memestertrucks | JULY TDM

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The summoning garage and gas station has opted for a new location; about thirty stories up in the air, jutting off the side of a skyscraper like a strange balcony. There's no employees or civiliians around to help new arrivals, however. Just a lot of broken glass, worn concrete, and a long difficult way down.

01: SUMMONING CIRCLE

New arrivals feel a strange sense of vertigo this time around; namely because the garage is halfway up a skyscraper and on a landing jutting off the main building. Falling off the side is not advised. A little further down is what looks like a gas station… And all the way down, at the end of a nauseatingly long drop, is a Convoy. As for reaching the ground level, there’s a few options.

For the more adventurous, there’s a set of rope lines to scale down. It just requires a steady hand, and likely a friend to help keep the descent steady; the harnesses appear to be built for teams of two.

Those without a head for heights can try the elevators instead; there’s a cargo elevator, capable of transporting any cars. There’s also the usual people movers installed… Though there is the problem of monsters, either lurking in the elevator shafts or forcing the elevator to stop on floors for a skirmish.

And for the athletic, there’s the stairs. The very long, mind numbing amounts of stairs. People likely won’t die from combat on them. But might die of boredom. Those are the options for going down: going up can lead to a lot more trouble, as the building slowly morphs from concrete to flesh.

02: START UP 

It takes some work to arrive at the Convoy this time. And the placement of new vehicles reflects that; some have made it halfway up the skyscraper, along with the new comers. Others wait on the street level.

But in either location is a collection of vehicles, one of which feels like it belongs to new arrivals. 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 supplies… Now it’s just a matter of finding some extra hands.

03: BUILDING PULSE

(CW: Meat buildings with teeth)
New comers are encouraged to head down from the skyscraper. Heading upwards will result in hostile, living architecture that tries to consume those who intrude. Along with unnerving messages carved into walls, praising the moon.

But through all floors, a strange razor wire runs alongside living tendrils. It carries recordings from the this world, ambient whispers that can easily seep into one’s thoughts and tell them a little more about the world before everything went wrong. There are commercials, sports games, but also warnings not to interact with any relics, moon shards, or anyone too enamored with those relics and the moon. But if the one tries to get too close, the wires can cut at their skin, showing a monster’s form underneath.

In addition, various blue points of light can be found latched to the walls, floor, and ceiling. Touching these points will affect this event's main enemy, the Nefasturris by activating weak points on the monster... But it might also result in the Drifter getting a layer of ice on them, all the way up to freezing solid.

04: MOON CALL

New arrivals have an extra twist in their situation this month. The moon shines brightly above the skyscraper at night, and is even visible at daylight… And there are an alarming number of statues with glowing stones fixed in them that shine as bright as the moon.

Closer examination of these statues (that look alarmingly like gargoyles and hellish canines) causes the rocks to shine even brighter, and results in a localized Moon Warp.

All of this means that new arrivals will also have the Gargoyle and Cerberus monster forms available to them.

04: MONSTER SHIFT, GARGOYLE

During the TDM Drifters have access to all Gargoyle species traits as well as:
+Bat Hunt: spectral bats fly through the hallways and exterior of the building, and have a taste for gargoyle blood. Hopefully Drifters are either swift enough to claw at the bats, or have tough skin.
+Lightning Hunt: scaling both the interior and exterior of the skyscraper shows currents of lightning, which Gargoyles can sense through their claws. Piercing into these lightning points causes pain to Gargoyles, but also weakens the Nefasturris and adds extra weak points.
+ Summit Pull: Gargoyles can feel a pull upwards, to the top of the buildings. The various statues fixed to the skyscrapers offer a roosting place, fit for observing potential targets below.
+Night Activity: monster changes increase during night and feel lethargic during daytime.
+Protection: Gargoyles feel a compulsion to protect the Convoy and other Drifters nearby, particularly against threats looming in the city. Guarding them against danger becomes a priority.
+Light Sensitivity: Gargoyles are sensitive to bright lights and total darkness; both of them can draw more changes out. Unfortunately there are flashbangs in the form of traps lingering in the tower, ready to trigger a fast shift.

04: MONSTER SHIFT, CERBERUS

For the TDM, Drifters have access to all Cerberus species traits as well as:
+Red Hunt: Cerberus Drifters can see and scent strange red points fixed in the building, and budding out of the walls like flesh. These are strangely appetizing to Cerberus; biting or clawing them weakens the Nefasturris or activates weakness points later in the fight.
+Fire Breath: red globs also grant fire breath when in their vicinity and ingested. Drifters should also be careful, as the fire breath can rage out of control when emotional!
+Ravenous Drive: With extra mouths and muscle, there’s also a powerful hunger and a need to hunt and consume any prey a Cerberus can find.
+Sensory disorientation: any frantic movement, bright lights, or loud noises cause a sensory overload, if the Drifters are growing extra eyes/ears/etc.
+Pack Loyalty: Cerberus feel a compulsion to bond with a Drifter or a collection of Drifters as their pack. They may feel they are the pack leader, or treat another Drifter as leader. They also feel an intense loyalty and protective streak, determined to carry out the will of other Drifters.
+Pack Hunter: compelled to attack anything that threatens a Cerberus pack, as well as provide for the pack by hunting prey. This is typically done in groups, for more efficiency.

05: LIVING BUILDING

Even with all this, the skyscraper doesn’t want to let Drifters go easily. Whether it’s that they reach ground level or somehow make their way to the summit, the sky scraper eventually starts to shift and groan as a giant monster forces its way out of the building. Bits of concrete and glass form scales and spines on a demonic visage, and there’s a hungry light in its electric eyes.

The monster battle is in three phases detailed in 5-A, and amidst the phases are strange phantasmal bats flying around to give the monster more energy and power. Culling these greatly reduces the monster's strength and toughness.

In the aftermath, the building monster dissolves away into streams of energy… Which are then promptly pulled in by Sigils on the Drifters, providing them healing and limited restoration. The remaining energy is absorbed by the giant Convoy, giving the engines energy to spare. It seems this collection of trucks and vehicles is well charged up, and more than ready to move out of the city.

05-A: DYING BUILDING

Fire: During the first phase, the building monster tries to flatten Drifters with clawed hands and breathes fire. Due to being bound to the building, its motions are slow but brutal. Climbing lines are still present and lead to weak points, marked by blood red glass. Just watch out for burning blood.

Ice: The monster eventually breaks out halfway, having more freedom of movement… But also looking more brittle, encased in ice and glass. While the monster may be faster and trades its fire breath for ice, it is also more fragile. Breaking the icy skin releases freezing jet streams. Unsurprisingly, a Cerberus’ fire breath does serious damage and neutralizes the threat.

Electric: Finally the monster breaks free from the building prison… But also brings a trail of electric wires with it, tangling the monster and giving off sparks and dealing pain to everyone. Just be careful with making contact with it, and choose the strikes wisely to finish the monster off!

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.

Convoy: The Convoy is located at the very bottom of the sky scraper this time… And barely has enough shielding during the skyscraper fight to avoid the worst of the damage. Drifters can take shelter in the Convoy as needed.

Lobby: Another safe zone in the skyscraper… Though a touch unnerving. The Husks here have all long since broken open to spawn monsters. The lobby itself is an opulent place with much of the furniture and décor still intact, and also serves as a good resting area.

Safe Rooms: For those exploring the interior, there’s a handful of safe rooms that have no trace of razor wire or monster growths. There’s an eerie stillness that coats these rooms, but at least offers a chance to breathe and recover, as well as slowing any monster transformations.

NAVIGATION || RESERVES || APPLICATIONS

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

*he makes a face at that* Ew, emotional tumbleweeds, gross. *but shakes it off* I'm just going to go with the idea of 'don't trust anything it might be full of weirdness transmitting diseases' with this place...

Ugh, that sounds like a bad dream but...anything's possible here, it seems.

*he takes a deep breath, holding it for a bit as he shakes out his hands* Great; another roll of the dice then. Lovely. A turtle'll go mad around here with all this stuff going on...

*the laugh he gets from Donnie makes him pause, but really, it's...not all that different from when his brother goes mad scientist on him. He laughs though at the threat of breaking Leo legs though. That tracks*

Well, at least he's not trying to fight a moon. *he snickers* Both, huh? If you take one out he'll complain enough about not being able to fight. Two would make him insufferable.

You mean nightmare. But it's unfortunately true. This is the first city so far as I know, that anyone's come across. Broken as it is, it's still a little nice being around something that could almost be familiar territory.

[Well, at least someone's amused, but Donnie can't help but smirk, glad Raph shares his dark humor.]

I suppose that could be.

[He's not sure he'd actually go through with breaking Leo's legs, really. Jayce has already made a good point about undead and bone breaks- which Donnie immediately tries not to think about.]

Maybe I'll just tranq him instead. But seriously, do I want to know how bad your Leo is?

Definitely a nightmare. *at least it wasn't bugs...oh god, don't think about that* You guys haven't run into other cities before now? How long have you been here? At least it isn't a broken down NYC I suppose but...

*he snickers again* That's probably more humane. *though he shrugs a little* He's not that bad, but I gotta razz him a little bit. Takes things too seriously. Likes trying to let us all get out so he can take on the bad guys and freak me out. That sort of stuff. Yours do that too?

[Prrrrobably a good thing Donnie hasn't outright run into anyone with bug features. Yet.]

No, it's been...disgustingly void of urban anything, actually. There was the creepy hospital some ways back...

[He hums, lifting his left arm to sweep a clawed hand over it, bringing up the magenta glow of his holoscreen.]

According to Earth standard time... roughly several months now. [A fact that makes him grimace.]

"Takes things too seriously?" ... [Donnie pauses as he considers. There had been that brief stint, but only because Leo had taken the Kraang's ] -nope, definitely not like the Leo I know. The worst he does is drop horrible puns. So that's a word of warning to you.

*the fact that there haven't been settlements to scavenge through makes him consider what they're standing around. The vehicles would be useful to anyone, really, but if they needed parts and metal, this was a good place to start*

Then this place's a good place to strip of stuff. Especially if there's patch work to be done. *he eyes the vehicle near them for a second, before the blip of magenta makes him look at Donnie's gear*

Couple of months then... hm. *but he doesn't press on that - if there was no clear way to get home...*

*the mention of puns makes him grimace* Oh boy, puns. Great. *a laugh* M'bro's usually all business when it comes to being a better ninja, so...it doesn't transfer over? That's going to be weird in its own right.

I think most of these are off-limits in case they might belong to someone. You find any keys on you?

[He banishes the screen with another sweep of his hand.]

Oh, don't get me wrong, we're all still pretty awesome ninjas. But Leo's pretty laid back. [Donnie smiles crookedly, fondly, really.] Raph's the one that's always been pushing us to be heroes.

Fair enough. Wouldn't want to make enemies immediately by smashing windows of a possible ally. *the question makes him shake his head* No keys here. I figured I'd have to hot wire something in case things went south.

*he snickers again* A laid back, Leo, huh? That's a new one. *he can tell it's fond though* Oh man, sounds like my name-twin's like my Leo. Always wants to be a hero. Does he have a fave show that's space themed too?

Really? I thought everyone had keys or something... Or maybe you get lucky and find them in a car? ...I don't know, it's kind of creepy. Not gonna complain too much when somehow my Turtle Tank was brought here, but at the same time it's like...weird, right?

[Donnie grins then.]

Clearly you must mean Jupiter Jim! That movie franchise is amazing!

Nope, no luck here. That'd be just my luck... *though he blinks a few times* Wait what? You got one of your creations here with you??? *that's not the same name as the stuff that his brother's built but* ...that is kind of weird but also rad as hell.

*nope sorry Donnie, he's tilting his head to the side*

...nooooo? Never heard of that one. Leo loves Space Heroes.

That'd be highly unusual if you didn't. It seems to be a requirement, but it makes sense when we're expected to taking this psycho roadtrip.

Well, no big loss. You can always hitch a ride with us. My precious baby has plenty of room! [He cackles lowly at that.] I can't wait to show you.

[But now he's going to just stop and stare in disbelief a moment.]

Wait, seriously? -what kind of lame generic name is Space Heroes?? Next thing you're going to tell me is there's no such thing as Lou Jitsu- which is impossible because not only is he the greatest martial arts action film star ever, but he is also our father!

So you guys show up with them then? Huh... I wonder why I don't then. Maybe I'm not supposed to be here...? *though that also doesn't seem right. He fiddles with his belt, checking his gear to see if there's something that slipped and he didn't see it*

*he laughs at the mention of showing off the Tank to him* Sweet; I can't wait to see it. *after all, this Donnie might have even more fun toys than the ones they had in their arsenal*

*he shrugs* No idea; it's like super old. Leo loves it though. It's really corny. *but there's the stare right back* Who--? Wait, what? Is Master Splinter not your father????

Not really no. So far as I've seen, the pattern is that we get summoned, wake up in...a gas station or by one? And then there's usually a bunch of cars and stuff nearby and we're expected to find one to make use of. Although usually some of them require some work.

[He eyes the tires on the truck he'd been on top of.]

Well to be fair, Jupiter Jim is a cult classic from ancient times past. I have some of the movies on my phone, clearly you need some education-

[And then he blinks, confused.]

Of course he is. He's Lou Jitsu. Not that he told us until like...way later along with all this other Hamato clan stuff that probably would have been super beneficial to have known earlier.

Huh...maybe something shifted because like, I showed up nearby. Not like...here here. *it doesn't really make any sense to him though, his gaze returning to the truck that Donnie jumped off of* Maybe I'm supposed to find one of these then if it's expected to join this convoy thing.

*he shakes his head about the Jupiter Jim thing though* Definitely haven't heard of it so maybe it doesn't exist there?

*oh boy, Splinter not telling them something? It's more likely than you think!* No... Splinter's real name is Yoshi, not Lou... though we didn't learn about that until later, but like, kind of understand that since he was human first and everything. It's complicated stuff and clearly hurts him to talk about.

Well, the last time anyone showed up, the place they were summoned to was floating because gravity was severely broken in the area. I had to help a guy navigate down to where the cars were.

[He gestures, starting to look at the vehicles that are around. Something ought to stick out...but then he's not really sure how this all works, especially given some of the Drifters just have really mundane or weird looking cars. And others don't even know how to drive.]

I guess that's possible, given the whole alternate reality thing. More's the pity- you don't know what you're missing.

[Donnie shakes his head.] Yeah, I know it's Yoshi. But his actor name is Lou Jitsu! I guess he did have some complicated stuff going on though, even before he got kidnapped by a warrior alchemist yōkai who wanted to use his DNA to create unstoppable mutant warriors to help him destroy humankind and all.

Okaaaaaaay definitely could be weirder then; I get it. I'm glad gravity's not gone rogue while I got here this time...

*he takes the initiative as well, starting to look around more openly now that he doesn't have to skulk around like a ninja trying not to get caught. Most of them look pretty run down and nothing out of the ordinary, nor familiar to what he's used to*

I'll sit through one if you promise snacks. *he says with a grin, before the bit of information that he gets from that is...well, stare inducing*

Excuse me, what? Who did what to your father???? Mine was never an actor - he's a master martial artist but like, he was just a normal guy trying to live his life?

Ugh, that makes two of us. Although the oil pumps sticking out of buildings is pushing it.

[Donnie doesn't look terribly impressed at the selection, but then usually most of the vehicles that end up being conveniently gathered aren't in the greatest shape.]

So long as you don't mind prepackaged gas station convenience store fare. Thus far we have unfortunately had no luck for pizza.

[He pokes around another car, checking the doors.]

A yōkai scientist. Do you not have yōkai where you're from? Live in a Hidden City beneath New York...? No? None of that?

Father's also a master martial artist but...I guess he had some hangups about the clan duty to watch out for the Shredder, so he left and became an actor. ....and then insert kidnapping, and subsequently getting mutated into a ratman while trying to escape with us after we were freshly mutated...

Yeah, that's...new. It's almost like it's trying to become a hot rod or something.

*he matches it as he looks over a nearby car, shaking his head at it because it's pretty badly damaged and even scrapping it would be a feat*

If you somehow found puff corn we're golden. *he teases, knowing full well that it's probably going to be scavenging and foraging time with how messed up this place is*

Whoa, no. None of that. *a shake of head as he tries a door and yelps when the handle comes clean off. A sigh before he tosses it* ...wait, watch for the Shredder? He's not just another clan leader for you guys? Did he team up with the Kraang in your world too?

[Don't stick it to Donnie as a challenge because he'd totally take it up. He drifts over to the car Raph looks at, attempting to pop the hood. Maybe the outside looks bad, but the inside can still hold some valuable scrap!]

Could be possible! The food around here has to be way better pickings than the gas stations. ...if they still maintain their freshness the same way. Kinda weird, that.

[He's still struggling with the hood while Raph pulls off door handles.]

Uh. No? He was- ugh, this thing must be jammed- a soul trapped in this evil armor that the Foot Clan had been searching out the scattered pieces, and when they finally got them all, the armor came to life. Except the first time around he wasn't complete so he kind of just ran around terrorizing people until we trapped him.

[Donnie flaps his wings as he tries to force the thing open, perhaps finally giving Raph a good glimpse of his shell, which isn't at all your standard hard-shell. It also reveals the unusual bony protrusions that seem to pierce through, several long uneven spikes just between his wings, and shorter ones growing out of the leathery shell here and there.

And then Donnie goes absolutely still at the mention of the Kraang.]

I was going to say no, but... Now that I think about it, that armor...

[He frowns.]

He was almost unstoppable. That's why Gram-Gram had to lock part of him away in the Twilight Realm.

[Donnie ceases his tugging on the car hood, resting his clawed hands on it.]

...we only found out about the Kraang...not long before I ended up here. They'd been sealed away in a prison dimension because they were too strong- they were hard to beat even without armor.

*he peers into the windows to see if there's any keys - he hopes not since this one is beaten up - but doesn't see it. But he makes sure to keep out of the way as Donnie comes to try and pry the hood as he checks the other doors*

I figured food would be a bit rough with the constant travel. But it's still fresh? Huh...

*another handle comes clean off and he sighs. He's not even tugging that hard! Rusted out, he supposes, though he turns back and wanders closer to see if he can spot a jam with the hood. It gives him the opportunity to see more of Donnie's form, the difference in shell alone, without even mentioning the wings and more spikes. Donnie isn't built like him, clearly a different species of turtle, but he doesn't comment on it for now. Especially since the soft shell was clearly not happy with his appearance of these changes*

...jeez... so Shredhead's locked up and now the Kraang are too?

Sounds like they were a recent development though--we've been dealing with them for years back home. It's exhausting. They've been trying to turn Earth into another one of their dimensions but like...every time we find something out, I swear it's tied back to them and their invasion tactics. Not to mention the mutagen they have making more mutants.

No, Shredder's....gone. We freed his soul from that evil armor, so he was able to be reunited with his daughter.

[There's a sharp scrape against the car hood as Donnie digs his claws in.]

There were only three Kraang, and it was hard enough trying to deal with one. I think one must have been blown up with the Technodrome after I trapped it, one was secured by the humans after April and dad and Casey wore her down.

Whoa. That's kind of metal. *wayyyy different than his world's Shredder, but he kind of leaves it at that when there's the scrape of claws against the car hood*

...only three? Not like...an army of them? *that was also different, but he can see it's a sore spot, considering it was recent from what Donnie said* But you guys beat them, so they can't hurt anyone else.

[Honestly, he's satisfied with what happened with the Shredder. They succeeded, and only with the help of their entire clan. It was nice knowing they belonged to something so much bigger.

The Kraang however... It's still a fresh wound, especially with Leo being a constant reminder.]

Thankfully no, but... I guess things could have gone a lot differently, if what Casey said about the future was true.

It was too close a thing. And we almost lost Leo because of that whole self-sacrifice thing. But...I can't really think of any other way he would have been able to succeed in keeping the last Kraang occupied enough to be trapped back in the prison dimension.

...but we got him back. Mikey...got him back. Heh. Tore open a hole between dimensions with his own hands.

*so much of this isn't like what he knows, which throws him for a loop, but with different realms out there - it meant variations of what was 'normal' for one was not for another*

Wait, Casey can tell the future...? That's...odd to think about. *Casey doing anything like that didn't seem right - but then again April was like some psychic redhead and he didn't question that anymore*

*the fact that Donnie almost lost Leo makes him swallow hard. They had their own close calls* ...my brother did the same thing with the Kraang, just in a different way. We thought he went down with the Technodrome at the time. Turned out okay but man...

Mikey did what?

Wha-? No, he's from the future. ...which I know is probably hard to digest because we for sure thought he was just trying to pull our leg. Turns out, dad had heard about the Kraang from stories before.

[Donnie lifts his head, looking over at Raph.]

...I'm glad things worked out for you.

[He breathes a laugh then.]

Yeah. Casey said in the future Mikey's some powerful mystic warrior or something. He was the one that sent Casey back to the past to warn us about the Kraang.

So...when we thought we'd lost Leo for good, Mikey wasn't having any of that. I think he almost pushed himself too much though. If Raph and I hadn't been there to stabilize him...

[Donnie shakes his head, pushing away the grim expression that surfaces on his face. They'd done it. There's no point in getting hung up on the what-if's.]

He's amazing.

He's FROM the future? *okay, definitely not normal but what was normal anymore in the life of a mutant turtle* ...whoa, that's...just whoa.

*he sighs* I wish it did. We had to deal with them even after that, but that's just the way it is back home.

*the thought of Mikey being some powerful mystic warrior is...terrifying, but he doesn't know Donnie's Mikey. He's thinking more of his ADHD riddled brother*

No kiddin'? That's...wow. So he was able to get Leo back with like, some power stuff? Or like, you and other-me were able to help?

*sure, he butted heads with his little brother, but he was still his brother. It wasn't all that surprising that this crew supported each other in how their world worked. The way that Donnie has to shake off the grim expression just tells him that it was way more serious*

I bet he is.

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