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

Leonardo Hamato | Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

[faceguy]

A: Exploration (1-2)

Leo had expected that being dead would feel... a little less like still being alive. He'd also expected the afterlife to look... less like a gas station?

The good news is, all his broken bones aren't broken anymore. That's especially good for his face, because it means he can still talk, and if he couldn't make jokes about this situation he'd probably go (more?) insane. He still has bruises, he can feel them on his arms and legs and when he moves his head he can feel them there, too. He probably looks like he lost a boxing match. He wishes he could say, You should see the other guy, but that guy had been pretty fine last time Leo saw him.

Last time, because he hasn't seen the Krang since he woke up here. That's tentatively a good thing, but he doesn't quite relax as he moves around.

Which means he's a bit abnormally jumpy, especially for a supposed ninja, and when he hears someone coming up behind him he turns a little too quick, hand reaching for the hilt of his one remaining katana. Though his other hand is holding a plastic wrapped muffin, so he doesn't look that intimidating.

"...Oh, uh... Didn't expect to see someone else," he says. "Since this place has totally abandoned vibes."

If they're observant, they might have noticed what Leo hasn't yet: that he back of his shell has a thin crack, running from the top to about halfway down. That's... probably fine.

B: Monster Attack (3)

Monsters are something Leo is a bit more equipped to deal with than everything else that's been happening to him today. Though his fighting is a bit more awkward than normal; he's used to two katana now, but he only has one, and that makes it difficult to teleport. He can rely on his portals still, at least, and that's something.

He's felt off in other ways, too; like is it just him, or did it get really cold? He's seeing his own breath. And his skin seems weirdly washed out in this light; he's lost his healthy face man glow!

And the food he ate earlier sits like lead in his stomach, neither satisfying nor filling...

But he doesn't have time to think about that, because he's just dropped one of those exploding raccoon guys through a portal and into another group of monsters. He laughs when he sees the explosion, pieces of Pisaca going everywhere.

"Yooo, did you see that!" he shouts over the fray. "Now we're having a blast!"

C: Wind Down (4-5)

The fight's over, and Leo wishes it weren't.

Now that there's no more enemies to fight, there's time to process where he is and what's happening, and that's the last thing Leo wants to do. If he thinks about it, he'll think about how he's alone, and probably never going to see his family again, and how he's probably dead even though he really thought it would be different-

Yeah, see? This is exactly what he doesn't want to be doing.

It doesn't help that he still feels buzzed on adrenaline. The weird light that's been floating into himself and everyone else isn't helping; if anything, it's just giving him more energy. He feels jittery, and a little disconnected from his body, and he knows if he doesn't put this energy somewhere it will go right back into the spiraling thoughts he's trying not to think.

So he does what he does best: he starts talking.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about clean-up." He nudges some of the dissipating remains with his toe. He's not wearing any shoes. "But hey, I guess if you're living life on the road, you never have to worry about cleaning." He pauses, and then grins. "Hey, I didn't even think about that! Well, until right now. This is sweet, actually!

"That voice said follow the convoy north. Oh man. You don't think this Nirvana place is in Canada, do you? I thought they were from the west coast. But I guess there's worse places than Canada. Like Jersey. Eugh. If we're going to Jersey, I think I'll just stay outside and let myself get eaten by monsters."

The longer he's allowed to talk without anyone interrupting him, the faster he gets. For the sake of the community, someone should stop him.

[[OOC: I'm fine with brackets as well as you prefer to switch format!]]

C

[undyingcrow]

This... turtle creature certainly talks a lot. Really, in concept, it's far from the strangest thing Akechi has seen. Morgana already set the precedent for talking mascot creatures in the past, never mind the number of anthropomorphic Shadows out there.

The tips of his fingers still throb from the talons that tore through his gloves, and he inhales through clenched teeth as he tries to distract himself with Leonardo's tangents. Canada? The west coast? ...Jersey?

"An American, I take it?" Of all the things to latch onto... But it is interesting. Akechi isn't unfamiliar with the west, through reading and media consumption, but he has never visited. His work required him to remain in Tokyo, and before that...

Well, it's in the past.

Still, the talking is distracting from the pain in his fingers, and he even brings his left hand to his chin. "I've heard New Jersey is fairly detested in the states, though I've often wondered if it was simply hyperbole born from the media."

[faceguy]

Yes! That's exactly what he's wanting: someone to take his conversational bait! Leo could swoon with relief, if he weren't cool and chill and above emotional displays.

"Oh no, definitely not an exaggeration." Leo scoffs. "I've only been there once and it was terrible. Zero out of ten, wouldn't recommend."

He finds something to lean on, an old junker Volkswagen. It's not his; his motorcycle is somewhere on the other side of the convoy. But it's conveniently placed.

"I'm from the best part of America, which is New York City." He grins. "What about you?"

Since this guy is clearly not from the US.

[undyingcrow]

"Ah yes. New York does have its fair share of attractions, doesn't it? The sights, the stage..." A smirk briefly crosses his lips. He's had a distant fascination with it, but then...

Well, Tokyo is proof that the glamour of the big city is surface level at best, and before long, that smirk subsides.

"I'm from Tokyo, Japan, so to call this place an adjustment would be a vast understatement." Even the darkest, dingiest alleys in Shinjuku certainly don't compare to the sheer ruin outside the Convoy.

But for now, all is still, and he can afford to relax. Not lower his guard, but at least catch his breath.

[faceguy]

"Don't forget the best pizza places and the coolest rooftops to cannonball off of."

Leo's priorities are not like most other people's.

But learning this guy is from Tokyo is interesting. Leo's never been to Japan himself, but his dad is from there... Though from which part, he actually doesn't know. He never really asked, not having much time for his dad's boring stories. Now he regrets not listening.

...Wow, he sure did think something sad! Again! Time to start talking some more!

"Ah, so you're from a big city, too!" That's basically all he knows about Tokyo. Big, and frequently attacked by giant lizards. Or maybe that's just in the movies. "Yeah, I've never been far from the city, either, so this is pretty weird." He scrunches up his nose. "Never seen the world in the middle of some kind of... monster apocalypse either."

And he'd hoped he wouldn't.

B

[solitarysoul]

"Heh. You cold call it that." There's a quiet enough moment in the battle as Levi downs a plant creature and looks up to the explosion. "What did that?"

[faceguy]

Leo glances over, used to casual banter and side conversations mid-battle. Some might call it a distraction. He likes to call it "team-building".

"Those weird freaky raccoon guys. They've got some kind of explody gas."

[solitarysoul]

"The raccoons?" Huh, he'd noticed they were weird compared to the animals he knew. "Good to know. What did it take to set it off? Just throwing it at something?"

[faceguy]

"I think they just gotta get freaked out." He gestures at another one, as it uses its claws to try and break into a car. "But throwing them freaks them out!"

He maybe feels kind of bad for them... but they're also going to destroy the cars if they don't get rid of them, and they're handy!

[airskate]

Shadow really isn't intending to interrupt Leo's rambling, as interesting as it is to see a five-foot-something turtle man pacing about and working himself into a froth over their supposed destination. But he's trying to enjoy some quiet after the chaos of the day, and the constant fussing and nattering is completely ruining that. Worse, it's reminding him of a certain blue someone.

"Hey."

Shadow's tone is flat and unimpressed, and loud enough to hopefully cut through Leo's chatter. Should Leo look over, he'll see that Shadow is standing with his motorcycle between the two of them, glaring over the seat.

"You're being too loud."

[faceguy]

Suddenly being addressed breaks through Leo's rambling, and he glances over at the speaker. It's a little bit of a surprise to see it's not a human, given who all he's met today, but not that big of a surprise. What kind of yokai is this? He looks like a hedgehog that got lost in a Hot Topic.

"I get that a lot," he says, with a grin. "But silence is just sooo yesterday."

[airskate]

Yeah, the resemblance is getting stronger by the moment, and even harder to ignore. Shadow grumbles and heaves himself up to sit on the motorcycle seat. It doesn't really change his vantage point much, but he at least feels a little bit less like he's looking up at Leo.

"Even though you might be wasting your breath? For all you know, we're already in Canada or New Jersey."

[faceguy]

"Eeeewwww, gross!" Leo gives a full body shudder. "Don't even joke like that, man. Last time I had to take an hour long shower just to get the Jersey vibes off me."

Canada may not be so bad... but it's also not really where he's supposed to be. But he's pretty sure where he's supposed to be doesn't exist here, anyway.

a

[gyozachomp]

It's a good thing Caiman's too stunned to go for his knives. He points instead, dropping the cans of chips in the process. "Holy shit! You look worse than me!" He excitedly pulls off his hood and smoke mask to demonstrate. He's significantly scalier and spiked than this shorty, with stark red crosses over both eyes. "Check it out. How come you don't have spikes? Hey, did you see the guy who did that to you?"

[faceguy]

That... was a whole lot at once. At least this guy is happy to see someone else who's green, but, hold on-

"Okay, one, I always look good, even like this." He takes a moment to strike a pose, even though, OW, bruises... But the point still stands! "Two, red-eared sliders don't have spikes. And three... not recently."

Which is a good thing, trust him.

[gyozachomp]

"Ah damn," is drawn out in a sigh. "That's tough luck. I haven't seen any other sorcerers around either." Because obviously that's what they're talking about.

"The hell is a red ear slider?" is the next important item on the docket. They'll get to how Leo still looks like shit in a minute.

[faceguy]

Sorcerers?? What is this guy talking about...

"What do you mean, what is it? I'm a red-eared slider!" Leo huffs, affronted. "Don't you know about turtle species?"

c

[killjoyprince]

[How was he talking so much? Naoto was exhausted. She'd been unable to get to sleep even before the monsters had attacked, after? There'd been no chance. Normally she'd be fine(not really) with a few cups of coffee to keep her going.

But quicker his onslaught of words got, the less she was able to keep track of.]

You should clean up anyway. It's bad for the wildlife and it'd leave a trail to us...

[Though did that matter when so many broken down cars rusted away on the roadside? But the lack of sleep robbed her filter.]

[faceguy]

[Leo blinks at the sudden interruption. He's already burned through so many topics that at first he can't actually remember which part is being addressed.]

Huh? ...Oh!

[These are valid points for why they should clean up after themselves, but Leo has a counterpoint.]

Yeah, but cleaning up wastes so much time you could be spending on something more fun! Like not cleaning.

[killjoyprince]

[For a few seconds, Naoto let his last sentence sit as she stared. Maybe let him rethink that.

The urge to roll her eyes was strong, but she resisted. Sighing instead. ]

How old are you?

[He sounded around her age but she couldn't tell. And after Teddie...urg...]

[faceguy]

[Sheesh, what an ugly look. Good thing Leo's never let anything make him rethink any of his actions or statements!

(That's not true, but shhhhh.)]

I'm sixteen! [Sounding very offended that she would even ask that!]

A

[guidemyway]

Ruby can't say she's ever seen a Faunus that looks quite like Leo before. But that wasn't exactly the most important part, he looked awfully roughed up to be walking around on his own at the moment. Thankfully his comment manages to break the awkward silence between the two of them and she gives a light anxious laugh.

"Yeah- It really does have that vibe, doesn't it? Makes me feel better having a few people around though. Last abandoned place I wound up in was totally not a fun time." Might as well admit that as she gives him another once over.

"But more importantly- Do you need to sit down or something because you look rough. No offense."

[faceguy]

Leo's glad he's not totally alone, too. He's not sure what he would have done with himself if he were. As it is, at least he can figure out what to do next with other people.

"Huh...? Oh." He touches the bruises on his face with his free hand, then winces. Ouch, that still stings. Why does it still sting?

"Ah, it's nothing," he says, despite his wince. "Natural consequence of winning a fight."

Well, he lost the fist fight. But he won the war, so that's all that matters.

[guidemyway]

She catches the wince but manages to smile despite any sense of worry she has. She knows a thing or two about pushing through the pain.

"Oh, a fighter huh? You're going to have to tell me all about how that went down." She loves a good fight herself and can appreciate that.

"Why don't you take a seat- You tell me what happened. And I'll use my very limited medical knowledge to uh- patch you up a bit?"

[faceguy]

"A ninja, technically," he corrects, hesitating on the rest. He doesn't really want to tell anyone how it went down, actually. He's trying not to think about how it went down too much.

He waffles for enough seconds that he can feel it's about to get awkward. He has to make a decision here. And he's not sure there's a delicate way out of the offer because... well, his body still looks like he got knocked around pretty good.

"Uh... well, it's not that interesting," is what he says as he moves back towards the old, dusty checkout counter and hops up onto it, sitting with his legs swinging off the front. "I have better fights I can tell you about, if you wanna swap stories."