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memestertrucks2025-05-15 04:31 pm
monstertruckers) wrote in memestertrucks2025-05-15 04:31 pm
Entry tags:
MAY TDM
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.
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.
…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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
no subject
"Tell me you have something we can use to barricade this with," he says, taking a momentary glance around them to survey what is available. "Tables, chairs, the kitchen sink. Whatever isn't tied down."
no subject
The hallway behind them is cluttered with the same debris that litters the rest of the hospital ruin, but there are gurneys and wheelchairs rusting away here, too. All of them toppled on their sides or parked at queasy, crooked angles halfway out of the doors that line the walls behind them (these right-side up, for no particular reason other than to be unpleasant and disorientating, Arcade assumes). There are a few plastic chairs, too, but none of them look weighty enough to barricade much.
"I'll hold the doors—" They rattle as if on cue, and Arcade leans into them, all four hands pressed to the rusting metal. The second set of arms he's been sporting for the past month and change are paler, coated in rough keeled scales from fingertips to shoulders. He's taken to hiding them, most of the time, because they've thus far been refusing to disappear again, like some of the other changes have - but in this circumstance, it's uniquely more of an advantage than a hindrance to have an extra set.
no subject
Thankfully, he's agile enough to maneuver through the disorienting halls, and starts with a gurney thinking that the length of it would be the most useful, even if it's not exactly heavy. Hell, just one of the arms could be broken off and slotted through door handles so that the organic Mr. Handy he's run into can help him carry something heavier in front of it.
He tries just that, throwing it into a wall and then using his boot to kick the bar completely free and pry it from the its bearings, then rejoins his new companion to slide it into place.
"What's the over/under on this being enough?" he asks with a scoff, "We can either make a run for it, or you could help me push one of those examination tables over here if you're feeling particularly unlucky."
no subject
"Let's go with... pretty unlucky." He nods toward the nearest exam table, reaching it in a few swift strides. Dislodging it from the debris and broken floor tiles is going to take effort, but less than having to waste the last of their ammo killing that thing. Hopefully, anyway.
no subject
"You've got me at a bit of a handicap here with only two of these things, but I've got this end-- lift on three?"
If the other man reacts positively to this, Deacon will count them down.
no subject
Arcade stops throwing the mess out of the way to reach for the table, instead. The sound of that rattling is turning swiftly into battering, now, and they've got it clear enough (maybe). He waits for the count, and then lifts - the thing weighs a ton, but between the two of them, it feels movable enough.
Which is a good thing, because that rattling has come back, sounding distinctly different now. It has a lower, sinister note - and looking back toward the doors as they make their staggering approach, table in tow, shows exactly why. The doors have been pried open just as far as the bar blocking them allows, and one of that thing's tentacles has slithered through, tapping at the bar, now, trying to dislodge it.
no subject
"Okay, so it's probably more intelligent than we gave it credit for," he grunts with a frown. "That one's on me. C'mon, just a bit further... mind the tentacles..."
Maybe if they can push this thing against the door hard enough, it'll snap right off. A plan is starting to develop in Deacon's mind, although how they later get out of here is a concern for later.
no subject
It's a relief to drop the table, shoving it across unbroken floor easier than lifting and shuffling around. There's no clean break when it hits the door, though the creature makes a pained sound and the caught tentacle whips around dangerously as the doors close on it.
Arcade jumps back, surreptitiously checking his arms (well, the visibly human pair, at least) for any snags in his coat sleeves where it might've caught him. "Good enough. Let's get out of here."
no subject
"Whew!" he exclaims, smiling at his new companion. Introductions can come later... it isn't as if Deacon plans to give out his real name, anyway.
"Couldn't have said it better myself. Do you know the way?"
no subject
Better, actually, because there weren't any monsters that way. And it should be a quick enough way back out of here, though that thought does give him pause. (Not literally, of course. He's moving quickly back down the hall, not wasting any time putting space between them and that thing still battering at the now blocked doors.)
"Unless you were looking for something in here? We've salvaged a lot for the infirmary, already."
no subject
"I mean, this whole thing's kinda been a bust. But yeah, got a nasty splinter earlier. You a doctor?" He is wearing a white coat, Deacon noticed, it just wasn't really the best time to ask.
no subject
Which he always manages to sound spectacularly reluctant about, even though he's the one who's put himself back in the position of taking on as much of the Convoy's first aid as anyone will let him.
"If you actually need medical care, I can handle it once we're out of here."
no subject
"Depending on how far we have to go, I might just have to employ the age-old tradition of walking it off."
Deacon sighs, the shifts in the architecture slightly disorienting as he moves along the hall, but as long as he doesn't have to scale any ledges over a significant drop, his stomach'll hold its lunch.
no subject
Fortunately, it's not far back to where Arcade first entered. Though unfortunately... There may be some ledges involved. And scaling. The room off the end of the hall that he leads them into is one where at least some light reaches, a large, open window broken out on the other side. Arcade heads toward it, leaning out to look down over the floating stones and root-laden, boulder-sized clods of earth hanging from the side of the upturned hospital. It's not that long a way down, but it's no short drop, either.
no subject
It's not like he can really blame the guy. Deacon is as paranoid as they get, and generally speaking spends most of his time alone. He doesn't dislike people, he just doesn't trust many of them.
The view out of the window makes his stomach lurch, and he suddenly feels a lot sweatier than he had moments ago. He hesitates, watching the other man move toward it, and swallows thickly.
"Oh boy..." he breathes, "I'm gonna need a change of clothes after this."
no subject
He steps back from the window, only given pause when he glances over his shoulder and notices that overt hesitation doesn't also seem like a sarcastic put-on.
"The height's not going to be a problem for you, is it? We could find another way out." They'd just have to risk running into another one of those things, and potentially without being able to conveniently give it the slip.
no subject
"No problems here, just left my climbing gear back home, that's all." he huffs, mentally puts on his big-boy-britches, and then takes a step toward the ledge, trying to only pay attention to where his foot will need to go next and not the massive drop beyond it.
no subject
Still, he's taking care not to just hurry blindly back down, as he steps out onto the chunk of earth and stone clinging to the side of the upturned hospital building. "'Just don't look down,' isn't that what they always say?"