memestertrucks | MAY TDM

Entry tags:

Things are a little stranger than usual at the gas station and garage. Namely that gravity just isn't working as it should. Objects float, pieces of the floor float... Even unlucky new arrivals can also find themselves floating! It's going to be a challenge to get around without any scrapes or scratches... Though at least there's what looks like a hospital nearby? Granted, it's an upside down hospital, but it's better than nothing.

01: SUMMONING CIRCLE

Drifters come to with an odd floating sensation hooked into their stomachs, and instead of laying on the concrete find themselves drifting a foot or two above the floor. An unfortunate few may be stuck on the ceiling. Whether they crash down hard into the floor (and the various vials, daggers, and broken glass scattered about) or remain floating in the air is a coin toss.

Still, it might be best to lend a hand with pulling them back to the ground, and hoping gravity will work as normal in another breath or two.

Once they make their way out, they can see a gas station and garage located in the midst of strange, floating rocks… And an upside down hospital close by, for those who had a rougher landing.

02: START UP 

New arrivals will have a similar experience to before; a Convoy waiting 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 the sort of thing that requires two pairs of hands and supplies. The garage can take care of the (sometimes floating) supplies… Now it’s just a matter of finding some extra hands.

And hopefully no one's vehicle has decided to float. But one can never be sure in a place like this.

03: HUSKS AND HAUNTS

The inverted hospital seems to have trouble deciding the exact formation of its hallways, whether the new arrivals should be walking on the ceiling, floors, or walls. But one thing that is certain: this place isn’t entirely deserted. Warnings of “Beware the Husks” have been spray painted on the walls. Metallic bodies line those same halls, some of them broken open. A wet trail leads from the broken Husks to the rafters… Where several odd monsters wait to drop down. Some look like they’ve merged with the hospital equipment, while others look like they’ve been cobbled together from different body parts. And all of them look ready to turn the newcomers into a corpse, or part of a specimen collection.

Strange, malformed chimeric creatures that are Unknown stalk the hallways. Unknowns come in three different colors, red aligned with fire, green with poison, and purple with lightning.

Adding to that are the various screens flickering on, and diagnose new arrivals as infected. The screens declare the infection seems to be contained, but requires further study… And if the monsters aren't enough to worry about, there’s also the restraint systems trying to activate and tie the new arrivals down.

04: TESTING (CW: Needles)

The deeper someone plunges into the hospital, the more the building reacts to them. More defenses are deployed, treating them as thieves or intruders. Traps and monsters alike wait for them, with syringes melded into the forms of attackers, or lining places where someone might step or reach for. The syringes make a quick bite on skin… But it’s only a few minutes later where the effects become clear. Something in those syringes is now in the blood and forcing monster transformations. There might be an antidote amongst the supplies… Or the newcomers might need to rely on each other, in order to stay anchored.

The needles can also force temporary Swarm traits, along with:
+Group Mind: compelled to link thoughts with other Drifters, to share emotions, memories, and achieve cohesion.
+An increasing reliance on telepathy/empathy/etc in place of speech.
+Increasing collectivist mindset. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few; this becomes more evident during high stress situations.
+Compelled to hunt and share their prey with others.
+Gravity Affinity: If possessing wings or the ability to wall climb, may freely hunt/traverse corrupted gravity areas.

05: LONG WAY DOWN

A portion of the gas station breaks away with groan and a rumble. And it is slowly pulled up and up, taking a portion of new comers with it! They (and anyone watching) will need to act fast, as gravity starts to go weird the further they rise. They’ll need to find a way back down, taking any supplies from the now-floating garage that they can grab.

What’s more, they are drifting closer to the broken moon, and that seems to be having a strange effect on those stranded on the new floating ruin. They may start to feel their control fray, and their forms shift, the higher they rise.

In terms of getting back down, there’s a handful of tow lines in the ruin that might work as ropes. There’s also a few pieces of rock that are floating up more slowly, and could work as stairs back down… Or there’s just jumping and falling fifty feet and hoping for the best.

06: PSYCHIC ECHOES 

There's one last quirk to this area; a few scattered bits of odd plantlife, and the odd dead brain monster. While these things aren't a threat on their own (beyond being unnerving) they still pack a psychic punch; mainly in the form of temporary psychic abilities.

It's possible that after coming in contact with either plants or corpses, newcomers will find themselves gifted with either empathy (projecting or receiving emotions) telepathy, OR the ability to share their dreams with others, and having their dreams influenced by others in turn. This effect fades in just a day or so, but is still capable of causing mishaps.

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.

Broadcast: The garage contains a few burnt out monitors. But a handful of them are playing a message over and over again on loop, filled with static. It’s a recording of important looking people in lab coats advising people to remain indoors and avoiding all objects falling from the sky. Especially “moon shards.” They insist that they are working to contain and cure the infection, but the safest action is to remain inside.

Warped Air: As seen in Long Way Down, the air overhead has strange warped pockets in it. There seem to be slightly different shards hanging suspended in the air, looking more silvery than the surrounding rocks. Almost like it could have fallen from the broken moon overhead.

Medical supplies: Most of the medical supplies found in the hospital seem to consist of healing salves and potions, a handful of healing herbs, and a few antidotes for poison or sickness. As for reverting transformations… It’s advised that new comers be careful of taking any experimental medicine. It may revert a change. It may also leave them hallucinating nightmares and fears, and they’ll be wanting someone close by to help administer the drug.

NAVIGATION || RESERVES || APPLICATIONS

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

03. Husks and Haunts
[He didn't want to go to the hospital, but that seemed like a likely place to find someone to talk to since the gas station was empty. He looked around the hospital, finding it odd and out of place. It was full of strange things that he didn't really want to think about it. He frowned to himself just a little as he watched the monsters on the rafters, he keeps walking through, hoping to find someone, anyone.] I see. I must be dreaming. This whole place feels like a dream.

[Except, he gets the odd feeling it's not. It feels like something that's really happening. Strange as that sounds.]

4. Testing
[Cloud gets bitten in the skin with a syringe, he hisses as he stomps on the monster who did it. His mouth contorts and his body feel weird, he falls to his knees as wings expand from his body, pain searing through his body as they protrude. The wings flap against his will and he ends up flying into the air, next he can hear the thoughts of people nearby and then he finds he wants to hunt something down, anything down.

He finds a deer, waiting in the woods, he goes after it and slices it's throat with his sword. He salivates at the mouth at the idea of cooking and eating it, but mostly he wants to eat it raw. What fun! He wants to eat it raw. What the hell is wrong with him? He tears into it's dead flesh, ripping it open and gathering pieces of meat ontop of each other. He turns toward his comrades, not surprised he's reacting this way. He should be surprised.] Who wants some?

05. Long Way Down
[The hell? What is going on? He is floating at least a 50 feet in the air, the air is thin up here and he's gasping for breath. He jumps down a few rocks, it gets better suddenly and he keeps climbing down. He can see people at the bottom of the rock stairs, looking up and pointing. He keeps going, the breathing gets better as he goes and he sighs, running a hand over his blonde spiky hair.

He feels sweaty, grimy and out of place. He knows he's going to end up falling, he gets the distinct feeling that he might. There's no way he won't. As he keeps going down, he suddenly feels very very tired. He could rest on this rock right here. it's big enough. There's room for a lay down. He's almost at the bottom, so he intends on sleeping for the next two hours. He'll get there eventually.

He lays down and closes his eyes. Nice, soft rock.]

[Four stories up isn't terribly far to a SOLDIER, barely more than the rooftop of most of Midgar's buildings. Sephiroth's cleared further many times. But as the gas station breaks free and lifts into the air, he's in the middle of scouring for supplies (and familiar monsters to hunt) and is dragged aloft with the rest.

It's inconvenient, but not terribly alarming. What is is how the higher the rocks and debris float, taking him with it, the more the chimera beneath his skin struggles to free its way past rational thought, hungry and annoyed.

He heads down, neatly hopping from rock to rock with easy grace. There's others up here, but only one has decided now is a good time to take a nap. Cloud's a complete stranger, there's not a shred of recognition, but he looks human, therefore he's likely part of the convoy, and the rock Cloud's dozing on shudders with the impact when he suddenly lands on it in a jingle of metal and scrape of boots.

If Cloud doesn't wake up quickly on his own, Sephiroth's going to reach down and try to pick the small blond straight off the ground and take him with him groundward one rock at a time. Hellos are a waste of time, apparently.]

[He wakes with a start, wondering why he fell asleep. He doesn't feel right in the head, but this whole situation is strange and unusual. He stretches his arms and yawns some then looks up. At first he stills, then he starts into a startled bird.] ...... Okay, now I know I'm dreaming.

[He's in shock, it's not anger yet but it might be soon. He stands up suddenly and jumps back on the rock, his buster sword is behind him as he stares down Sephiroth.] ...

[He turns around and keeps going down the rocks instead, he must be hallucinating, something. Then he stops and looks back at Sephiroth, who is still there...] This is going to sound like a stupid question but are you real?

[..At least he's awake.

Cloud's still a complete stranger. Nothing at all about him is particularly noteworthy, except the sword. That blade is very much like Angeal's, but Angeal had taken much better care of it .. that one had scratches and dings all over it, as if it was actually put to use. On one hand, that's fine; swords are meant to be used and maybe they shared a blacksmith. On the other hand, it's strange to see something so like his dear friend's weapon so obviously put to work.

As Cloud hops backward onto a higher point, and then proceeds further downward, Sephiroth remains where he is, only following at something of a distance to make sure this stranger doesn't decide to just take another nap.]

As real as the inexplicably floating rocks. If you're tired, wait til you're on the ground to resume your sleep, few can fly as yet.

[His tone is terribly, terribly dry.]

[Cloud stiffens again, this time he pulls out the buster sword and prepares to strike.] I thought I told you to stay dead. [He jumps up in the air and slashes toward him suddenly, then drops down on the ground in a kneel. He's tired of this, this would be the fifth time he's faced off against Sephiroth. No, sixth. He's pretty sure. He's lost count by now.

He doesn't know why he fell asleep but it wasn't good for his health. Something forced him to lay down and take a cat nap.] Why do you insist on following me around?

[Unsurprisingly with how telegraphed Cloud's intentions are, the slash at him is simply deflected with the sword he hadn't had in his hands a moment ago, the silver haired man looking distinctly.. unimpressed.

An expression that doesn't change as Cloud lands and then speaks.]

I met you less than two minutes ago, and 'down' really is only one direction, I'm not really sure how you expect someone to reach the ground without 'following you around', as you put it.

[In spite of his opinions on the matter, he manages to keep his voice utterly neutral. All the keen interest Cloud's used to dealing with is simply entirely absent.]

Edited 2025-05-26 23:42 (UTC)

[Cloud's slash is deflected, and he's not surprised, just angry. What the hell is he talking about? How could he not know who he is? They've only been warring with each other for the last half a decade almost.

He opens his mouth to speak, then shuts it again. Then he opens it and what he says probably will confuse Sephiroth even more than usual.] How do you keep coming back to life? Is what I want to know.

By not dying to begin with.

[He's no longer interested in entertaining this particular bit of foolishness, especially with gravity still badly distorted.

Whether or not Cloud does, Sephiroth heads for the ground. Aerial shenanigans were best left to those who could fly, and he can't. At least it's not far to go.]

[Cloud is angry, so angry his inner self floats to the surface and starts attacking. He moves toward Sephiroth with fast movements, he slashes and jabs and goes at him like a reign of fire.] If you won't die, I'll make you a grave where you'll stay for eternity!

[This isn't a Sephiroth interested in playing with Cloud, or arrogant enough to completely dismiss him. Every strike is deflected with practiced professionalism, but theres no counterstrikes, no effort to do any harm in return.

He's not interested in staying on the floating rocks either, and still some twenty feet up simply hops off as soon as Cloud's out of range enough to do so.]

[ Vincent wanders these halls. But really, is a person like him out of place in them? Who's to say that he'll be even more of an indicator this isn't a dream.

Or more accurately, a nightmare.

As he heard the sound of someone's approach, Vincent had gone still and hidden. The gravity effects were seemingly ineffective against the shapeshifting gunslinger though this isn't exactly true. They do try to take him to the ceiling or turn the walls into floors but some part of the odd individual he'd become under Hojo's knife seemed to defy the conventional laws of physics here and there.

...It was disorienting to traverse this gravitational hellscape, true. But he could do it. There are no signs he's suffered any effects of Revan... yet. Most people would assume the red eyes or pale skin are traits because he became a Drifter in this world. Cloud would know better. And the mercenary should know Vincent's profile when he sees it, even if it's half cast in shadow and holding a gun aimed in his direction.

Well, probably because he's holding a gun. ]

Cloud?

[ The gun isn't lowering. Really in a place like this, it's best to be sure that's not just an illusion. ]

[Cloud doesn't get sick or die from diseases like most people, he survived Mako poisoning for crying out loud even. He leans against a wall, then kicked off and started walking again. There's monsters above on the scaffolding, he's not surprised they haven't dropped down to attack but he's ready if they should at any point.

He has his hand on the handle of ~~Zack's~~his buster sword, he turns suddenly at the sound of a groan from above and then he sees it, the shadow. It's cast across the ground with a gun, a trademark gun.]

Vincent? [he's half surprised to see one of his bestfriends here. Well, not that he's ever called him bestfriend to his face, but it's the truth. Cloud always suspected they understood each other, paying for sins they both couldn't face even though none of it was remotely true. At least that's what Tifa had told him.]

Hey. Come out, it's me. I'm not an illusion or whatever. I have half a mind to think you are though.

[ Perhaps they sleep. Best not make too much noise or linger too long.

As Vincent comes into better light- such as it is in this place- it becomes clear that while he wields a revolver, it's not Cerberus, should that be the trademark weapon Cloud is thinking of or accustomed to seeing. Instead it's something he'd found on their journey during the events of Meteorfall. Or.... is the blond from another timeline that he wouldn't recall such things?

They are friends. Good friends, even best friends. Vincent too has never said that in so many words. But he's always been a man of action in that respect. After a glance to check the scaffold, Vincent lowers his weapon and closes the distance to Cloud. ]

Wouldn't mind being one.

[ Soft, dry wit in lieu of a warm greeting, indicating he'd just as rather not be here. ]

So you're here too, now.

[As Vincent reveals himself, Cloud is surprised he doesn't have his weapon, that it's something entirely different but it's okay. He figures maybe it got lost along the way.]

Being an illusion? [It's not unusual for Vincent to say such things.]

I guess so. What is this place?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

MAY TDM

Cloud Strife | Final Fantasy VII Comp.

05

Re: 05

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

03

Re: 03

no subject

no subject