memestertrucks | NOVEMBER TDM

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A chilling mist and storms cling to the surrounding area. The cold and the wet pierces even the garage, making for a poor welcome. This time around the garage and gas station lurks amidst multiple farms, and a fall colored forest. The seasons have decisively shifted. And the environment is doing its best to shift the new arrivals in turn.

01: SUMMONING CIRCLE

New Drifters arrive to gloomy skies seen through the broken windows of a garage… And a large barn house looming overhead. Rain echoes on the roof, along with the occasional rumble of thunder. When it isn’t raining outside, there’s a damp and chill mist that lingers over the farmlands.

It makes the large Convoy pulling up to stop at that garage seem that much more tall and imposing: though it’s also clear the Convoy has seen some wear and tear, metal scuffed and a few gashes and dents in the cars.

The summoning circle in the garage is lined with candles that can be used to ward off some of the mist and the chill, but it’s advised to find more stable shelter in cars or in the barn. The roof of the garage leaks. And wet, cold concrete isn’t very comfortable for very long.

02: START UP 

There are various cars surrounding the garage. Some of them parked directly outside, though a few of them are parked in various farm fields and vegetable patches. Drifters are advised to watch out for hostile farm life and produce (such as exploding pumpkins) if their ride is out in the farm patch.

There’s also a certain connection between different newcomers and cars. Something that suggests a particular vehicle is theirs, backed up by possessing the key to that vehicle. The key 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: FARM HOSTILITIES

The farm isn’t always the friendliest place; the assorted livestock are all monstrous, and ready to fight any Drifter that looks at them funny. Cockatrices, bull gorgons, bullfango, and bicorns are all present and grumpy.

In addition, Drifters should look out for scarecrows in the farm patches. Their eyes glow with an eerie light, and anyone who meets their gaze will find their fears manifesting. At first the fears last for only a blink, and appear to be hallucinations. The longer any Drifters stay under the scarecrow’s gaze, the more their fears become real and dangerous.

Leaving the gaze of the scarecrows (or destroying them) can end the effect. Though any lingering trauma and bloodshed will need different solutions.

04: MOON WARP

Various glowing moon shards have taken root across different farm fields. Thanks to them, there’s more than just produce and livestock growing on the farm. Magic has sunk into the buildings and the soil, and is ready to work on the Drifters in turn.

The scarecrows take on a more sinister glow some nights, pulsing violently with light before exploding; moon shards lay dormant in many of them, before activating one night and forcing changes in Drifters. Along with activating other monster traits, two event monsters are available:

04: MONSTER SHIFT, KITSUNE

A fox monster possessing multiple tails. They may take the form of Kitsune, Gumiho, or Huli Jin. They may feature a full or partial vulpine transformation, and with all Kitsune traits also have:
+Trickster Curse: Anyone who steals from farms or acts with trickery/deception risks activating traits.
+Liver Eater: Begins to feel a clawing hunger that can only be satisfied by the liver from prey. The fresher, the better. Husk monsters can fulfill this craving!
+Fox Fire: can generate phantasmal fire either at will or while emotional. These fires cannot burn, unless willed to do so… Or if one’s emotions grow out of hand.
+Fox Fright: If fear or anxiety becomes too great, may become a fox (either small or giant!) in an attempt to flee and hide.
+Tails To Tell: Growing extra tails, up to nine. This may interfere with balance, or even reach out to brush against other people like they have a mind of their own.
+Thief Feet: Gains a talent for moving quietly and stealthily, even able to hide from the farm monsters and the scarecrows.
+Favored Prey: gains an appetite and a ferocity for cockatrices.

04: MONSTER SHIFT, TAURUS

Hoofed monsters who can appear as minotaurs, satyrs, and centaurs. In addition to having Taurus traits the following also occurs:
+Red Flag: several of the scarecrows carry red rags on them, which flap in the breeze… And have a way of inflaming Taurus tempers, prompting them to charge. On impact, the red fabric shreds but tries to put off one more pulse of fear.
+Eat Your Veggies: on top of a craving for vegetable, Taurus can also heal their wounds or restore their stamina when eating vegetables from these gardens!
+Horn Sharpening: when horns grow in, they can itch and ache on a Drifter’s head. Rubbing and sharpening them against hard surfaces is the best way to dull the discomfort.
+Safety In Numbers: There is a sudden pressing need for Taurus to stay close to others; being alone causes anxiety and irritability.
+Raging Bull: Threats to a Taurus’ herd invokes anger and aggression from a Taurus, and they will do whatever it takes to crush said threat.
+Digging In: Drifters should take care with their steps. Pressing their feet too hard into the ground can cause a small quake… or even compel them to charge someone, if they make eye contact for too long.
+Stir Crazy: going indoors for longer than a minute causes restlessness and agitation in a Taurus, and a pressing need to get back outside.

05: HUNTERS

Time passes, and a fog rolls into the farm lands. It obscures much of the surroundings, but one thing does shine through the gloom; red, electric lights that look suspiciously like eyes. A metallic growl echoes through the farm fields, before robot canine shapes step out of the fog. A few of them carry speakers mounted to their shoulders, and a voice echoes out from them:

“All chromehounds, set commands to seek and destroy. Any infected you find, you eliminate. Keep Nirvana safe from their taint at all costs. Now hunt.”

At those orders, the chromehounds spring out and begin to course through the farmlands, hunting for prey. A single chromehound can be handled by a Drifter on their own, but the danger is how often they hunt in pairs or in packs; in that case, a Drifter will need help to either fight or flee from them.

Those in the midst of Kitsune or Taurus changes will also need to deal with a howl the hounds send out; it is pitched at a fight or flight frequency designed to distress monsters. Either by causing intense bouts of fear, or near blinding rage. The intent is to flush any Kitsune and Taurus out of hiding and into the jaws of waiting chomehounds… Though hounds don’t account for monsters also having pack.

06: CUCCO WARNING 

There's one more oddity at the farm; one that isn't immediately hostile to newcomers, though it does regard them with curiosity. It takes the form of a rather innocent (and slightly vapid looking) chicken. Many of them roam the farmstead, trying to avoid any conflict.

A few of them even gather around an abandoned pie eating booth and peck at the remarkably well preserved pies. They might even be willing to share. (And the pies themselves are still edible and tasty, somehow.)

But this good will and tolerance can swiftly come to an end if they are attacked. If agitated, the cuccos can summon more of themselves to swarm the threat, causing plenty of pecks, scratches, and assorted injuries. There's even a ruined scarecrow laying nearby, torn to death by little beaks to show how dangerous they can be.

They also don't take kindly to threats from other denizens of the farm; the robot dogs, scarecrows, and some of the angrier farm life can quickly learn that the hard way!

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.

Snow Warning: Mountains rise above both farmlands and forest, and it seems clear that the road leads on towards them. It might be wise to plunder the nearby garage and farmhouses for any winter wear, before going further.

Food Forage: The local fields hold supplies… Some of them unconventional thanks to the Moon Warps. It’s probably best not to ask why corndogs are growing on corn stalks, but they’re still edible enough.

Misty Step: Sometimes the gloom and mist can do strange things to one’s perception, and stride. Walking into the mist can easily tun a Drifter around and place them in a spot they weren’t intending to go: whether that’s back in the garage, in the middle of the approaching Convoy, the middle of a field, or maybe somewhere else entirely!

Holy Cow-Car, Batman: One last quirk of the region, is that occasionally the vehicles here (including Drifter vehicles) seem to have a mind of their own. And that mind is similar to a cow. The vehicles can be found wandering in fenced off grassy areas, flattening grass to a degree where it appears to be eaten.

The vehicles are at least fairly docile, and once they are removed from the fencing revert to being normal cars/motorcycles/etc. But until then, they retain that odd quirk.

NAVIGATION || RESERVES || APPLICATIONS

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Whatever it is takes off again and Mikey eventually stops pressing on the horn to scramble for the door handle, instead. He slams it shut and slaps the lock, all on instinct, scrunching down into the seat and half into his shell as he does. He stays very still, breathing hard, staring out at the rainy dim as his heart races furiously.

But why does he feel happy about it?!

His head lifts from his shell a little bit in confusion, peering around through the windows of the van. He... he can feel that! It... It feels familiar, too! It's a little bit like how he knows whenever one of his brothers is about to enter the room! He leans forward, cautiously, trying to get a better look. Are they out there somewhere, then?! What if that thing he just saw is dangerous?!

"... oh no... okay, c'mon Mikey, you can do this..!" he murmurs to himself and carefully opens the door again to try and slip outside, quietly.

That's him, that's his little brother! Donnie continues to circle, watching as Mikey cautiously extracts himself from the vehicle. He manages to keep from diving again, knowing it won't do any good to scare him back into the car, not that that would keep Donnie out for long. But he doesn't want to scare Mikey either.

Why is Mikey scared? There's a blip in his eagerness, rational thought trying to climb back into the driver's seat, shove the simpler instincts of his creature-self to the side, but it fights back.

No, Mikey is here, Mikey is scared, must protect brother, protect family-

Once the box turtle steps away from the vehicle, the harpy-turtle drops down from the sky again, spiraling so that he lands more gently on the rooftop of the van with hardly a sound.

Mikey doesn't bother to shut the van door completely so it won't make any noise. He still... feels that familiar thing. It's something he always kind of had, before, but ever since he and his bros got their Ninpo, it's been stronger. It's a warm little feeling in his chest that just lets him know one of them is somewhere near by.

Maybe they're in trouble?!

He looks around, eyes and senses sharp, trying to keep an eye out for whatever the purple eyed shadow was. He's scared but he's gotta find his brothers! He moves forward, silently, not aware he's being watched just yet.

"... R-Raph? ... Leo? ... Donnie?" he whispers, cautiously, hoping maybe one of them will hear.

Donnie's tail swishes back and forth as he perches there.

Poor Mikey, he looks lost, but why wouldn't he? It's a terrible thing, waking up alone and in an alien place. He won't be left alone any longer though.

The winged turtle perks as he hears his name, that brightness pulsing from his mind again, this time accompanied with a name.

Mikey!

Donnie can't stay put a moment longer. He pushes off the car and flies in for a tackle.

Edited 2025-11-10 02:20 (UTC)

The smaller turtle perks up immediately on feeling his name.

Wait, feeling?! He heard it, didn't he? But that wasn't in his ears, was it...? And he knows the voice.

"Donnie?!"

He turns to try and spot his brother but all he sees is the shadow again. Spread wings, swooping and broad and his eyes go wide as the scream tears out of him all over again. He POPS into his shell, the whole thing sealing up tight as he gets grabbed by the big shadowy monster. He's gonna die!!

That scream jars horribly with whatever happy reunion Donnie had in mind, but there's no stopping now. The two go tumbling, and once they come out of it, Donnie's got his arms wrapped around the familiar shape of Mikey's shell.

He makes a confused sound for the lack of limbs and more importantly, head. It doesn't keep him from curling around the shell, peering into the opening where Mikey's head has disappeared into. At least Donnie's eyes aren't glowing at the moment.

Those are very, very wide and terrified eyes peering up from the depths of the shell. Mikey whimpers, loudly, his whole shell trembling in fear cause he has no idea what it is that just caught him!

"P-Please don't eat me!!"

But... oh. The eyes staring in down at him are framed by very familiar purple and big bold eyebrows. He blinks, rapidly, and his heart lurches.

"Wait, D-Donnie?!"

The next second, Mikey has popped right back out of his shell and he's already throwing his arms around his brother without really paying attention to anything other than 'purple and big eyebrows = Donatello'.

"Donnieeeeeee!! I was so scared!!"

There he is!

Maybe it's weird for Donnie to hug back so readily, but then again, it probably isn't all that strange. Mikey's always been the closest to latch onto whenever things got too intense, the one who usually sought comfort when Raph and Leo were caught up in another argument. They'd gotten closer over the years, and that hasn't changed for the months that Donnie's been apart. He's missed Mikey so.

The nuzzling might be a bit new though. And Mikey's bound to notice the lack of a battle shell. And the spiky bits that protrude from Donnie's soft shell instead. Oh, and the wings are kind of hard to miss. We'll get to the bird legs eventually.

Mikey clings to his brother, tightly, glad that Donnie found him before the big scary monster thing did.

"I don't know what's going on! I woke up in a soul-sucking circle and everybody was gone and I don't even know where I am and there's a big shadow thing with glowing eyes andandand---"

His scared rambling trails off when his brain quietly points out that Donnie is squishy. Like... soft all the way around, squishy. That's not usual. There's no metal edges cutting into his arms that he has to shift around. He presses his hands flat against the softness in confusion before his brain catches up a little bit more and he registers the leathery sort of texture.

Immediately, his hands pull back like they've been lit on fire and he lifts his head to stare up at Donnie in shock and horror.

"Donnie!? Your Battle Shell!! What happened to it?!"

It's unsurprising to hear Mikey ramble, his experiences stirring Donnie's own memories of his arrival. It hadn't been all that great either. He ceases his nuzzling, arms tightening slightly around Mikey, upset that his little brother hadn't been spared the horror of waking up in an unknown place, alone.

But then Mikey stops, and he's pulling back, so reluctantly Donnie loosens his own arms to let him, blinking.

His... Oh, right. He squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, trying to grasp at words.

"It didn't come with me."

"It didn't?!" Mikey squeaks in clear alarm.

But that's when he looks his brother over more. At first it's out of worry that, somehow, being without his Battle Shell could have gotten him hurt. Donnie's tough, Mikey knows that, but given the sorts of trouble they all get into, he'd be the first to get hurt super bad without his tech!

What his eyes light on, instead, is feathers. Lots of them.

He blinks again, staring, and his eyes slowly start to widen as he gapes at his brother.

"Your Battle Shell turned into wings?!"

It had been an original plan, to rebuild a battle shell. But materials were scarce, and by the time they'd come upon enough to work with, there just wasn't much room for compatability. But he'd still made one for Leo. It was strange and a little ironic if one thought about it, but Leo's shell was badly compromised and his state of deterioration had not made things better in the least.

Donnie sighs at Mikey's conclusion, shaking his head.

"How would it change into wings if it never came with me in the first place?" Still, he tucks his wings in tight against his shell, suddenly self-conscious. He looks away.

Edited 2025-11-15 01:10 (UTC)

Michelangelo watches those wings fold up like that, fitting in tight against his brother's shell. He blinks and then looks over to find that Dee isn't looking at him anymore, either. Mikey's brows furrow together.

"Oh, right. That makes sense." he says, quietly. Okay, that's a Donnie's Sad reaction. But he's not in 'don't touch me' mode, either.

So Mikey scrambles up a little bit so he can peer over Donnie's shoulder.

"They're real actual bird wings?! Like a hawk?! Or an eagle?! Lemme see! Lemme see!"

It's been so long since Mikey's been around that he startles a bit once his brother begins to clamber over him. But it's then that Mikey can see things more clearly now that he's actually looking.

Donnie's wings a dark brown-black in color, with hints of iridescent purple feathers tucked in here and there, and they open partially again for balance with the smaller turtle moving up. Four long, spindly spikes of bone protrude from the back of that leathery shell, though the second one seems broken off at the tip, and several smaller stubs poke out at the sides. And there's a tail, long and reptilian, with purplish spines sticking out at the base.

It takes some effort to mash down that pesky creature instinct, but it helps that this is Mikey, this is family, so he calms himself again, even as he settles on his claws. Obligingly he spreads his wings, if shyly, but he does have an impressive wingspan if he does say so himself.

The sight of Donnie's shell so changed makes Mikey's brows furrow together. The spikes sticking out of his spine look... kind of creepy, really. Sure, Dee's shell always had the little ridge of them but these look like the bone has grown straight out through it! He blinks when he sees how long of a tail his brother suddenly has, too. It looks like a snake almost?! Donnie definitely didn't have that when he saw him last night!

When those wings spread out for him, though, Mikey's eyes widen. He stares as they widen into an expansive stretch and he's gawping at Donnie before he even realizes it.

"W-Woaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah..." he whispers, before his whole face splits into a wide grin. "That's SO COOL!! Can you actually FLY with those?! For reals?!"

It helps immensely that Mikey's not being weird about it. Donnie starts to smile a little, mostly because he'd missed seeing Mikey's grins. But then he'd missed Mikey, period. Why does it feel like he wants to cry? He'll never understand emotions.

"Yeah," he says, lifting his head. "I think I can go even higher and faster than with my battle shell."

"Wait, really?!" he says, still grinning, "That's awesome! Omigosh, you gotta show me!! Oh uh... maybe when it's not so soggy."

Though that makes him realize something and he blinks at Donnie, rapidly.

"Waiiiiiiiiiit... were you the thing that landed on top of my new van?!"

At that, Donnie looks skywards, perhaps almost wistfully. Something tells Mikey that a little sogginess wouldn't stop him. But then Mikey's not as water-inclined as he is.

"Huh? O-oh." He looks back at Mikey then, smiling sheepishly. "Yeah, that was me," he admits, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry for scaring you. I just... I came down as soon as I saw you."

"Man, bro, you scared the shell right off of me!" he says, but he's smiling as he says it. "Though I guess I gotcha back with the horn..."

Which makes him think of something and he perks up.

"Waitwait you know about car stuff! It won't start! Can you help me figure out how to fix it?! I've got the keys for it!"

Donnie laughs a little. "Yeah, I guess that's true."

He blinks then, looking back at the car. "The... Oh. Oh yeah. I can... I-I can fix things." It seems like he's trying to convince himself. Talking's been helping him get further away from his harpy-mindset, at least.

"What's the problem?"

The little hesitation and stammer from Donnie is concerning. It sends a roll of worry through Mikey and he looks his brother over rapidly. He's never heard Dee hesitate over fixing stuff before!

"Uhm, I dunno!" he says, getting up and then grabbing one of Donnie's hands to tug him up so they can go back to find his new van.

"I was trying to start it and it almost did! But then it shut back off again. I didn't look inside at the engine but I dunno anything about them, anyways, so I don't think I would have seen what it is."

He can still fix things! But sometimes it's just harder to pull away from all the instinctual stuff that hangs on so much tighter when he gives into that urge to just fly.

Mikey's pulling him along then, so Donnie has no choice but to follow anyway, the familiarity of it all making him smile briefly.

"It's not turning over then. Pop the hood and I'll have a look while you try again. The vehicles here, they're not exactly in the greatest of shape half the time when we find them."

Mikey isn't sure why Donnie was hesitating but he keeps it stored away so he can keep an eye on his older brother. There's a lot of differences and he doesn't know how long Dee has been here.

"Okay!" he says, letting Donnie's hand go so he can clamber back into the van and hunt around for the hood release. He pops it open and then digs his new keys for it out, too.

He might maybe kind of be bouncing in the seat and grinning a little bit as he does, too. It's his van and he knows it and it's really exciting!

It'll be weird once it sinks in. After all, the Turtle Tank has always been theirs, even if Donnie alone calls it his baby.

Watching Mikey get back inside the van, he goes around to the front of it, slipping his claws between the hood once it's been released. He props the thing open, conjuring up a light via his mystic-tech. These are Donnie things, fixing broken things is his domain, and that connection helps him pull further from the lingering harpy mind.

"The connection looks a little loose, but I wouldn't be surprised if it needed a new battery too. Well, let me make an adjustment and you can give it another shot," he says, setting to work.

Mikey rolls the window down so he can lean out of it while Donnie's working. It also gives him a chance to peek at the wings and longer tail his brother is sporting now, too. It's shocking to see them. At least they don't seem to hurt his brother any and Donnie sure seemed like he liked the flying part. Which Mikey can't really blame him for. He just watches for a moment or two before he rests his chin on his arms crossed over the open window.

"Would it be hard to find one if it needs it?" he asks, looking out at the area around them. The sprawling fields. The derelict cars. The abandoned buildings. It's... kind of like being in a spooky movie. He gives a shiver at the thought.

"I dunno how or why I know it's my van but... I just do. The keys even got our logo on them! So I don't wanna leave it here, y'know?"

NOVEMBER TDM

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