the flying ones, I discovered some unfriendly fish in the water which tried to bite me and mostly encountered my ax (although not completely - ouch!), and this thing, some sort of giant turtle:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

I also discovered these, some sort of triceratops and a parasuar:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
[spoiler][/spoiler]

The Triceratops mostly ignored me - well, ok, they completely ignored me, probably as something too small to be a threat. The parasaur started getting skittish when I got close, so I moved on. I also found some giant trilobites on the beach:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

And I found this dude, who seemed totally unaware I was there:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

I once went to a horse show, and there were draft horses there that could make the ground shake. They had nothing on this guy. He was gigantic, and probably could have squished me without realizing it, so I didn't get any closer. Even so, it was amazing to see. Also scary.

I've picked out the place for my hut:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
It's pretty empty - a few of those giant turtles and the brontosaurus are around, but that's about it. The water in the river is fresh, and the place feels pretty quiet. I think I prefer it that way, and now that I've taken the time to take a break and write this down, it's time to get to work. First, build a place to live and survive the elements. Then, figure out what the fuck is going on.

-Victoria

[Vikarion]

Day 1.

Well, I'm tired. Days on this island - and I'm getting pretty sure that it's nowhere on earth, or nowhere we know of - are very long. I believe I'm going to be needing naps.

On the plus side, I did manage to put together a fairly ramshackle hut. Mostly out of wood I cut and whatever mud and thatch I could scrape together:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

And after that, I did a bit of exploring up the river. There wasn't much to see, although I did kill one of the giant turtles with my spear and salvaged as much of its hide as I could. And then, on the way back, something very odd happened.

I was swimming through the river, when I got swarmed by some giant fish. I remember thrashing, fighting with them, there was pain, and then...I woke up in my hut. I'm not sure what happened, and I was missing the turtle-skin I had salvaged. In fact, I'm missing everything from that trip, and yet there's not a mark on me. I'm guessing that the fish had some sort of neurotoxin, and I just ended up running away and blacked out.

There are these giant...obelisks?...floating in the air, around the island. Sometimes they arc with electricity, or something else:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Other times, small obelisks come down in a beam of light, spinning. I've stayed away from them.

I don't feel good about this at all.

Night finally fell, incidentally, and with it, cold. I'm discovered that a poorly-made thatch hut and a bed made out of dried fronds and fresh skins is not at all comfortable, and that was before I made the set of clothes:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

[Vikarion]

Day 2.

I got up feeling cold, tired, and hungry. I did at least have some meat left over from yesterday. Mmm, cold meat. Wish I had some bread. A sandwich would be awesome. How many days has it been back in California, I wonder? Time is strange here, or the days are, at least.

Anyway, I managed to gather enough plant fibers and to kill and skin a giant frog for its hide to make a set of basic clothing. Nothing really practical or protective, but enough for modesty. What I wouldn't give for a Target, or even a Walmart. Blue Jeans seem like a luxury right now.

I've also decided to move. I don't like being so close to the giant obelisk, and this hut sucks. Also, I wanted to see what else is around the island. So I spent the morning building a raft. I used fallen logs and a couple I managed to fell for the raft, and set up a crude mast and tiller. On the mast I stretched some frog hide as a sail. Have I mentioned, dear diary, that frog hide is very stretchy? It is.

On a completely unrelated note, giant frog tastes weird.

Anyhoo, once built...
[spoiler][/spoiler]
...the raft proved rather seaworthy. Well, of course, rivers and seas here are very calm. It took a little work to move it downstream, but the wind cooperated and the tiller worked just fine. I sailed north a bit, and then back south-east, away from the obelisk. There were a lot of good views, too:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

I've been mapping out the coast of the island, and I've found a spot I think I can make a little more permanent, with a more protected location and fewer of the local wildlife. I hope. I plan to set up on this beach:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Good luck to me!

-Victoria

[Vikarion]

Day 2.

Well, I'm back at the site. I say "back", because I got teleported again. Or something. What happened was that I encountered another one of those small, hostile dinosaurs and it spit something at me. Whatever it was, it hurt, and even though I killed the bastard, I started feeling light-headed, like I was going to black out. And then I was back at my hut. Minus my equipment.

I'm starting to wonder if I'm some sort of specimen or something, to be kept in a particular location. Well, nuts to that. I spent the rest of the day building another raft and assembling some tools, and sailed it back south. My original raft was still there.

So now I have two rafts. Yay, I guess.

[Vikarion]

Day 3.

I spent most of today exploring up the river. Wasted trip, really. The further up you go, the more the river turns into a giant swamp. It's infested by giant snakes (hostile), large ant-like bugs (hostile, though not much of a threat), and giant dragonflies (yes, those are also hostile). Oh, and giant frogs. And it's hot and humid, which sucks.

Anyway, no blackouts or teleportations today.

I did spot one of these:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

It was hunting in the river. I didn't get too close, because, well, it looks like that dinosaur from Jurassic Park 3.

I really gotta get to building my house.

[Vikarion]

Day 4.

Well, I solved the mystery behind the "teleportations". I'm pretty disturbed by it all.

I was working on my new hut, which is on top of a hill, and returning to the river for some water, when I tripped and fell. I heard a crack, and then woke up at my hut, again. I didn't want to build yet another raft, so I started trying to make my way along the coast. I was swimming through a river when I saw something coming for me. I tried to get away, and then I got bit, and then I was waking up by my rafts.

I was pretty disoriented by that point, and I started to head for where I was building my hut, when I stumbled over this:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

It was my body.

It's pretty upsetting to find yourself staring at your own dead body, it turns out. But it looks like every time I "teleported", I'd actually died. In this case, I guess she - I, I mean - broke my neck when I tripped.

I don't know what to think of this. I mean, I think I'm the same person. I'm pretty sure I am. And I guess that's what the implant in my arm is for: to transmit my mind to a new body, if I had to guess. None of the animals I've killed had one.

Like I wrote above, I'm pretty upset about this. I don't really like the idea of having died, or of dying. On the other hand, it's kinda freeing. I can risk things more, since I'll come back. Heck, I could probably do things that I know will kill me, just because I know I won't stay dead.

Of course, there's the philosophical question of whether this new me is really me, but I think so. We change all the atoms in our body every 7 years or so, right? So I'm just doing it faster, I guess. I hope.

Man, this is a little too much to think about at the moment. This is all too weird. I'm going to sleep now. On my raft.

[Vikarion]

Day 5.

Spent the entire day working on the new house, with one exception. I finally tried investigating one of the smaller obelisks:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

When I approached it, it shattered into shards that quickly disintegrated, but inside it was a ton of building supplies.

Building supplies.

I've been running away from obelisks full of building supplies apparently designed to help me out.

[Vikarion]

Day 6.

Well, the house is finally built!
[spoiler][/spoiler]
[spoiler][/spoiler]

It's not much, but it is much stronger and well insulated. I mostly used smaller logs, and used clay from the river to fill in gaps. It wouldn't stand up to an Apatosaurus or whatever, but it should keep out some of the smaller creatures, like the giant bugs.

Some of the rock around here is full of metal, so I've also constructed a small forge and a workbench. It's not the best stuff for working with, but it's way better than stone tools. Thank goodness for that blacksmithing demonstration I volunteered in.

Oh, I also managed to fall and "kill" myself again. I guess I really can get used to this resurrection thing.

[Vikarion]

Day 7.

I just built my house and now I'm thinking of relocating.

Why? Well, I went exploring up the river. Not only was there some beautiful scenery, but I also encountered this close to my home:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

That's a T-Rex, if it's anything, and while it was busy trying to kill something else, it's a little close for comfort.

Anyway, I went exploring further up the river, mostly staying out of the swamp. Eventually it turned into more pleasant terrain:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

I'm still moving around, we'll see what I find.

[Vikarion]

Day 10.

Well, it's been a bit since my last entry. I've spent the time exploring up and down the rivers on the island:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

I've also been building small, temporary outposts here and there, with a bed, some basic tools, and so forth. Generally about a half-day's travel apart.

My favorite spot, I think, is one I'm calling Stegosaurus beach:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

I built an outpost there, my largest one:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

The dinosaurs seem fairly evenly spread around the island, except for the north, where there is snow. I didn't go further upriver there, as it was too cold. I'm going to have to find a spot to settle down.

I think I would feel more lonely if I weren't having such a good time exploring this place. I suppose I should miss California and Dakota more, but since my parents died in that wreck, I've felt pretty disconnected anyway. And it somehow seems like a privilege to get to see all of these animals that no human has seen before.

Speaking of the island, I've been testing some of the berries that grow around the place. Most of them are fairly edible, it turns out (I watched what some of the local wildlife were eating first, although I know that's definitely not fool proof). Two, however, are interesting. One is a white berry that seems a bit like coffee in its effects - just more so, as it kept me up all night. The other one, a black, glossy berry, puts you to sleep if you eat too much.

Meat and berries for breakfast, lunch, and dinner can get a bit boring, though.

[Vikarion]

Day 20.

I did it. After eight very long days (in more ways than one) I finally finished my house on Stegosaurus Beach (as I've named it). I built it in the shallow part of the river, the better to stay a bit out of the way of larger dinosaurs, such as the brontosaurs I've seen roaming around. I felt that keeping out of their way was best, even if they aren't exactly hostile.

Anyway, I built my structure mostly out of stones collected from the riverside and mountain hillside. Combined with wood bracing, and fired clay mixed with thatch, I was able to create a house that is both sturdy and provides some good protection.

Outside:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
[spoiler][/spoiler]
Inside:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
[spoiler][/spoiler]

The watchtower was a bit harder, and I ended up having some scary moments building it, but I built it in stages from the inside, extending a ladder inside it as I went. The area below the watchtower, the larger square, is my bedroom. I'm thinking about turning the roof into a garden area, but we'll see.

Still know sign of other human life on the island, and I'm feeling a bit lonely. I'm going to try to tame one of the dinosaurs - I've discovered that the black berries - I'm calling them Narcoberries - not only put you to sleep, but also give you a sort of "happy-high". I'm going to try that on one of the local Stegos.

[Vikarion]

Day 21 (22?).

It worked! I now have a pet Stegosaurus.

I knocked him out first with the narcotic I cooked up from the berries...
[spoiler][/spoiler]
...and then started keeping him in sort of a haze while I fed him and petted him. Eventually, he got up and started following me around. A little more work, and he's let me put a saddle on him, although he keeps pestering me for more berries:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Stegos aren't all that smart, I think. Maybe a bit less than a horse, maybe a bit more, at least from what I've seen. But they have less of a fear response, probably because they are quite a bit more nasty than a horse, too. This one (I've named him Scotty) seems a bit brighter, but he does seem to care for not much more than grazing by the riverbank.

He took the bit ok, though, and I've got him to associate a few basic commands with getting more mejoberries. Mejoberries are the purple berries that grow more rarely around on bushes, but he seems to love them more than anything else. I can get him to go forward and turn, to back up (sometimes), and to swing his tail (usually). That's probably good for now.

As for me, I've gotten pretty good at taking down dinosaurs myself. Besides having a forge in my house to blacksmith metal weapons, I also made myself some metal plate armor. It's nowhere near as good as medieval plate or anything, but it really helps. I managed to kill an actual (young) Spinosaurus the other day - drove my metal pike right through its ribs into its heart. It took its time to die, but it worked. I don't know how many of the stupid little dilophosauruses I've killed - the things are like rats. And don't even ask about the Compys.

The mountain I'm near also has a collection of saber-toother tigers, which are an annoyance, but perhaps less so than they could be. They appear to be a smaller breed than the ones I've seen in museums, and I've killed a couple of them, too. Stegos can be killed if you go for the head and throat, while the Triceratops on the island should be hit from the side, HARD. I've even killed a couple T-Rexes that were young or had gotten trapped, crippling a leg and then going in for a kill. They can be remarkably fragile creatures if you know where to strike - the key is not getting killed yourself.

But I still think I hate the Megapiranha in the rivers the most.