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memestertrucks2025-01-01 12:01 am
monstertruckers) wrote in memestertrucks2025-01-01 12:01 am
Entry tags:
JANUARY TDM
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
“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.”
C. Camp
Why is it ominous?
[Serph knows why he thinks it's ominous; he's been through this before. Back then he had blindly followed, strung along by the nose, only to have Nirvana denied to he and his people when they were at its gates. They had forced their way through, only to learn it was nothing like what they imagined. But now...
Despite everything, he still believes in the idea of Nirvana.
And really, even if it turns out to be a lie once more, at the present moment it seems that walking this path again is the best option they have]
no subject
Mostly because it implies dying. Or you know, 'escaping the cycle of rebirth'.
[Apollo had grown up with a religion that included reincarnation, so though Khura'inism didn't have its own concept of nirvana, he was familiar with the idea. He just wasn't particularly religious himself.]
It could be that whoever founded the city just thought the name was nice and exotic, but maybe I like having worldly desires and sticking around for a while longer.
no subject
Serph is expressionless at the best of times but that information has his eyes widen briefly before his surprise is wiped off his face with a thoughtful frown. For this stranger to know so much about it...]
Nirvana is something that exists in your reality? And can only be reached after death?
[He had intended for this to be a rather brief talk, but it seems that there is much more to discuss than he initially thought. So he slips into the empty chair near Apollo -- posture stiff and ramrod straight -- and elaborates a bit more than he normally would.]
This situation is... a bit familiar.
no subject
[Apollo didn't think it could ever be proven, because some things were just beyond science. He already had proof that ghosts and spirit channeling were real, though he was generally a skeptic when it came to anything else in the realm of the supernatural or the extremely mysterious. ... This entire night aside, because Apollo was absolutely not ready to examine just what had happened to all of them yet.]
It's familiar in what way? Do you get mysteriously abducted a lot?
no subject
His brows draw together into a frown at his thoughts, before he shakes his head and answers the question.]
This isn't the first time I'm told to go to Nirvana. In the world I lived, to strive for Nirvana was law.
[A land of peace, one without fighting. And to get there, they would need to be at the top of a mountain of corpses...]
It was all we knew. We would die and be reborn until we met the requirements to ascend.
no subject
It was law? But that's - that's impossible, right? How can you prove that someone was reborn? And how does anyone know what the requirements are?
[Apollo has dealt with unfair laws before, but even those had been rooted in reality, used as a cudgel for corrupt rulers to maintain their power. From his perspective, making it a law to reach Nirvana was downright nuts - how could anyone measure if someone was progressing adequately or not? Or was the nebulous nature of it the cudgel in this particular case?]
no subject
We were told the requirements. Conquer all tribes by slaying the other leaders and bring the black haired girl to Sahasrara.
[Which. He knows now that black hair isn't exactly an uncommon feature in people. But it certainly was unique at the time! What value is a Nirvana that is reached through slaughter, though? Still, it had been their only way forward so that's what they did.
As for proof of rebirth...]
I've seen the Sea of Milk. It recycles the information of the dead [There was a computer console and everything!] so it was filled with incomplete humans.
[It was weird and gross seeing exactly the process that made him. Watching the human slurry go around and around was disturbing.]
When the process is complete, they are born with the rain.
[that sure is a weird human lifecycle huh]
no subject
[Apollo is astonished. Downright gobsmacked, even. Nothing that he's describing now is anything like what he's heard about Nirvana - and sure, Apollo hadn't deeply studied those religions, but there were parts that just didn't sound right.]
But those religions are peaceful! I'm pretty sure killing people is supposed to get you kicked back to a worse state in your next life, like being a bug or something. The point of reaching Nirvana is to put an end to the suffering of life, not to... deliver some girl.
[So that's why he's pretty sure that causing suffering to others was supposed to set you back from reaching that goal. He could be wrong, but...]
Uh, you - saw a sea of incomplete humans? That's not figurative? That just makes it sound like people are made of slime!
no subject
It was gross.
[Not exactly a term that he'd heard before but the word comes unbidden to his mind. And it feels... correct.
Still, it's interesting to hear that the idea of Nirvana had come from something peaceful... Killing put you in a worse state in the next life? Is that why... Is that why he is the way he is now? What does that mean for the next 'Serph', given all he's done?]
It's different for you.
[It's said like a statement, but it's really a question.]
You'd have had... parents. A mother and father.
[Serph says the words haltingly, like they're unfamiliar concepts and it's the first time he's spoken the terms.]
no subject
[That next thing makes Apollo pause, because... okay, between that question and the whole 'humans possibly made of slime' thing, he's really starting to wonder how complete this guy's information is.]
Uh, yeah. I never got to meet my parents, but I had them. Everyone has parents.
[It's not hard to follow this train of thought to its logical conclusion, and because Apollo just can't help himself he blurts out,]
Do you really not know how se- I mean, procreation works?
no subject
I don't have parents.
[Serph says it unemotionally, a statement of fact to refute Apollo's claim. After all, there's a reason he had said it was different for Apollo.]
No one did. Children don't exist in my world. When we noticed, we realised the world was wrong.
[Well, wrong in a way besides being turned into monsters stuck in a cycle of violence. Being born with the rain was not a metaphor. They all began life as fully formed adults.]
Children exist in the world beyond. Our false Nirvana.
no subject
[He presses a finger against his forehead, seemingly lost in thought for a moment as he thinks over what he's been told. It's awfully strange stuff, and if it weren't for the concept of Nirvana being involved, Apollo might think he was talking to an alien... and he still wasn't completely convinced that Serph wasn't one.]
So... if I'm following right, you're saying people start off as slime. Then they become part of the water system somehow? And when it rains people just... spring up?
[Apollo has so many questions. Do they already know how to walk and talk? Or do they need caretakers to teach them? Was it an 'adult baby' situation? None of those were really relevant to the conversation though, and he doesn't want to overwhelm the other man with biology questions.]
This false Nirvana... it must be completely different from what you're used to. How do you know what it's like? Have you been there?
no subject
We met the requirements for entry. [Which means, yes, he did indeed kill everyone who got in his way.] So we passed through the gates to Nirvana.
[It ended up being a bit more complicated than that but that is essentially what happened. So yes, he has been to Nirvana and quite frankly...]
It sucked. The black sun's rays turns humans to stone. They either live in domes or underground.
[But he has a thread of discussion that he wants to pursue, so he continues-]
Those of my world have memories of lives we didn't live. They come from those who died in Nirvana.
[And to stave off a follow-up question, "How do you know?" he adds]
One of our comrades had memories of a child [even though there were no children] who we met in Nirvana.
no subject
[And honestly, it made the Nirvana that Serph had seen sound like more some kind of Hell then it did a reward. Ascension was supposed to mean reaching enlightenment and total happiness after escaping the suffering of the world, right? Instead it sounded like Serph had just worked his ass off to go somewhere that was still full of suffering. That made it a pretty raw deal.]
Having other people's memories is extra weird, too. I only know the basics of the concept, but trust me, none of that stuff was involved. Of course, Nirvana isn't supposed to be an actual location in the first place, spiritually speaking.
no subject
Wait what? Serph's brow furrows at that last statement.]
...What do you mean?
[What do you mean Nirvana isn't supposed to be an actual location?]
no subject
[That was the simple explanation, but it was clear enough that Serph needed to hear the rest of it.]
Okay, I know it's a place here and is a place for you, but it sounds like they just named it after the concept. Reaching Nirvana isn't about going somewhere. It's a goal, it's about becoming your most perfect self, more or less. You're supposed to cut yourself off from attachments and desires so that you can escape the cycle of death and rebirth. I'm... pretty sure you don't really go anywhere when you reach that state.
[This was hitting the limits of Apollo's basic knowledge on the subject. He doesn't actually know what becomes of a person once they do reach Nirvana, except that it doesn't fit that there'd be an afterlife involved.]
no subject
That seems pointless. They escape the cycle, but then they're alone?
[At least he could understand the people who abandoned their friends for power. Disgusting, but he could see why. But perfection? What did that even mean?]
Why would someone want that?
no subject
[Yeah, Apollo didn't think he could ever be happy with something like that, either. But he probably just didn't have the right viewpoint for it. For all of his pessimism, the idea of wanting to escape from the world entirely just wasn't something he could get behind.]
Why does anyone want anything? It's a spiritual calling. They're trying to make sure they'll end up the way they want to when they die, just like in any other religion.
no subject
But end up the way they want when they die? What a strange thing to say. It seems rather straightforward? One doesn't particularly have any control over what happens next once they're dead...]
I was told religion is a way of interpreting the world. To answer questions like the meaning of life.
[He wonders...]
What do you believe is the meaning of life?
no subject
Hey, I'm a lawyer, not a priest! Look, anything I told you is from a layman's perspective, alright? I'm not an expert in any of it, I just have a general idea of the basics.
[That was a disclaimer Apollo really should've given him from the beginning, but better late than never.]
I don't know the meaning of life. I don't know if life has a meaning at all. We just happen to be born, and we get to muddle through existence the best way we know how. But... I know there's something on the other side of death. I'm not too sure reincarnation is involved, but we definitely go somewhere else when we die. I... I've seen enough to be convinced of that part.
no subject
Hm?]
What convinced you?
no subject
... There's a technique called spirit channeling. It's a rare talent, but I've met a few people now that can do it. My boss' old court assistant, for one.
They perform a ritual that calls upon the dead, and it works. The spirit medium becomes possessed by the ghost they summoned, and what's more, their body changes to look nearly exactly like the dead person. For all intents and purposes, they can bring the dead back to life... for a while.
no subject
Serph tilts his head in inquiry.]
Only for a while?
no subject
There's some sort of time limit, but I'm not sure why. Maybe the ghost gets tired, and the medium is able to force them out? I think most ghosts are pretty happy to work with the medium instead of against her. But that's just from what I've seen and heard.