monstertruckers (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
monstertruckers) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
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
Behind Ren, the scene shifts to something like a shadow puppet show, dark figures against a white background. One figure is smaller than the others - a boy, a teenager, slim frame and messy hair, easily recognizable as Ren himself. The other, larger figures assault him one after another, passing him back and forth with slaps, punches, kicks, shoves, every blow audible and followed by a muffled groan or yelp of pain. Ren flinches, recognizing the sounds of the interrogation room behind him.
“Stop,” he murmurs, frowning, and the shadow scene freezes. Ren returns his attention to Akechi.
“I know what’s going to happen to me. I know it’s going to be hard.” Ren scowls, deep in thought. Why is Akechi hung up on this?
“Do you think I’m going to hurt you, after I’ve changed?”
no subject
The recreation of the interrogation room, however abstract, makes Akechi wince. He did this to Ren. He subjected him to such brutality. Nearly killed him.
It's just...
"You'll stick to your guiding principles. You always do, but you shouldn't have to endure this. You're Joker."
no subject
But he wanted Akechi - as a friend, as an ally, even as a rival. Alive, free of the shackles that bound him to his fate. Throughout the entire time leading up to Shido’s palace, some small part of Ren’s heart held hope that the other boy could be swayed to join his side. All of his actions were the result of deliberate, considered choice.
Ren knew what was likely to happen to him during the interrogation, and he allowed himself to be captured and subjected to the brutality. It wasn’t Akechi’s fault the criminal justice system was set up with such stacked odds and utilized such cruel methods. Ren can’t blame the other boy for the danger he willingly launched himself into with the grappling hook at his wrist.
It’s true that the Akechi played a more active part in the attempted murder. Even so, Ren recognizes Akechi’s actions weren’t entirely free at the time. He was under the thumb of his vile father, carrying out orders for assassination as he had so many other times before. He’d been a young teenager with no system of support, no standing in the world, and Shido took advantage of that to mold a broken boy into a more than capable weapon. Akechi never stood a chance.
“Joker is just a name.”
He doesn’t really understand why Akechi is hung up on his impending transformation. None of the people here should be forced to endure this injustice. Ren isn’t any more or less worthy of the waiting horrors than anyone else.
no subject
It's stupid, isn't it? He's placing Ren on a pedestal. Even Akechi can see that, deep down.
But it's different with him. He deserves such a punishment. Really, he deserves every bit of hell along this uncertain road.
"I realize I'm being irrational, but I suppose that's the nature of dreams."
no subject
He’d won their previous duel - which, in all honesty, wasn’t a fair fight. Twelve Personas loaded with every kind of spell against Akechi’s pair - one, really, he hadn’t yet revealed Loki - was hardly a balanced fight. When they fought in Shido’s Palace, Akechi had faced not only Ren but his team of Phantom Thieves as well. Again, not exactly a fair and balanced fight.
Ren already knew that Akechi envied him for a number of his qualities and skills, but he was of the impression that he was still viewed as an equal by the other boy, not as someone superior. An equal with slightly better skills, perhaps, holding more power due to the nature of his bonds, but an equal all the same.
He reaches his hand up to curl a lock of hair around his finger as he contemplates this new piece of information. Ren is honestly not sure he’s comfortable with holding such an elevated place in Akechi’s view.
“You’re saying … you think I’m better than you?” he asks, tentative with his words. Clearly, Ren is still puzzled by the notion, from both his expression and the ripple of confusion he emanates.
no subject
And really... what right does Akechi have to hold himself on equal ground?
For now, Akechi watches Ren, ready to gauge his reaction.
no subject
Ren doesn’t need to question why Akechi would believe this. He understands what their society thinks of orphans and children with unmarried parents. He has heard Akechi refer to himself as a scandal, a disgrace, a cursed child; now that he has abandoned the Detective Prince facade, his lack of self-worth is practically a flashing neon sign. At this moment of realization, Ren’s heart breaks all over again for the other boy. It seems he has been an unwitting source of Akechi’s pain. If only he’d known sooner …
This is a dream, right? And dreams are irrational. Akechi said so himself. Ren would normally not be quite this forward, but words and even those projections of emotions are simply not enough. He may end up attacked over this, but it’s a risk he’s willing to take. Akechi is worth the risk.
Ren steps forward and gently pulls Akechi into a hug, solid and warm with all of the love he holds in his heart.
“I wish,” he says, a fierce whisper, “I could find every person who ever hurt you and make them pay for it.”
no subject
He left himself vulnerable. Is he truly so weak? Emotions laid bare, instead of locked away in a safe as they should be. He's...
Too tired to really fight it. It's a dream, but Ren is here. He was already here. They just got separated along the way.
Those feathers fluff up, despite his best effort to stay calm, but he doesn't move.
No, he just falls limp, resigned to this.
"You've seen firsthand what revenge does to a person. It'd be one thing to change their hearts. That's true to you and your principles... but you shouldn't be like me."
no subject
“See? Proves my point. I’m not better than you.”
The desire for revenge is born from injustice. Ren isn’t immune from that desire existing within his heart. The difference is that he has found ways to temper that desire, fashion it into a weapon of justice rather than retribution. Desires exist within everyone, but it’s up to each individual to decide what to do with them.
“You’re better than you believe, Akechi. You may not believe it but I believe in you.”
Ren’s arms tighten around Akechi briefly, then he loosens his hold and takes a step back. Smothering or controlling Akechi isn’t his aim. He’s grateful he was allowed this much of an affectionate display, no need to push it to an uncomfortable place.
no subject
A small ripple of disappointment pulses through the dream when Ren pulls back. Akechi tenses slightly, hoping Ren didn't notice.
Damn those shrubs, making him so open.
"I suppose there's no convincing you otherwise. You're hardly the sort to give up on others."
no subject
Ren slips his hands in his pockets and shakes his head. “Sorry. You’re stuck with me now. I’ll never stop believing in you.”
It’s a promise - a vow he’s decided to make, not only to Akechi, but to himself as well. Something stirs in his heart, and it feels like the breaking of a chain he didn’t know was there.
“Let’s go home,” he says, and the scene shifts back to Leblanc. Not the cold, anguished Leblanc of last February - a different time that may or may not have happened in reality. Soft sunlight streams in through the door’s glass panes, and there’s a gentle warmth that envelops the café, the same loving warmth that has been radiating from Ren for so much of this dream. He steps behind the bar, slips on an apron, and starts setting up to make a cup of coffee.
“Your usual?” he asks, looking over to Akechi, a silent invitation to take a seat at the bar if he’d like.
no subject
Ren will have to get creative, most likely, but surely he can adapt. He always has.
no subject
“Probably not,” he says, with a smile of his own and a light shrug. “But I like a good challenge.”
He finishes making the coffee just the way Sojiro taught him and gently sets the cup and saucer down in front of Akechi.
“On the house,” he says, as if it could be anything else in a dream.
no subject
Something intriguing, something exotic... Isn't that enticing?
no subject
“If there’s one thing I learned from Boss about cooking, it’s the importance of the spices,” Ren explains, quickly fixing a second cup of coffee for himself. “Finding those will be the main challenge, I think.”
With his own coffee now prepared, Ren brings the cup around the other side of the bar and places it in front of the chair next to Akechi. He then slides into the chair, sitting sideways to face him.
“I really missed this,” he says, and a small beat of sorrow pulses out from his heart, then quickly dissipates. He breathes out a quiet laugh and turns his gaze to the cup in front of him. It’s still probably too hot to drink, so he’ll wait another moment to try a sip.
no subject
Pausing, he takes another sip. Then, an amusing thought crosses his mind.
"A few months ago, we came across farmlands, but the fruits and vegetables had ill fitting tastes. For instance, apples that tasted like watermelon."
He watches Ren closely, eager to gauge his reaction to this food sacrilege. "...But yes, I have missed this."
no subject
It should probably feel weirder to be talking about dreams while in a dream, to the subject of said dreams, but it doesn’t. Ren’s not sure why it doesn’t feel strange, but as long as the feeling persists, he will keep talking. Maybe these are things he needs to talk about.
“There was one dream where we went to the beach together. You got pretty sunburned,” he says, with a quiet laugh. “One time, you went with me to the planetarium, and you told me the story of Orihime and Hikoboshi, like I was a little kid who’d never heard it before. But I didn’t really mind, because you were there with me.”
The invisible waves of warm affection surrounding Ren have begun to overlap with layers of sorrow and regret, like the interwoven ribbons of a maypole. He really missed Akechi - more than he realized at the time, he’s discovering.
“A lot of the dreams I had were about being at the jazz club with you. We’d be talking about something I learned in school that day, or even not talking at all, just listening to the music.”
Those were the dreams that always left Ren with the heaviest blanket of sorrow when waking. They were too close to real, and too close to what Ren wanted so deeply. He picks up his coffee and finally takes a sip, swallowing down those feelings of longing and regret.
“Watermelon apples, huh?” Ren looks up at Akechi and pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Guess those would be easier to move than the regular size.”
no subject
Dreams about him. Dreams about them.
It's so... insufferably sentimental, but perhaps he shouldn't be surprised.
"You took me to Jazz Jin every opportunity you had, while we were waiting to finish things with Maruki. You could have spent your nights any number of ways, yet you sought my company."
He takes another swig of his coffee to ground himself. It's the best thing he can do right now, in this vulnerable state, where his own emotions are hardly secret.
"...How fortunate, then, that we have opportunities. It's a desolate hellscape out there, but since you clearly value my company so much, I'm sure it won't matter." He pauses. "Perhaps we'll even encounter even more outlandish produce."
no subject
“Is that really such a surprise? It’s normal to want to spend time with the people you love.”
It takes Ren a moment to realize what he’s just admitted aloud, and in the speaking of this sentiment - giving the feeling form with words - something in his mind clicks into place. Like earlier, when he came to the realization that Akechi viewed him as better, something inside of him feels realigned, more complete.
He loves Akechi. He’d been dancing around it earlier, swept up in his anger and frustration, circling around the answer to a crossword clue that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Everything is in focus now. Ren hums a quiet sound, some kind of nonverbal that’s interesting, and takes another sip of his coffee.
Fear and anxiety slice into the atmosphere in staccato bursts, and Ren forces himself to keep watching Akechi to gauge his reaction to this revelation. Ren doesn’t expect the news will be received well, but he can hope for the best.
no subject
No. He needs to be rational. "Love" comes in many forms. Ren said people. That implies plural. It's not...
He should set his cup down, just to be safe.
He tries smoothing his feathers, tries adjusting his posture. He feels that fear pulsing through. His own fear bubbles in return.
"Rather a bold statement, given that I nearly murdered you."
no subject
That’s part of why it can be so great.
So Akechi isn’t yelling at him, or throwing a punch, or even materializing a gun to shoot Ren again. He’s just doing his classic brand of deflection. Ren will take that as a win. He laughs, and his own fear and anxiety subside, and his love grows bigger, warmer, brighter.
“Good thing I’m not so easy to kill.”
He grins playfully into his coffee cup, taking another sip. He probably shouldn’t be joking about such a personal attempted murder with the person who pulled the trigger, but Ren has a habit of doing things he probably shouldn’t.
Like stepping in between two adults to stop a man from assaulting a woman.
Like becoming a vigilante and a thief to change the hearts of corrupted adults and reform society.
Add “loving a murderer” to the list. Ren’s not even keeping a running tab.
no subject
What does he even do with this knowledge? That searing warmth, that blinding light...
"You're so..."
Stupid? Sentimental? Why is it that now, of all times, words fail him? It's so humiliating.
"...If I wake up, will you actually remain here? You vanished not long after our first encounter."
More deflection, but it's the best way to cope with such an overload of... feelings.
no subject
“I think so. Though I don’t remember vanishing.” He lightly drums fingertips on the surface of the bar, then stills them when an idea forms in his brain.
“Maybe you should wake up and find out,” he says, with a sly grin. “Do you think you can find me before I find you?”
no subject
Once he finishes, he lets the cup rest, quiet for several moments. He should probably say something, to acknowledge Ren's... interesting perspective, if nothing else.
"...Lucky for you, you don't have much in the way of competition."
Ren can make what he will of that. Really, it's a test, to gauge his intentions.
no subject
“Even if I had a coliseum of competition, I’d still fight for you,” he says, still holding that grin. “And I definitely wouldn’t lose.”
Quietly, Ren slides off his chair, picks up his empty cup and saucer in one hand and Akechi’s in the other, and heads for the sink behind the bar. He turns to face Akechi and finishes walking the distance to the sink in reverse, and another strong pulse of loving warmth fills the room.
“See you soon.”
He hopes. He really hopes this hasn’t just been a product of his unconscious imagination.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
🎶 you’ll never see it comiiiiiing 🎶
(no subject)