<u>Quarry Plaza</u>
<i>Home of the big rock.</i>
You wonder what the purpose of that rock was. Just sitting there, a giant boulder. It hasn't been the same since the student tutiton was raised over a million dollars. Undergraduates and graduate students protested and nearly destroyed the entire UC system. All that's left are fragments of what UC Santa Cruz looked like.
Few places ever looked as beautiful as this. One thing about breaking an entire university that is in a forest... you can't break the entire forest.
<i>A poster flies by you quickly</i>. You walked by and read it. The <i> Sammy Slug challenge</i>. Back in the day, college students were tasked with collecting students around the UCSC colleges, all ten of them. Of course, no slugs were actually hurt. They were the bannana slug trophies that were overstocked in the Bay Tree Bookstore. I guess they needed to get rid of the stock inventory.
The first college, Cowell isn't too far away. You start to head there.
Travel to [[Cowell College]].You notice the subtle breeze hit your face. Cowell College...
Closest to OPERS, Dining Hall, Book Store, and best of all, the view of Santa Cruz in the distance. Where else would they put the first college?
Despite all the beauty, the marks of
Walking around you notice different trails to go through:
[[Stevenson College]]
<u>Kresge College</u>
Kresge's theme is the Power and Representation. Almost Social Justice but more on theory of it and focusing on the current state of society and American politics rather than interntional politics like College 10.
This place used to be filled with hippes when it first started. There's even a news article about Kresge students seceeding from the United States of America. College students will be college students.
[[Kresge Town Hall]] <u>Crown College</u>
The most iconic sterotype for UCSC colleges. Gaming, weebs, engineering, you'll find every type of nerd in this college. Aside from that, you got a giant hill and a grand piano of stairs that the students have to travel to get to their dorms or classes. In a way, it makes sense to name this college Crown, it's the highest out of all the colleges.
(link: "Let's get started.")[(goto: "Crown Dining Door")]Merrill's theme is not a popular one. Hell, even I don't know too much about it. Something about cultural identities and global conciuousness. The only know for certain is that <i>Merrill is sterile</i> and they have one of the best food on campus. Can't find a slug piece on a missing stomach.
Travel to [[Vivas]]<u>Oakes College</u>
Oakes College theme is Communicating Diversity. It's meant to raise awareness of all the minority and injustices that were done to them without reguard of their safety or opinion. Minority ancestors lived in a dark time in an unfair world. It tooks generation for it to be illegal and more generations for it to be normal.
That's enough stories, let's head to the final dining hall.
[[RCC Dining Hall]] Rachael Carson is home of the suburban life with a theme of enviorment. With it's suburban apartments, it really looks like a neighborhood part of a city. Weird thing to say when you're living in a forest. Reguardless, it's a beautiful college with an outstanding landscape.
[[Oakes College]] Porter College is home to the artsy people of the colleges and the stereotyped to be one of the most hardcore using drug users throughout UCSC. A person from Porter is a) an art major, b) a tranfer student, or c) a student that got moved in there. Porter has all types of people but being party animals and outgoing is usually one of them.
[[Porter Squiggle]] <u>College 9</u>
College 9 and 10 offers a different perspective when it comes the UCSC colleges. They are the newest and still the last college to be made in UCSC. With the "overflow" and "long range development" plan with UCSC this college had to be made.
Small fun fact: donating a huge sum of money to this school will definetly get you a college named after you or whatever you choose. Hopefully that'll happen again one day.
With that thought to an end, College 9's theme is International and Global Perspectives. It's different from Merrill's theme as it focuses on the issues with interntional and global problems. Human rights, economics - all that fun stuff.
Let's head over to the next college.
[[College 10]] <u>College 10</u>
I've never really seen the line between College 9 and 10. Both of them seem exactly the same with just the name seperating them.
College's 10 theme is Social Justice. Focusing on the povery and imbalance between everything injustice in the world.
Not much else to say. I guess if anything else this place is filled with Asians. This is after all, one of the main themes, <i>interntional</i> and <i>culture</i>. That and with it being the newest college makes it one of the best colleges to live in.
That was a short walk.
Time to get into the dining hall.
(link: "9/10 Dining Hall")[(goto: "9/10 Dining Line")]
<u>Stevenson College</u>
The sister college to Cowell and has it own's story in UC Santa Cruz. You think back and realize that Stevenson never really had an identity with the colleges. It was always referred to as Cowell. Reguardless, you look around and see nothing of value to go about here.
[[OPERS]] McHenry was the main library for UCSC with many of students often filling up every spot during midterms or finals week. It would get insanely pack with the forest being empty and everyone inside a building. A weird obersation but a welcomed one.
Going through the entrance of McHenry, you hear a faint scream in the distance. You shrug it off and quickly move onto the opposing exiting door. Pull the handle anddd...
<i>Locked</i>.
Damn. Looking at the far left of the distance, you see empty cans of Yerba Mate's everywhere on the floor.
"ARRRGHHHH" screams out a random voice. An actual zombie seems to have appeared. No-one knew the long-term effects of Yerba Mante, talks of cancer were always there but being an actual zombie?
You decide to make a run for it.
Make a run to [[2nd Floor]] Kerr Hall filled with the adminstrator office positions. One of the backbones that keeps UC Santa Cruz still running and filled with pockets.
The COLA protests nearly gathered here everyday until they got what they want. Unfournately, all that money had to go somewhere. Each employee that worked here had to be laid off until there was nothing left.. and so there's nothing left here to explore.
Where to go..
[[Media Theatre]]
[[Thinman Lecture]] <i>Memories rush into you as you take each step.</i>
Being squished in an oversize lecture hall. The stress, pain and tears of having to go through each midterm and final as you try your best to be above the curve. This was the Media Theatre.
Broken and forgotten. There's nothing else here.
[[Thinman Lecture]] This lecture hall was probably the host of the most hardest classes on campus. No webcasts, every STEM major has had to at least had one class here. Every person must have had their entire academic career decided on this spot.
<i>You keep on walking</i>
[[Science Hill]] Science Hill is the crossway between all the STEM lectures, buildings, and clubs. Here you'll find everything useful.. if you're a STEM major.
Let's check out the library first.
[[SnE Library]]
<u>Fireside Lounge</u>
<b>"WHERE IS IT?"</b>
The pillows and the couches seem to all have been flipped and tossed around. The entire place seems to be searched. Perhaps, it would have been better to ask the Merrill person where he saw the last key. Too late now.
"This key seperates the winner from the loser. Whoever gets it first wins the race."
<i>Your stomach growls and all you could think of is food.</i>
You look at this giant ball of light that seemed to have been sent by heaven. The vending machine. Upon closer examination, there's only one bag gluten free and vegan food. Better than nothing, I suppose.
After sliding your card and putting in your number...
<b>CLANK!</b>
The vegan and gluten-free snack from the vending machine is still there but something seems to have hit the bottom. You reach in and found it, the <i>Crown Dining Hall key</i>!
Travel to [[Crown Dining Hall]] There isn't a store at SnE so there shouldn't be zombies like McHenry. In fact, it should just be filled with reserved engineering majors that are stressed over exams.
<b>"ARRRRGHHH!"</b>
Well that was a big mistake in thinking about that.
You make a run for it.
[[Basement SnE]] The most iconic symbol in all of UCSC and home of the best sunset pictures as well. You can often see a photographer in the distance taking pictures of students as he posts in the Facebook page.
You take a breather and embrace what you've been through..
[[Porter Dining Hall]] Despite the ongoing efforts to renovate Kresge. It will always carry that stigma of being a sister college to Porter and carrying all the bad hippies along with it too. Kresge is much more than that to me though. It was a place where I could be myself and continue to grow. It was my college and I loved every bit of it. Unfouarently, the renovations tore down everything that made Kresge, Kresge. Now it's just like any other college. Or to other alumni, the fall of UCSC.
No dining hall, let's move to [[Porter College]] "<b>ARGGHHHHHH!</b>"
Why the hell are these zombies this fast is probably due to the fact Yerba Mate is some kind caffeeine drug. It looks like I won't be able to lose them at this floor.
Time to keep going up.
[[3rd Floor]] <u>Digital Scholarship Commons</u>
The door quickly closes behind us.
This must be the basement of McHenry, so far off and secluded from everything else. No-one knows it's even here.
<i>I didn't know this existed to I've never been here!</i> voices echo in your head.
You notice a cell full of technology locked-up.
"What are those and why are they just locked?"
"Ever since the SnE rennovations, the adminstration wanted to throw away everything in the library to make students have space to study. Unfournately, we aren't even a library anymore. Just fragments of what we're supposed to be.."
"That's a sad story... I'm sorry the school hasn't been the same ever since the student protests... You don't happen to know how to get out of here, do you?"
"The key's inside the cage, right over there."
You go inside and grab the key.
"It was nice knowing you... I need to leave to Kerr Hall"
"Be safe.."
[[Kerr Hall]] Upon closer examination, the person chasing you isn't even a zombie. It's a librarian and is just screeching at you. Despite that, it seems that the librarian is very hostile and so you try to move around the book shelves and across the room.
You hear the screeching getting louder and louder.
There's no room for conversation.
You make a run for it.
[[2nd Floor SnE]] Memories hit you.
Going through hell, pushing yourself to your limits as you study non-stop for midterms and finals. Making sure you calculated the odds that you'll pass the class. Preparing for the worst case scenario, considering even the smallest possiblity of cheating. Whatever to get an advantage.
You're out of breathe and dizzy.
<i>No food.. no water.. jus-</i>
The libarian slowly walks up and has snacks and water.
"You're not one of them.. you seem friendly."
[[The Librarian]]<u>RCC Dining Hall</u>
This place fills you with memory as our first ever Welcome Orientation was hosted here.
"I came last here for the Slug Piece"
"It's been a while since someone asked for that.. I wonder OH- it's still here under the drawer."
The cashier person hands over you the final Slug Piece.
You smile and you realize you reach the end of you adventure.
[[NightCore]] You approach the door, the place appears to be locked. Looks like you need a key.
<i>You take out the key you got from the OPERS desk and inserted it in slowly.</i>
<i>Push, push,.... turn... andd...</i>.
<b>"What do you think you're doing?"</b>
You look up and notice a person standing ahead of you. That badge. The iconic clipboard with small sheet of paper. Fucking. Calpirg. These people always seem to find a way to be a part of your day. For the better or worst.
You think about the two choices.
(link: "Sign the paper to make them go away")[(goto: "CalPirga")]
(link: "Tell them you already signed the paper")[(goto: "CalPirgb")]Look's like there's a huge lunch rush of students camping for Chicken Tenders. Push the button to move left and right until the crowd dies down.
(link: "Left")[(goto: "Left1")]
(link: "Right")[(goto: "Right1")]Argubably, one of the worst dining halls on campus.
But to me, one of the best dining halls. No-one in the right mind would go here and people have their reasons. The one main-entrees, often not good food, and a big chunk of the dining space is a stage that no-one ever uses. It's still home to me because it's one of the first jobs I ever got on-campus. It was close to Kresge and I just loved the people there. To me, it's one of the best dining halls.
You walk down the stairs and approach the cashier. Except there's no-one here. It closed down due to having such a negative review to everyone in the college. Whoever was supposed to close the place, never bothered cause it seemed like a waste of time. Nothing here is worth the time and energy to steal.
You glance at the cashier. A shift I never got a chance to do and never will. You press a button at the cashier and <i>POP</i>.
A Slug Piece staring right at you. You take it and move onto the next college.
[[Rachael Carson College]] "i can't believe you found it.." were the last words from the Crown student as he sulks away to his dorm. You could hear multiple Discord pings from their phone.
Looking into the Crown Dining Hall door, you push and turn the key into the door. The door knob is intact this time and you can safely push the door.
Tables are filled with crumbs of Chicken Tenders and Mac n Cheese.
Looking around you see the Slug Piece just sitting on the cashier. You grab the Slug Piece and you realize about the central library UCSC has, Mchenry.
You decide to take a detour and head there.
Travel to [[McHenry Library]] You stare at the empty counter filled with dust bunnies.
Opening the doors lead to a loud creek along with a more hungry stomach. All that energy had to be used somewhere.
"It seems we have another survivor."
You look at your right and stunned to see how many students still go this school.
"Aren't you guys in debt? Why even go here anymore?"
"We came here by choice."
"What do you mean?"
"Ever since the tutition was raised over a million dollars, scholarships have been raised by Silicon Valley trillionares to compensate. We are all that remain and thus the Merrill Silicon Valley Council is born!"
"That's great and all but I only care about the Slug Piece from the Slug Challenges. Have any of you guys heard about it?"
"Yes and I remember hearing about these challenges. The last remaining key, to my knowledge is at the <i>Fireside Loungue</i>.
<b>BLAM</b>.
It's the same person who challenged you to the race.
Seems like they were overhearing the conversation and took a headstart to the Fireside Loungue.
Run over to [[Fireside Lounge]] <u>OPERS</u>
Looking around the gym, you notice a huge load of torn-down and beated-up gym equipment. <i> Must have been the countless of students that had to use this small gym..</i>. Upon closer examination, the desk seems to be unoccupied for years. Dust bunnies are covered around the messy desk with basic office supplies scattered around the desk. The light flickers point to a key labeled DH.
<i>DH? I wonder wha- oh Dining Hall! Cowell Dining Hall</i>.
Maybe this adventure wasn't going to be so long, after all.
(link: "Cowell Dining Hall")[(goto: "Cowell Plaza")]Taking a stroll down the path to Kresge college. You noticed Jack Baskin. A wonderful person that managed to live up to 100 years and old and has donated so much money to let this school propser to what it is today...
Everything is now broken and abandon, just students mindlessly going to classes and hoping to get their engineering degree.
Nothing else to be seen here.
Let's head to [[Kresge College]] <i>Sigh...</i>
"Sorry I was just reiminascing about the dining hall."
"W̘͖͑̍́ͅo̪̗̖̝̔̋͊̈́u̹͠l̨̨̘̃̀̋̚͟D̩̥̻̹͗͛̽͂ ̢̢̹̯̽̏̂̌͜͞Y̮̰͎̝͌̔̌̉̔͟ö̡̗͇͈̺́͐̈͛̈́ů͚̬͖̦̔́͌̀ͅ ̝̦̖͔̒̂̚͝L̗̂̓ͅi̫̲͒͗K͚̞͉̬̬̂̓̏̒̕Éͅ ̭̦̄̎T͔̓o̝̩͕̱̺̍͂̽̑͘ ͓̊d̗̞̤͑̀̈́oN͖̣̞̍̍̅Ą͇̦̳̖̎̂̅̓̌t͓͚̀̚Ę̟͕̀͘̚ ̹̺͚̭͑͂͗̌T͍̫̂̐Ơ̖̮̻̣̓̇̾͘͟ ̮̦̩̫̃̃͑͌c̣̟̐̕A̧͕̿͛ļ̨̥͙̐̈͞͠P͕̌I̟͇͚̎̈̓R̢̼͍͙̾̿̌́g?̭͉̯̽̈́̀"
<i>What the fuck did I just listen to?</i>
You take a moment to process what you just heard.
"Sure I'll sign it."
The Calpirg person smiles and hands the clipboard to you.
<i>Signing my life away..</i>
"t͓̟̫͖̾͗͐͝H͎̩̭̑̇̊Ḁ̢̛̻͕̃̾̆n͎̹̍͞ḳ͍̿̑ ̙̗̙̗̬̆͂̆̄͠ý̲̘̭͆͑o̺͉̗̎͘͞U̻̝̎̔̌͜͡ͅ!̘̮̥͙͊̾̅͞"The Calpirg person walks away.
At least they're gone. Now into the Dining Hall.
(set: $calp to true)[[Cowell Dining Hall]]"I already signed it. Thanks for asking though."
The Calpirg person smiles and walks away
<i>Thankfully, they didn't put up a fuss about it.</i>
Now into the [[Cowell Dining Hall]] (set: $calp to false)You proceed to go back to fiddling with the key into the Dining Hall door.
<i>Push, push,.... turn... andd...</i>.
<i>POP!</i>
The door handle falls and the door opens on its own. You slowly take a step inside and notice it was actually filled with people.
"WELCOME!" one of the people exclaimed. "This is our 100th anniversary meeting for <b>Calpirg</b>.
<i>Fuck.</i>
"Have you donated to Calpirg? I can check you off the list"
(if:$calp is true)[It seems we have a donor, here's a little token of appreciation.]
(else:)[Well. It looks like you haven't donated. You sigh and sign the paper to donate. <i>Fucking Calpirg</i>. It seems we have a donor, here's a little token of appreciation.]
You smile at the Calpirg team and walk away. The smile slowly coming off and onto the next college.
[[Crown College]] You never seen a person run so fast before. Look's like the race has begun.
(set: $time to 300.00)
(live: 1s)[(set: $time to it - 1)]
(live: 1s)[$time]
(if: $time is 0)[(stop:)]
<b>This timer will continue for the duration of the race. When the timer hits zero, you lose.</b>
Let's start off by travelling to [[Merrill]].<u>Crown Dining Hall</u>
Now let's see if we can open the door annddd.. it won't open.
Guess we'll have to find the key.
A person approaches from you behind.
"Why hello there. Are you trying to collect the slug pieces too?"
You nod.
"Guess we're in a pickle then. There's only one slug piece left in this dining hall and I am going to get it. Since we're going after the same thing, why don't we just race for it."
<i>You hate the idea of the race but it seems there's no other choice.</i>
(link: "Let's do it.")[(goto: "CrownStart")]The zombies are still chasing after you. You loop around the whole floor between McHenry until you are cornered to a wall.
<i>Such a sad way to die but a welcomed one..</i>
All of a sudden, you feel a gush of wind behind you. An elevator door.
"GET IN!" a voice from the elevator screams.
You rush inside and meet up with an old person. A librarian, perhaps.
"I used to be able to roam these halls free with over-stressed students. Now it's the other way around..."
"What happened to them, the students?"
"The Yerba-Mates started started off as a can, and then a 2-liter bottle. Students wanted to save money and LOVED Yerba-Mate, little did they know that much caffeine fried their brain."
"I see... where are we going by the way?"
"Follow me."
[[Digital Scholarship Commons]] "The renovations among SnE were much more horrible than McHenry. It was start of the end."
"What do you mean?"
"Various books had to be disposed of to make room the incoming students among UCSC."
"So that's why the 2nd floor seems so clean and renovated.."
"Yes and that's how I knew you weren't one of <i>them</i>.. those people that just take away books.. decades of knowledge and for what? More students? This isn't what a library is supposed to be about. There were even talks about a 3rd floor in SnE..."
The libarian goes on to talk for a while and you realize that you still have a challenge to finish.
"Thank you for the meal and water, I really need to get going."
"Are you off finishing the Slug pieces? Well in that case take the shortcut to the bridge. You'll head to the nearest dining hall that way."
"Thanks and I am sorry for what happened to the library..."
"Fiat Slug."
[[College 9]] You got hit with by <b>Lunch Rush</b>
Start from the beginning.
[[9/10 Dining Line]] <i>. . . . . .</i>
Everyone's so noisy and pushy, I can't focus on anything
(link: "Left")[(goto: "Left3")]
(link: "Right")[(goto: "Right3")]You got hit with by <b>Lunch Rush</b>
Start from the beginning.
[[9/10 Dining Line]] <i>SWOOSH</i>
<i>Why are there so many students?</i>
(link: "Left")[(goto: "Left2")]
(link: "Right")[(goto: "Right2")]You got hit with by <b>Lunch Rush</b>
Start from the beginning.
[[9/10 Dining Line]] <i>SWOOSHHSHHSHSH</i>
Fuck. Finally made it to the cashier.
"ID?"
"Fuck the ID, this is going to be another COLA protest, meaning free food for everyone, if you don't hand me the Slug Piece."
The blue-shirt employee shrugs and opens a drawer full of Slug Pieces.
"No-one has ever asked for one so here you go"
I guess that's the perks of being the highest budget dining hall. So much money. So much over-stocking.
Let's go over a walk.
[[Baskin]] With the Slug Pieces collect, you smile with glee.
It's done. Everything is done with so much happiness to radiate off of.
Just another day in UCSC.