JANUARY TDM

[monstertruckers]

code

((OOC: Hello, and welcome to our first TDM! This month, Reserves will open on the 10th and Applications will open on the 25th! We hope you enjoy the game launch!))

After tumbling through shadow you find yourself in a shrouded, ruined garage. It’s full of shattered windows and broken mechanical equipment; watch out for shards on the floor, in between the strange symbols scrawled into the ground. Outside the daylight is fading; night is rolling in, and there’s just a few dying lights flickering on and off. It’s going to be hard to see in here and avoid bumping into things and people, if you don’t get outside soon.

Beyond the rundown garage is an overgrown gas station surrounded by thick, wetland forest. Starlight is streaming through the trees, along with light from a broken moon. The one thing that isn’t overgrown with plants is a large Convoy of vehicles, parked right underneath the station canopy.

01: START UP

The Convoy looks like a cross between a semi truck and a train; there’s no one at the front, but there’s still power humming through the entire Convoy. It’s also the most hospitable thing in sight. Why not make yourself at home a little? You just have to chase that eerie, empty feeling since there’s no one else present.

Alternately, there are the cars scattered around the Convoy; all of them in better shape than the gas station. And some of them looking and feeling almost like they might belong to you. That feeling is only increased, when you see there’s a key to the car nearby. Perhaps the key is already in the ignition, on the dashboard… It may have even been on your person, ever since you woke up in that garage. Either way, you have the keys to the vehicle now.

…But there’s a few rough edges on these vehicles. Flat tires, cracked windows and mirrors, maybe some stuck doors and locks; all of them the sort of thing that requires two pairs of hands and supplies. The garage can take care of the supplies… Now it’s just a matter of finding some extra hands.

02: RUIN EXPLORATION

The ruined gas station and garage are the only man-made structures around, and have seen better days. The store still holds packaged food, and tepid drinks of all sorts. The garage has old mechanical equipment for working on cars, along with that strange summoning circle.

There's also a giant tree bursting through the gas station roof. And clinging to its branches, half melted into the surface, are metallic bodies. Graffiti is spray painted onto the tree, reading ‘avoid the Husks.’

Those who ignore the warning and get closer hear a faint hum coming off those bodies. It’s almost like whispers, though it’s impossible to make out any clear words. Some Husks are clutching supplies in metal fists. For a few unlucky new arrivals, those Husks might even be holding the keys to their vehicles.

Making direct contact with the Husks intensifies the hum, and the whispers begin to form into pained cries, and give the impression of something rummaging through their thoughts; trying to pry out things that hurt Drifters, and reflecting those hurtful things on the bodies of the Husks for anyone to see.

03: MONSTER ATTACK

The night grows darker, and the shadows grow deeper. And from those shadows comes the glint of something moving across the Husks, rippling over the metal… And breaking it apart in a flurry of too sharp claws and teeth. That’s when the radio chooses to come on in another mess of static.

Be careful- Keep your fear and rage in check- Calls the monsters- We need the shield up-

The warning comes too late as monsters arrive. Some human-like but with razor teeth mouths that stretch from face to groin; others resembling alligators with bloated proportions and jaws that spit lightning; and still others where the vegetation has come to life, sporting thorn covered appendages.

The Pisaca monsters act as shock troopers, wearing the Convoy down with venomous bites and debilitating howls, before the heavy and brutish alligators bull in, using their bulk and electric attacks to obliterate what’s left. The capparwires scurry in the periphery, taking cheap shots with thorny vines and sparking electricity where they can. It’s a task to keep the monsters at bay until the generator fires up. Especially when one last enemy makes an appearance…

03-A: MIRRORMIC

There's as a metallic shiver along one of the remaining Husks, and a strange ringing whisper in the ears. The next moment, the Husk breaks open in a gleaming pool of quicksilver. That quicksilver catches reflections, and molds itself into a darker copy of a Drifter.

The mirror monster whispers faults and secrets at the reflected Drifter, and anyone close by. It tries to goad Drifters into an attack. And when struck, the mirror monster plays its second trick; whatever damage it takes is reflected back onto the Drifter as a transformation. An injury to the arm transforms the Drifter's arm, and so on.

It's possible to banish this monster through direct lights shone on it from a car, flashlight, or magic… But such action needs to be swift, before the Mirrormic completely changes its Drifter.

03-B: BOMBADGY BOMBARDMENT

Before, during and even a little after the monster attack, there’s an extra presence scurrying around the vehicles, snuffling and barking when startled. A band of chunky, raccoon-esque monsters known as the bombadgy are raiding anything that looks like it could be food storage… And this includes vehicles!

The bombadgy’s claws are deft and sharp with tearing through windows and door seams. These creatures are a touch skittish and won’t attack unless provoked. They also can expel a flammable gas… And this means they can explode if sufficiently spooked or stressed. This also means that they can be treated as living bombs, and be lobbed at other threats if needed.

04: WIND DOWN

During the monster attack, there’s changes gripping the Convoy, and especially the people in it. It might feel like your control is getting worn away by the second… At least until something in the trucks starts to whirr to life. It’s a soft enough noise, little more than a hum as something blooms out of the engines. It fast turns into a shield that envelops the Convoy in a shimmering, glowing dome.

And while it might not be enough to reverse those changes, it can at least stop them from growing any worse. Give you a moment of breathing space to adjust to everything that’s happened, and give you some measure of clarity and control. There’s time to breathe and mend now. Take stock of one’s injuries and changes.

But there’s a few strange surprises still waiting, it seems. Because the corpses of the monsters begin to disintegrate, like they are bleeding out motes of sickly light. Light that you quickly absorb; it has the side effect of lessening pain, even mending wounds… Though it might make you feel a bit off. Maybe a little more excitable, maybe a little more irritable, or maybe expressing a certain odd psychological quirk. Still, that sudden surge should pass in about an hour or so; just need to keep it together until then. Perhaps with a little company.

05: CAMP

A screen in the Convoy flickers to life. The image isn't visible through a snowfield of static. Same with the audio:
“Still… Alive? Good. Connection- Can’t hear you. Can't talk. Convoy will- take you closer to Nirvana.”

After that, the connection is dropped, leaving a collection of text:
I’m sorry. I have no answers for you. But you’re still alive. You’re not as broken as the rest of the world. When the sun rises, this Convoy and all the cars around it will start moving North towards Nirvana. If you want answers, and to stay as close to human as you can… I suggest you stay with the Convoy. Good luck.

A last alert flashes across the screen: “TESTING LOCAL NETWORK CONNECTION.” And then… Music starts to play on the speakers. Mellow guitar and brass music that’s at odds with all the weird that’s happened recently, but perhaps just the thing to relax to.

MICRO ENCOUNTERS:

PLEASE NOTE! These are small bits of set dressing for players to include in threads if they wish, rather than full fledged prompts or events. You may handwave your exploration of these areas, or thread them out.

Race Track: There’s a race track that winds around the gas station! It’s a bit threadbare in places and little more than a mossy and muddy trail. But it’s still a race track that weaves under and over trees, and seems like a good place to test new wheels.

Gone Fishing: The gas station area eventually turns into the start of a swamp; that explains where the alligators came from. It may be possible to do a little bit of fishing, though the fish are just as weird as everything else. Still edible though. Swimming in the swamp is not advised. The alligator monsters and fish tend to bite back.

Spray Paint Messages: The paint on the trees and gas station is starting to fade and wash out, but can still be legible; most of it contains messages warning about the end of the world, prayers to the heavens for mercy, and dire warnings about husks and something called “moon warps.”

NAVIGATION || RESERVES || APPLICATIONS

Comments

SecUnit | The Murderbot Diaries

[itdoesntlikeyou]

01: START UP

[So this is just great.

Wherever SecUnit has found itself, it's definitely not somewhere it recognizes. This isn't also somewhere it remembers going, which is - concerning. It could believe that this was one of the shitty pre-CR terraforming sites, with the weird historical-vid ancient tech everywhere, if it didn't also look like a scene out of one of the abandoned space station horror sequences that occasionally popped up on some of the more realistic serials it watched.

There's no feed network, and there's also no ART, which is the first point on the oh shit list it's developing (12 items and counting). Maybe it's somehow ended up back in the blackout zone. There's also none of its' humans, which is... probably good. They'd all better be safe. But it's bad news on the Murderbot side. It's on edge, waiting for another blackout - so when it stalks out of the remains of the garage to start its' search, it is stalking with a decidedly unfriendly posture and expression.

Then it gets outside. The convoy is arrayed there in all its' glory, and -]

You've got to be fucking joking.

03: ATTACK

[An attack is unexpected, but it is not a surprise. Its luck is already this fucking bad, so what's an attack on top of it all? There's cries over the radio about a shield and a generator, but it doesn't have a clue what to do about that. What it does know how to handle is hostile fauna. So SecUnit goes out into the dark. It only has the two drones, so it can only send out one to scan the area, to see the monsters --

For two whole seconds, to an outside point of view, this grim, silent person just freezes in place, staring out into the dark. Then it explodes into motion.

There are no weapons in its' hands, but it doesn't need an explosive projectile when there are energy weapons in its' forearms. It targets joints and squishy parts with eerie precision and intensive focus. It fights like it's been doing this all its' life - navigating from cover to cover, ducking attempts to pin it out in the open or back it up against one of the Convoy vehicles with a well-placed shot or a surprisingly agile leap - at least once it physically bounds onto the top of one of the convoy trailers to dodge a charging Alligator.

But there's too many of the strange creatures for it to fight perfectly forever, too many ways for them to come. It's one of the Capparwires that lands the first cheap shot to its' knee. Not enough to do real damage, but dangerous in the way that it makes SecUnit stumble at just the wrong moment, with a Pisaca's jaws snapping towards its' arms.]

04.5: WIND-DOWN/CAMP

[SecUnit didn't come through the battle unscathed. Nor, it seems, is it quite ready to wind down. Once the generator is active and the shield is up, it takes to pacing along the boundaries of it. By most metrics, it should be resting. There's blood staining a hole in the knee of its' pant, and it's limping faintly as it walks. One sleeve, too, is torn and ragged - but the reason for that is more dramatic, and lingering. One arm is twisted, inhumanly shaped and jointed as it hangs at its' side in a strange curled claw and a scythelike blade.

It's only when the radio flickers to life that the volatile pacing stops, as abruptly as it began. The voice is ignored - but it's when the music starts crackling through that it breaks off from its' endless circles of the barrier to make straight for the nearest screen. It doesn't matter what vehicle, what person is already nearing - it's getting close enough to check those messages now, its' shoulders finally sagging some with a release of tension. Abruptly, it's leaning against the nearest solid surface.]

Wildcard!

[OOC: Can also come up with a starter for a different prompt if you like! Also, a few notes: First, SecUnit is a nonhuman Construct, and as such uses it pronouns, and intensely dislikes being gendered. Secondly, I'll be going with Swarm, so some buglike traits may appear. I've got a permissions post here if you'd like to discuss or opt out of particular actions with Murderbot here.]

[solitarysoul]

[As the Pisaca snaps its jaws at SecUnit, another form rushes in and pushes it out of the way. A pale boy in a military jumpsuit with a rifle on his back but wielding a long blade shoulder slams the beast aside so that its bite misses the Murderbot. It shifts its attention to Levi, but the surprise and the odd angle don't allow it to bite down on much before he slashes it with the blade and pushes it away.]

[itdoesntlikeyou]

[Hey what the fuck.

It is a truly unique experience to be shoved out of the way of a blow. SecUnit is usually better about being aware of the fighters around it, but it doesn't have the drone fleet it usually does - and also humans are usually better about not charging into danger where it's involved. That's what a SecUnit is there for!

But this time a small human has decided to put themself between SecUnit and the danger, a move that is entirely unacceptable, sword and gun or no.]

Get back.

[No 'thank you,' as the SecUnit recovers its balance, as the pisaca is driven back. The moment it has it tries to impose itself between Levi and the Pisaca, firing a burst into the wide-open jaws.]

[solitarysoul]

[Levi steps away, freely letting SecUnit get to and eliminate the target. He really wants to ask what this guy is shooting but it really wasn't the place, so he just gives the other a nod.]

Thanks.

[itdoesntlikeyou]

[What SecUnit really wants to do is tell this squishy human to get back to safety and let it handle things, but realistically a convoy of this size, facing this many hostile fauna, would need ten to be safe.

It doesn't have that. Instead it has a short human with a gun.]

Do you know how to use that thing?

[It doesn't sound optimistic about that fact.]

[solitarysoul]

Yes. Its my service rifle, but I only have one round left. So its a last resort right now.

[It had been that way through most of Termina.]

I've been using this blade to fight for awhile, though.

[...three days, but those were three days with a lot of danger. And what appeared to be a tool for cutting branches off trees was a bit of an odd choice anyway.]

Wind-down

[wereperrito]

As SesUnit settles against the car, one of the others new arrivals approaches hopefully, carrying a rusted box with a medical symbol on it. A very old first aid kid. "Um. Hello." He offers a little smile. "You're hurt. Can I help?"

Jack holds up the box. "It's old but the anti-infection cream still smells good, and the bandages are clean."

[itdoesntlikeyou]

The closer that the stranger gets, the more that the individual being approached straightens, or at least does its' best to, while still leaning against the side of the - well, it's some sort of sturdy little car, too short and curved to function particularly well for the kind of support that SecUnit was using it for.

"Bandages," It repeats, with flat incredulity, looking at the rust coating that box. "Not even wound sealant?"

[wereperrito]

"Oh, er." Jack looks a bit taken aback, but then he pauses to open the box and rummage around. "I don't think so. I've never seen anything that actually seals wounds that aren't medical tape and sutures, though, so I might not know what I'm looking for." He considers, looking back up and offering, "I've heard of people using glue on wounds before, but that doesn't really seem sanitary."

[itdoesntlikeyou]

For a second SecUnit just stares at the contents of the kit as Jack rummages through it, expression fixed into something blank that nevertheless manages to radiate sheer disapproval. "Not glue. Or sutures," it says, still radiating barely-contained horror. "Doesn't the Convoy have a proper medsystem? Where did you even find this? It belongs in a museum display."

[wereperrito]

"Um. Not that I've heard of yet, but I haven't been on the big trucks," Jack admits. "This was in the camper I found the key to."

Does he know what a medsystem is? No. Can he guess? Yes. It seems pretty obvious. He closes the box and hugs its poor, unacceptable contents against his chest. "They do have those shields coming from the Convoy trucks, though, and I've never seen anything like that before, so maybe there is one."

Start up

[theuglystuff]

Nice try, buddy, but you've got nothing on Cable.

[You think that broody, stalky thing is going to scare off Deadpool? Nope! He's striding right in and leaning a companionable elbow on SecUnit's shoulder.]

If you're going for Captain Ahab vibes, you should get a cape. Scowl more. Maybe some sweet scars on your face. In the meantime, looks like we've got a convoy situation on our hands, don't we?

[itdoesntlikeyou]

[There are a few things SecUnit doesn't like (okay more than a few really) but at the top of that list is being touched, right next to being looked at and being forced to deal with squishy human body bullshit.

What this means is that it immediately jerks away, deep and visceral discomfort flashing across its face for just a moment. Then it puts a good meter between itself and Deadpool. Never mind the convoy, this stranger has its entire attention now, as it takes in the weird costume, the mask, with incredulous skepticism. This looks like a character out of one of the impressively unrealistic shows it's saved for a bad day. It looks baffling, face-to-face.]

Don't touch me.

[theuglystuff]

["Impressively Unrealistic" is Deadpool's middle name.]

[He shrugs and lifts both hands in an apologetic gesture, not perturbed at all to be shrugged off like that.]

Sure, no problem. No touchie, got it. Do you shake hands?

[He doesn't offer his for shaking, for the record, not until he gets confirmation that it's allowed or welcomed. See, he can listen and be polite when he wants to!]

You ever seen anything like this before?

[itdoesntlikeyou]

[SecUnit entirely maintains the distance between them, which is probably enough of an answer to that particular question.]

Sure. In historical documentaries. [It could say something snarky about Deadpool's outfit but wariness has driven all of the chatter out of it - it's not looking back towards the caravan, either, just focusing on Deadpool still. Surprise touching apparently means a very guarded SecUnit.]

[theuglystuff]

[Okay, so very serious about the No Touching thing. Understood. Deadpool stays at the exact distance Nervous Nelly here has set. He does tilt his head at the mention of historical documentaries.]

I'm pretty sure Ken Burns never did a documentary that looked like this, because this looks more like a George Miller set than a Civil War battlefield, which means...

[GASP! Hands on face in surprised delight!]

You must have worked on the set of Fury Road!

[So close, Deadpool. So, so close, except not really close at all.]

03

[bufudine]

[Lost in an unfamiliar land without his comrades... Another reality that he would bear witness to, then? There must be a reason for it.

When the Convoy is attacked, then they must defend it.

He isn't the first one on the scene, it seems. Quickly assessing the situation -- one person who looked human, but it clearly not, fighting skillfully against several creatures, some of which are familiar.

But... despite the surprise at seeing something he actually recognises in this strange new land -- the pisaca, which... are they tuners? -- he won't stand aside to watch someone be devoured.

Serph sprints forward, for all appearances an apparent human before calling upon the weapon that is always with him; lines of blue spreading from the apparent sigil upon his face before he transforms, a blade cleaving through the pisaca before its jaws can clamp on the other's arm.]

[itdoesntlikeyou]

[The battlefield is a bad place for surprises.

SecUnit's reaction times aren't what its used to. It knew this as it fought, thought it had properly compensated for being so fucking slow, but the stumble proves it wrong. It's slow, it's going to get a bite taken out of it, and it's going to hurt - it's going to hurt, until it sees that blur of grey bolting towards the gape-jawed creature and -

the blur of grey is no longer human-shaped. The blade emerges from their hands like the guns do from SecUnit's (a bad angle to shoot, it would have to fire through its own hands to get anything at this angle) and slice through the pisaca with ease.

There's no shocked staring or moment to process - it might have been too late to dodge the bite that was aimed at it, but it wastes no time in redirecting those efforts into gaining distance so that it can point an energy weapon in this stranger's direction, watching for any indication that this new variable is instead looking for a chance to finish what the first one attempted.]

[bufudine]

[Ah. He cocks his head -- seemingly eyeless -- picking up up half of the pisaca corpse.

He'd grown so accustomed to being around people who knew him that he'd forgotten what it's like to find his shape indistinguishable from foe. He throws half the pisaca at one of the small thorn creatures scurrying at the edges, the corpse landing on it with a wet thunk, before speaking with what would be a calm voice, if it weren't accompanied by a guttural, animalistic growl.]

I am not your enemy.

[itdoesntlikeyou]

[Momentarily SecUnit's face goes blank as it processes the speech. It hasn't had a chance to see any of the Mirrormic-induced transformations, not yet - hasn't had the displeasure of its arm being twisted into a scythelike appendage not dissimilar to the one on the form in front of it. So a talking monster reads alien to it, in a way that sets all the alarm bells in its head blaring.

It doesn't move the energy weapon for a good four seconds.]

What's your objective.

[It knows what it's like to be looked at like a monster - but it also knows exactly how dangerous those knives can be. It's still ready to move or fire, if Serph twitches the wrong way.]

[bufudine]

[For someone having weapons pointed at him, Serph remains remarkably calm and unflinching, waiting out the four seconds with the patience of someone who is used to riding out long, uncomfortable silences.

His objective? Long term, that is rather blurred for now. He's not quite certain why he is here or why he is like this instead of with his other half. But right now?]

To defend us. Like you are.

04.5

[thetatters]

[ As SecUnit moves in to read the message, a scarred and scrawny man hangs back, frowning in wary bafflement at the screen. The magics of this place are unfamiliar to him, including this glowing page of text. When no further change overcomes SecUnit, he steps forward to have a closer look, and murmurs the full text aloud under his breath— even the alert— until the gentle guitar begins.

Beside SecUnit, John gives an awed little breath of surprise. ]

Oh. Oh, that's... The music is beautiful.

[ His priorities are normal. ]

[itdoesntlikeyou]

[The nearby presence is noted and positioned for - John gets a chance to read the words on the screen, but SecUnit keeps distance between them and that insectoid arm on the far side of its body from him.

It isn't expecting much after the text, but the music is a surprise that SecUnit is already filtering out the ambient of and saving for later. Music isn't its favorite kind of media, but this is new and therefore interesting... and it isn't the only one who thinks so, apparently. It scans the man, taking in the distinctive scar (unusual with MedSystem access, but plenty of colony worlds like the one it was just on are shit out of luck when it comes to their equipment, so...]

Better to test with words for clarity, even if this is coming through mostly clear.

[It says that but it's still staying quiet so as not to overwhelm the music.]

[thetatters]

[ The scars seem to continue beneath his clothes. The hint of one shows above the collar of his shirt: a ropy line of scar tissue across his neck, as though someone tried to slit his throat and missed the jugular. There's evidence of further damage on his hands, each fingertip seared smooth by old burns. The pinky of his left hand has been replaced with a bonelike shard of black wood, perhaps in the same manner as SecUnit's newly warped arm, but he holds it normally. ]

Then perhaps testing is not the only goal.

[ He speaks softly, too, so that they can listen. The more he does, the more obvious it becomes that something is wrong with his voice. It's almost a human voice, but deeper and more resonant than it ought to be, faintly distorted as though heard from down a long tunnel. Even the way he moves isn't quite right, turning his head too little or shifting his weight too much. He is still clumsy in a human body. ]

They mean to give us hope.

[itdoesntlikeyou]

Great work.

[Oh, that's sarcastic, all right, and it's looking at its twisted hand-claw when it says that. Then it hides its expression behind a grim face, tucking the arm back down again, not really effectively hiding the thing but at least avoiding looking at it for now.]

You saw the hostiles, right?

[It has to ask, because while it can't imagine anyone tuning out that attack, it's known humans to do more foolish things. And overtly optimistic humans are, in its experience, often foolish.

It's also a pessimist.]