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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
Ren bats the feeling away, hoping against hope that he didn’t just broadcast it out into the open.
“You keep acting like I’ve never met you before,” he says, reaching for a smile and finding something unexpectedly barbed. “I’m not one of your adoring fans who only ever saw you on TV. I’m not some schoolgirl from another class with a crush. I know you.”
Maybe that was … a little more pointed than Ren intended. Maybe he’s just frustrated that Akechi keeps suggesting he isn’t fully aware of what he’s asking for. Whatever the catalyst, the nerve has been struck, and Ren is no longer speaking like a meek high school student or an easygoing funny-guy friend. This is the defiant rebel who awakened Arsène and told a literal god to begone, focused and steady and entirely certain of himself. He searches to find and hold Akechi’s gaze with his own.
“I spent the better part of the past year watching you, studying you, fighting you, and then fighting with you at my side. Do you really think I’m naïve? Or that you’ve charmed me so well that I can’t still see right through you?”
Somewhere in the part of his brain where logic lives, Ren knows Akechi is still deflecting, and he knows it’s because of the distorted view he has of himself. Knowing that doesn’t stop the flickering angry heat from rising in his chest, but it’s enough to dampen his temper and keep it from going wildly out of control.
“If you think there’s some dark secret about you that you’ve been hiding from me, something you think I don’t already know, then tell me now. But don’t keep acting like I don’t know exactly what I’m doing. I love you - the real you, not that fake mask of a person you used to wear. All of you, and that includes whatever parts you think are ugly or not worth loving.”
He sighs out a sharp breath and continues, a little softer: “I don’t want to change you, Akechi - I want you exactly as you are. I’m not looking for a simple outcome. If you’ve ever trusted me, trust me now when I say this - I know you, and I still love you.”
no subject
He should have expected this, yet a strange burst of shock, tension, and nerves radiate from his form, his posture completely stuff, from his stance to his feathers.
That new tail of his twitches. A tiny puff of smoke escapes from his nostrils.
"...I've tried to change. Not entirely, but in ways I can control. I have the luxury to rebuild myself, rather than merely conceal the cracked foundation behind vapid smiles."
He's not sure where he's going with this. Not quite deflection, but... something. Honesty?
no subject
“You can’t erase the past, but you don’t have to be kept prisoner by it here. That’s good.”
Erasing the past is what Maruki wanted to do, and both of them rejected that offer, several times over. This place might be horrible in its own unique ways, but it does offer a second chance for Akechi to establish who he wants to be as a person.
“But if you want to change, do it for yourself. Not for me, not for anyone else, but because it’s what you want.”
And that’s the main variable here, for Ren - what Akechi wants from him. He doesn’t believe he’ll stop loving Akechi if he doesn’t want the same more-than-friendship, and he doesn’t want his reaction to be a deciding factor in Akechi’s eventual choice..
“I want you to be happy. Or as close to it as you can be, in a place like this. Even if it’s not with me. Whatever you decide, I’ll support you.”
Ren truly believes he can help Akechi find that elusive happiness, but not if he’s being fought the entire time. He knows what he wants, but he’s not willing to pursue it if it’s unwanted from Akechi’s end.
“I think I’ve said everything I can for myself. I’ll leave it to you to decide when you’re ready to talk about this again. Or see me at all, I guess.”
Maybe Akechi will need space to think it all over. Ren imagines he may not want to see him while he’s sorting his own thoughts out, and he understands.
He understands, but he’s not at all satisfied with how unresolved this conversation is leaning. But he can be patient and allow Akechi to set the pace.
no subject
Damn it. Akechi's trying, at least, even if the tension lingers, and his arms fold tightly over his chest.
"You're the only one here who completely understands me. So... there's that, and you had better not disappear on me again."
He does need to think. He needs to figure out what this means, but there's still that yearning feeling, like invisible hands reaching out, just to draw back out of fear.
It's not hopeless, even Akechi would argue that he often feels like he is.
no subject
To his credit, Ren manages to rein in the impulse to explain to the other teen that people knowing you is what happens when you let them in. Instead, he laughs quietly and nods.
“I know, I still owe you a rematch. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.”
no subject
Well, right now, Ren is probably at a severe disadvantage. They can't exactly give each other a fair duel, now, can they? Even if Ren always had the edge before...
He could leave it at that, but...
Fuck it. He might as well be frank.
"And, for the record, I'm not interested in women, so you have that advantage as well."
...
Does he stick around to savor the look on Ren's face, or does he fly off dramatically, to look cool and suave?
...Perhaps he can hold off just long enough to get a good look. It's a little payback for throwing him off guard, earlier.
🎶 you’ll never see it comiiiiiing 🎶
“So … you’re saying I do have a chance?”
It’s nice to have a little less uncertainty, at least. Though a good percentage of the official Goro Akechi fan club would be crushed to learn this.
That tiniest part of Ren that reared up in jealousy earlier is immensely satisfied at the thought.
no subject
So, with a dramatic flourish, he flies off, trying to look especially flourish as he... heads back toward the Convoy.
Look, it's better than the hospital.
no subject
Ren grins widely, and for a moment, everything feels like maybe it will all be fine. He steps back to return to a casual lean against the van, hands resting in his pockets, as he watches Akechi fly off into the night.
The moment of feeling fine fades shortly after Ren loses sight of Akechi, and doubt begins to settle into the tiny pressure cracks of his heart. He’d said so much tonight, both in and out of the shared dream. Inside the dream had been harder to control, but the words exchanged after waking - that’s where Ren’s unsure he made the right decision to speak what was on his mind and in his heart. Dreams are irrational; he could’ve more easily waved off his confessions to the nature of the unconscious mind.
Maybe his decision tonight to say more when he typically says less will end up ruining the renewed bond between Akechi and himself. That’s the cold constriction of fear that overtakes him now. His friends know him to be composed and confident, because he doesn’t let on when he feels otherwise and they don’t question him about it. If any of them were here now, there’s no doubt they’d be shown otherwise - unwittingly, due to the strange effects projecting his emotions in invisible waves.
It’s a good thing they’re not here, Ren decides, for more reasons than his ability to keep that mask in place. He catches the smooth leather of the glove in his pocket between thumb and forefinger, and it grounds him a small amount. Akechi is right - he needs to prepare for their upcoming duel.
He needs to prepare for everything else yet to come, too.