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
(But he will have to ask Heat later what Jayce tasted like...)]
He's a rookie.
[The term has implications beyond simply being inexperienced (and maybe a little weak); rookies were people newly 'born'... and new to being a monster.
He turns his head towards Jayce, expression even more unreadable with Varuna's lack of eyes.]
Viktor was looking for you. Will you go back to him?
[Best to separate Jayce and Heat for now...]
no subject
Rookies did indeed have implication. Naive, inexperienced.
Beelzebub had been a rookie that got a little too big for his britches; rookies needed to be kept in hand or they'd run amok, the structure of tribes and their usual intense loyalties important to prevent it. But Jayce isn't marked in orange. Or any other tribe color. The low rumble resumes, distinctly displeased.]
Fine. [Obedience didn't mean he wouldn't grumble about it.] I'll let you go this time.
[Fearless he remains, but he's not stupid; re-engaging surrounded by ice and already injured wasn't high on Heat's priority list though that didn't mean he wouldn't claim otherwise. Regaining his 'human' form in a cascade of pale light, Agni's injuries seem to disappear, no obvious wounds marring the gray and black Junkyard armor, but they ARE still there.
The cold is far more tolerable immediately.]
no subject
no comment, but rugged features do look more melancholy, soft even, if just for a moment where he must bring his gaze downward to recompose. especially. after this? he's not going back bloodied and more wild animal than man, that was the reason he ran off in the first place.
with heat sounding off with something . . . actually laughable, jayce fixes a glare back to him with a huff of a laugh under his breath, flash of teeth like a dog's stained red. chewing on the remains stuck to his gums, he pushes past them to retrieve his hammer, his limp even more stiff now that his brace is completely frozen at the mechanical bends at his joints. even then, the cold hasn't lifted yet; jayce still feels too bitter to let it heat up again, but at least— all his wounds are healed, too. what remains are the splotches and fabric rips telling of a skirmish.
his antler rack bears pieces and ribbons of sinew like a trophy. ]
He threatens me again, [ because he fought tooth and nail to survive, because he has a reason to live, even if he's essentially dead, ] there won't be a next time.
no subject
Besides, even with Agni's elemental weakness, Serph has no doubt who would be the one walking away from second conflict.
It's only once Jayce is long out of earshot that Serph asks Heat quietly-]
What did he taste like?
no subject
[Ego means he just.. can't.. leave it alone, but he also doesn't actually make any move to follow, that would be a bad idea for multiple reasons and he knew it. Restraint and Heat don't exactly go hand in hand at the best of times.
But Serph has made it clear further fighting ... at the moment ... simply wasn't allowed, so he'd obey.
The quiet question jerks his head around to stare at Serph for a long silent moment, single visible eye a bit wide from surprise. Ordinarily one does not ask what hypothetical comrades taste like. He doesn't answer right away, running his tongue across his teeth, thinking about it. Thinking some more.]
... You know how if you don't eat someone right away and it's kind of dark and damp they don't just disappear they start growing all those little weird dicks all over them? [Mushrooms.] Like those, but ... tingly on the back of the tongues.
[He's actually thinking about this really hard, and it's not really certain whether he likes it or not. Even he's not sure.]
He definitely tastes like meat but it's .. old meat, and the tingly gets worse the more you chew, like it's gonna start bubbling at any moment. I think if I ate all of him I'd be able to smell colors or something after a while, it's that kind of taste. You should try it.
no subject
Jayce is a researcher and a key holder of information.
[So no, neither of them will be taking bites of Jayce. Even if it sounds honestly enticing.]
His body is corrupted. Monsters struck by his weapon are corrupted in the same way and start to defy reality.
[Knowing that's not particularly easy to imagine, he continues-]
Killed flying enemies hang in the air, unaffected by gravity. Corpses flicker in and out of existence. He warned me against consuming monsters slain this way.
[Serph's brows furrow, looking over Heat more carefully, searching for injury.]
You're lucky to be in one piece.
no subject
Kind of hard to eat something that keeps disappearing anyway.
[Heat's not hanging in the air or flickering in and out of existence, so surely he wasn't actually struck by the weapon, right? He wouldn't have just stood in the way, surely. Except Jayce did a lot more damage than he's willing to let on, and black underarmor hid a whole lot from sight. All the blood smell is surely just lingering from earlier.
He's not moving right for someone healthy. That's coincidence, yep. And as Serph says he's lucky to be in one piece, he makes a low disgusted sound.]
I'm not that weak. It's going to take more than zombie Bambi to keep me down.
[By the pause that follows, and the short annoyed headshake that follows that, no, he doesn't actually know what a bambi is. Sudden popup words are an endless plague.]