memestertrucks | MARCH TDM

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After tumbling through shadow you find yourself in a shrouded, ruined garage. It’s full of shattered windows and broken mechanical equipment, with all sorts of sharp edges to watch out for. Between that are strange symbols scrawled into the ground. Outside is cloudy weather and the beginnings of a storm flickering and rumbling.

Beyond the rundown garage is a rundown gas station surrounded by rolling, grassy hills. Close by is a Convoy of vehicles, either parked or driving up to station.

01: SUMMONING CIRCLE

This time the summoning circle and car garage is attached to retro diner, and an old wind turbine, barely still spinning and providing fading power. There’s also a broken radio playing a message about Nirvana and imploring people to head north. In fact, there’s a large amount of broken electric equipment in here and spitting sparks.

A fan circles overhead, stirring those sparks and creating a breeze. Trails of paper are attached to the fan, spinning lazily about. If Drifters choose, they can easily retrieve those paper talismans with little more than a slight static shock. While the paper is tattered and smeared with ink and blood, the following can be made out: “Broken in two […] Nothing to lose-“ “Moon mourns, call her down, ease her pain-“ “Need […] Better vessels from afar. Stronger souls-“ “Imbue with moon sigils, Give blessings of moon, share her pain. Put the ritual right.”

Hard to say what that all means, but it seems to have something to do with the summoning circle here. And there’s lingering power crackling through the building. The sort that makes the lights flash and flicker… And line up eerily with flashes of thunder on the horizon.

02: START UP 

New arrivals will have a similar experience to before; a Convoy waiting outside for them, and a collection of vehicles, one of which feels like it belongs to them. The key to the vehicle may already be in the ignition, on the dashboard… It may have even been on their person, ever since they woke up in that garage. Either way, Drifters 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 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.

03: STORM WARNING

There’s something odd in the sky; it shifts between a dark cloud, and a collection of birds. As the thing draws closer, it clearly becomes a mix of both. Car-sized, dark feathered birds and skeletal avians fly in a thundering flock, and turn the sky stormy in their wake. That alone is bad… But what’s worse is how the shiny chrome of the Convoy and vehicles draws the birds. As they dive towards the ground to snatch at the shiny metal, they pull the storm and bring a tornado with them. The Convoy does its best to anchor to the ground, but lighter vehicles and Drifters might not be so lucky.

The garage and diner takes it worst of all: the electric devices start spitting sparks and can even act as homing beacons for lightning strikes if a Drifter with electric abilities gets too close to them. Any remaining, intact windows shatter as the storm winds pick up, pelting Drifters with razor shards. And water starts pouring in, further shorting electric equipment and soaking anyone to the bone. There’s even a strange droning, siren like noise to warn about the storm and cut into one’s hearing. It’s difficult conditions for anyone caught up in the blow-out.

04: WEATHERING

Once the main force of the storm hits, the following happens:
Diversion: Those with Fast cars can drive away from the station and divert the birds. They’ll want a second Drifter to come along; either to snipe at the pursuing birds, or keep eyes on the terrain! Eventually the birds will tire or get culled enough that the storm disperses.
Updraft: There is the risk of getting swept up in the tornado winds. Damage, injuries… And a particular quirk this storm has. Drifters who spend more than a minute in the storm winds will find that they begin to take on traits from the Harpy monster. These traits increase in potency if the Drifter experiences hunger or violence. As the weather clears and days become calmer, the traits fade.
Downburst: If Drifters get slammed into the ground by the storm, or the dark birds flying about. They may also find themselves drenched with rain. Any injury they take mends quickly, but is replaced with scales, as the Drifters begin to resemble a Naga monster. These changes grow worse if they tell lies, but disperse with the storm.
BIRDS: The birds themselves are vicious: those afflicted with Naga traits are seen as prey, while Harpies are seen as rivals. The birds are deadly, but also clumsy if forced to the ground. The screens on the Convoy recommend crippling the wings before finishing the bird off on the ground.

04: MONSTER SHIFT, NAGA

This month, Drifters will have access to the serpentine Naga. On top of all Naga species traits being available, the following occurs:
+Cold Blooded: the rain and storms can potentially make Naga slow and sluggish, or inclined to sleep or seek out other heat sources to gain energy; this includes basking in body heat from others!
+Water Divert: With their water shaping, Naga can divert falling rain and even ground saturation to make the area or other Drifters more dry. They can also concentrate water into different areas, and can also change water into mist or ice.
+Blue shift: the scales of Naga become more vibrantly blue, or a strange mottled combination of blue and stormy gray, the more intense the rains become. These scale colors can also reflect their moods.
+Extra arms that are painful and disorienting to grow, and can result in coordination issues.
+Scale Pains: Pain and discomfort when scales grow in, as well as fangs or talons!
+Water glide: during floods from the rains, Naga find they can easily traverse deep water as though they were simply walking (or slithering) across it.
+Thermal vision, making it easy to track others in the middle of storms. Vision may also become disorienting, and eyes become slitted.

04: MONSTER SHIFT, HARPY

The storm will bring a second monster this month, in the form of Harpy. On top of all Harpy species traits being active, the following occurs:
+Storm Rider: high agility and capable of flying through the storm winds without hindrance. Even tornadoes can be mastered!
+Feather pains: itching, or full pain when growing feathers or wings. Talons may also be painful when growing from fingers or from feet.
+Wind Affinity: able to shape wind, including diverting the worst of the storm winds, or summon and focus wind into razors.
+Warbling Voice: words may waver and slip into something more songlike, or even a damaging sonic scream if emotions are heightened.
+Height Call: a need to get higher into the air, whether through perching on buildings or the convoy, or through flight. A sense of euphoria as they go higher.
+Nest Building: a compulsion to create a nest out of spare and soft objects, and feeling more safe inside that space.
+Heightened vision like a bird of prey, able to pick out details even at great distance. This may be disorienting at first, as vision becomes telescopic.

05: RAIN, SHINE, OR SALVAGE

Upon culling enough birds, the storm disperses. The monster avians dissolve as they drop into streams of energy, feeding into Drifter Sigils and providing limited healing. And handful remain intact when they hit the ground and can be harvested for meat, feathers, and possibly even talons.

There is one extra problem, in the form of falling debris. After being pulled up into the sky, wreckage (and possibly stray Drifters) are going to drop back down. It’s advised to look out for falling objects and people. It might be possible to salvage something in the form of scrap metal for any vehicle repairs, but such a task requires two.

06: STORM SHOT 

The storm can be dispersed in one of two ways. One is waiting the storm out. The second is a battered collection of machines melted into the roof of the garage and gas station. When touched they burn the hands of Drifters, but also fire a jolt of lightning into the storm. One shot lessens the effects of the storm, repeated shots completely disperses the weather.

In the aftermath of the storm, something different rains from the sky in the form of glowing, quicksilver feathers. These feathers can suppress one avian or serpentine trait for a month, and can also drain away any Naga or Harpy changes from the event completely.

Alternately, the feathers will allow Drifters to temporarily access flight for one day. Doing so completely robs the feather of its magic: only one effect can be chosen from a feather.

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.

Windy Days: Preceding the storm are gales of strong winds, enough to stagger Drifters or send them staggering into other people or other vehicles.

Diner Is Served: While the retro diner attached to the garage has only limited food stores, curiously there is a respectable amount of cooking equipment that can be plundered. Portable stoves, pots and pans, spoons, and the like are all available for the taking.

Fading Storm: In the aftermath of the storm, the garage and diner look like they’re on their last legs, barely held up by their shelving. Anyone who wants to try salvaging had better move fast and carefully, before the entire thing comes crashing down.

NAVIGATION || RESERVES || APPLICATIONS

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

{{Canon point is the morning of October 4th, Episodes 1-6. So before any murders happen. I finished the series years ago, but avoiding spoilers for my toplevel.}}

Arrival - the garage
[It was probably obvious to anyone who looked at Natsuhi. Just going from the jewels of her earrings, the elaborate and fine fabric of her dress. Natsuhi was horrifically out of place lying there on the concrete floor of the garage.

She'd only ever slept in the coziest of beds and futons.

That said she'd still not risen. She was awake, her blurry eyes were open as she looked at the ceiling. Just taking in the stains, the markings. Blinking as she tried to comprehend the situation.

After heaving a deep sigh, she shifted, pulling her body up. Pausing to frown as she flattened out a section of her dress.]

What..? [Then she stiffened. The memories rushing back to her. She'd been up, she'd gotten dressed and had been making the final rounds of the mansion before the guests arrived. The frown deepened as she mentally ran through the places on the island she could be... The shed?

Then her head snapped up to scowl at the unfamiliar figure she'd noticed. Whomst?]

Outside
[Then she'd gone outside. Natsuhi's scowl didn't shift as she took it all in. Quite clearly, she wasn't on Rokkenjima. It didn't make sense, talking to others hadn't helped. She inhaled, bringing a hand up to rub at her temple.

Then she pulled the odd object out of her pocket. Squinting at it.

To someone from a more modern age, they might recognize it as a car fob. To Natsuhi, it didn't register as a key. It was just a lump of plastic with a bit of metal poking out... Not that she'd ever held a normal car key before. But it was in her pocket, alongside her room key and a handkerchief. Someone had to have placed it there. That was reason enough not to discard it.

Then she pressed the little emblem. Not even realising it was a button as her fingers grazed the raised shape.

She squeaked, actually squeaked, flinching away from the horn beeping and lights flashing in response.

....

...

Her eyes flicked to the other person there. Staring wide-eyed at them as her cheeks flushed. Then the scowl was back. Almost challenging them.]

D-did something set off an alarm?

Weathering the storm
[Bad weather wasn't new to her. She lived on a remote island which suffered typhoons. Weathering it when all they had were verchiles and a small diner would be annoying, but doable.

Then the windows burst. Natsuhi had, for once in her life, been lucky enough to dodge the worst of it. But it'd gotten her moving. Her luck had ran out there though. The light glinting off of her broach had caught the attention of a 'bird'.

It hadn't swooped. Instead choosing to hop from perch to perch as it followed her, tilting it's head, silently watching. ]

Deludge (cw:body horror, sneks, tooth horror)
[Of course the creature wouldn't wait forever. Eventually it got bored of watching the human it's shiny new bauble was attached to. It lunged, crashing into Natsuhi before it pulled up. Watching her as she remained on the ground where she'd been thrown.

It'd probably expected a bit more retaliation really.

But Natsuhi was far from athletic, with the water weighing her dress down she wasn't exactly mobile. Nor did she have any experience with the weapons on hand. It wasn't as though she had a polearm to hand and well....It was several times larger than her.

Then there was the blood. Natsuhi had never really been injured in her life. She crouched there, shivering, a hand coming up to press at the split lip. Fingers coming back red.

It didn't take long for the bird to realise she was no threat. Then it lunged again, this time reaching out with it's sharp talons.

But neither it or Natsuhi had been prepared for the water to physically rise and splash out at it when Natsuhi had brought a hand up to cover her face.

It landed, looking cautious again even if it didn't seem afraid.

It was kind of hard to be afraid of a little housewife, crumpled on the floor, even if the claws on her raised hand looked sharp.]

Silly sneks
[Natsuhi was still shaken after that. Chosing to hide in the relative safety of the convoy, not really speaking to anyone unless she had a reason. Ocassionally as she sat there, one might notice her toung poking out, doing a little flicker. Then Natsuhi would realise, frown and cover her mouth.]

Wildcard
[lmk if you want anything custom or none of these fit. For the TDM I'm going with naga traits but that's just due to the event.

She was not built for this.]

[A few things stick out with Natsuhi even at a glance. She's well dressed. Those earrings shimmer with jewels that exude wealth...

And she seems to have no idea what a fob is. Fascinating.

Well, he'll approach and hopefully alleviate her confusion.

There's just one thing: his face and neck are covered in black feathers. Sharp, crow-like talons poke out of the fingertips of his leather gloves, and there's no missing the large crow wings on his back.

Otherwise, he's... fairly well-dressed, if you can ignore the wear on his school uniform.]

You needn't worry. You simply unlocked the vehicle.

Edited 2025-03-16 04:06 (UTC)

[She's been so preoccupied, preparing to a cackle at her surprise, tensing ready for it. That the appearance of the boy had escaped her. Her nose twinkling at his claim.]

I did no such thing, I'm nowhere near- ['one of them' how could she unlock one from a distance? But the questions died in her throat. Then she blinked, her eyes flicking to the feathers poking out of his clothing... Focusing on those wings that were nearly larger than her.

Her frown lightened, slightly. Only a little! As she inhaled, bringing a hand up to rub at her temple.]

I didn't touch any of them, I've no reason too.

[Why'd go near a car if she could drive?]

But you pressed a button on the fob.

[Hmm, judging from her reaction, she likely doesn't know what that is, so Akechi clarifies:]

They're electronic keys made to remotely lock and unlock vehicles. One of the many achievements of technology, I suppose.

[He rests a hand on his hip, waiting to gauge her reaction. That alone should prove revelatory.]

[She had felt something on the lump of plastic move but..a button? Her lips moved into a smile, one that didn't match the rest of her face. There was SO much doubt.]

I'm not falling for that... What would the point of that even be?

[Isn't the point of a car to be in it?]

They unlock the vehicle from a distance, saving time.

[He gestures to the vehicle in question.]

You're welcome to see for yourself, of course. Words can only convey so much.

How much time would that even save? [Not that Natsuhi had unlocked a car before, or even held the keys. Normally the door was opened for her.

Natsuhi hesitated for a moment. Staring at the large car? Or was this a small bus? It seemed abandoned, dirt covering the surfaces of it. Fallen leaves caught in the dips. It'd been stood here for a while. Which made the key being in her pocket even more confusing.

But she walked over, frowning as she reached into her pocket to pull out a pristine, white handkerchief. Frowning at the dark smudges that appeared on it.

But the door opened....Then she closed it again.]

And this button locks it...

[She was just going to try that. But she didn't jump at the beep, or the blinking lights. Her head did tilt at the new noise though, something moving she'd not heard before due to the distance. Frown still in place, she tried the door again and..

...It was stuck.]

Is it...Like a television remote?

Actually, it's remarkably similar to a TV remote.

[Well, at least she's familiar with television. That puts her... hm. Still presumably decades behind Akechi, obviously, but perhaps the gap in technology won't be entirely impossible for her to bridge at some point.]

The fob should still have a key inside, so starting the vehicle shouldn't be entirely unfamiliar. You may find that it's more similar to a western car, in terms of where the driver's seat is located as well as the prominence of stick shifts.

[He briefly looks away to hide a faint grimace.]

Let's pray that your vehicle is automatic.

Natsuhi Ushiromiya | Umineko no Naku Koro ni |

Outside

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silly sneks (hewwo)

🐍🐍🐍

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Outside

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Weathering the Storm

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