▶ 008. TEST DRIVE #8

[synfluxmods]

TEST DRIVE #8

CONTENT WARNINGS: partial nudity, general violence, medical procedures

▶ 001. ARRIVAL / CAFETERIA.

It happens in the blink of an eye, a dash of time – you're taken from where you were. What you were doing... it isn't important anymore, and slowly, you give up the desire of your normal life. When you awaken, figures are looking down on you from a surgical table.

"Yeah, this one will do; let's take them to the rest." That's all you see before losing consciousness again, only to wake up in a pod with many others.

"Your questions will be answered soon enough, as I'm sure you will have many," a female, robotic voice says.

Just then, your pod opens in a dim corridor with many others. Your new life is about to begin... whether you like it or not.

The pods drain their stasis fluid which wakes each Outsider. Outsiders emerge from their pod in only their undergarments which have been supplied to them, and head to a locker room in the medical bay to find a towel to dry off with and a set of gray loungewear to wear as LILITH makes the final decision in assigning the Outsiders to their rightful teams. If a character has any accessibility needs, they will be found here. It's about then they will feel a sharp pain at the back of their eyes, almost like there’s a foreign body lodged on the inside of their head. This pain will subside quickly as their body adapts to the changes, but there will always be a sensation of something being not quite right; that their bodies have been changed forever. They would be correct in thinking that. In the pod, all Outsiders have been surgically fitted with ocular and brain implants that will enable them to communicate with LILITH and the rest of the crew, as well as providing them the information they require. Almost like a computer screen has been loaded into their brains, they will see a loading screen as the implant completes its download. A questionnaire will then pop up, waiting for their answer. A voice, robotic and feminine, will also read along in their brain for them.

█ █ █ LOADING COMPLETE … BEGIN ORIENTATION …

Name:
Username:
Civilian Identity:
Age:
Species:
Origin:
Blood Type:

What are your new year’s resolutions?

<raw code><table width="80%"><br><div align="center"><img src="IMAGE_URL" style="width: 200px; border-radius: 15px; border: 1px solid #7F7F7F; box-shadow: #8D8D8D 1px 1px 1px;"> <!-- CARD --> <div style="width:230px;padding:20px 0 0;border:1px solid #f2f2f2;display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;justify-content:center;align-items:right;gap:5px;background:#fff;"> <!-- CHAR INFO: start --> <div style="width:150px;font-family:courier;font-weight:bold;font-size: clamp(14px, 1vw, 10px);letter-spacing:1px;line-height:1;color:#000;"></lj-raw><font color="#00686E">NAME</font> <lj-raw></div> <!-- CHAR INFO: end --> <!-- COLLAPSIBLE START --> <div style="width:230px;background:#eee;"><details><summary style="cursor:pointer;text-align:center;font-family:arial, sans serif;font-weight:bold;text-align:left;display:flex;justify-content:center;align-items:center;background:#ccc;color:#000;">+</summary> <!-- COLLAPSIBLE: content --> <div style="width:190px;margin:0 auto;padding:7px 0;font-family:arial, sans serif;font-size:11px;text-align:left;color:#000;"> </lj-raw><b>Username:</b> !!ANSWER HERE!! <br> <b>Civilian Identity:</b> !!ANSWER HERE OR SAY UNDECIDED!! <br> <b>Age:</b> !!AGE HERE!! <br> <b>Species:</b> !!SPECIES HERE!! <br> <b>Origin:</b> !!ORIGIN HERE!! <br></br> <b>Blood Type:</b> !!BLOOD TYPE HERE!! <br></br> <b>What are your new year’s resolutions?</b></br> </br>!! ANSWER HERE !!<lj-raw> </div></details></div> <!-- COLLAPSIBLE: content end --> <!-- COLLAPSIBLE END --> </div></div> <!-- CARD name: END --> <!-- CREDIT --> <div style="width:100%;margin-top:-15px;font-size:10px;color:#ddd; text-align:center;"><a title="code credit!" href="http://10billionghosts.dreamwidth.org" style="text-decoration:none;color:#ddd;">credit</a></div></center></table></raw code>

The system will give Outsiders one chance to provide a truthful answer and choose their username and civilian identity. Should they refuse to cooperate, the implant will download the answer directly from their brain (and give them a username or civilian name against their will). This questionnaire will then be posted on the network for all to view and reply to. Almost like an ice-breaker, if you will. LILITH wants all their newest recruits to learn about each other!

Outsiders will receive a quick brief about their situation: they will be told that the year is 2279 and they have been taken to Neo Tokyo, one of the last bastions of mankind in a world terrorized by various Kaiju and monsters. Only a third of the population remains, and LILITH has gathered talented people from other dimensions here as a last ditch effort to save humanity. Outsiders are free to continue asking LILITH questions through their implant, but there’s no guarantee that they will provide them with a straight answer …

Outsiders will also notice an implant in their dominant wrist. This implant has a barcode in it that will enable them to purchase goods from the local stores in Neo Tokyo. They will receive a starting balance of 15,000 KRYPTOS (about USD 100), which is barely enough for a few good meals, groceries, and supplies. They can view their current balance through a hologram window projected by their ocular implant.

The cafeteria will be hosting its own version of a feast to ring in the new years. The robots on base will be offering a savory mochi soup with both lab-made and fresh vegetables procured from Transylvania. There will also be a self-serve bar of soba noodles with a simple broth. These are all accompanied by vegetables which have been prepared in various ways to last throughout the month, and act as side dishes to every meal. As the vegetables are a work in progress, some will look or taste peculiarly, or have a bitterness that remains on the tongue.

Additionally, an impressive bronze cauldron now sits proudly in the corner of the cafeteria, marked by a small sign reading "LILITH's Community Perpetual Stew."

True to its name, the stew is now a constant presence, and after every mission, the cauldron’s contents are conspicuously replenished, ensuring it's always filled to the brim for all to enjoy. What the stew evolves into over time is anyone's guess, but for now, it boasts a hearty medley of Transylvania's freshest meats and vegetables, seasoned to perfection.

Visitors and team members alike are encouraged to contribute their own ingredients, with one rule in place: the robot staff, ever vigilant, are programmed to detect any malicious tampering. Should anyone attempt to add something harmful, they will be politely but firmly asked to leave the premises.

That familiar robotic voice is heard again:

"Greetings, my name is SYNTHIA and I will be taking care of you today while the rest of the crew is occupied. Worry not, my children. You are in safe hands."

▶ 002. HAPPY NEW YEAR.

While normally the shrines tucked away within the bustle of the city are quiet and exude a certain tranquility about them, they will be brought to life with celebration for the New Years. Similarly to years before, they will have street vendors offering all the traditional classics, but some will also have a spin to them. For the year of the sheep/ram, there will be fluffy cotton candy to represent the fuwa fuwa of sheep, onigiri in the shape of a ram, and hearty lamb curry.

The temples themselves will have several offerings, but the biggest event is always the bell chiming in for the new years, as well as the celebration for the first sunrise of the year. In light of this, many vendors will be passing out sake, as well as energy drinks. Regardless of the timing, the area for one to purchase their fortunes will be made available. For those who get an awful one, thankfully, there is no shortage of people who are queued up in order to hang up their bad fortunes in order to cast them aside for the coming year.

Outside of this, there will also be corners in which people can write their new years greetings out to their loved ones. Both digitally, or in the form of a physical postcard. People are encouraged to decorate and send their own, and they may or may not be pressured to do so if they so happen to catch the eye of enthusiastic locals. Those who find themselves trapped into this, will find themselves compelled to be honest as soon as their pen hits paper, or for those who opt on a digital card, their true thoughts will be conveyed instantaneously.

The shrines and vendors outside of them aren’t the only ones getting into the spirit of things. The shopping districts are also banking on the continuation of the holidays. As with every year, they will have special sales, and every store will put out their “lucky bags.” The lucky bags will often be sold at discounted prices, but there is no telling what the actual items in them will be. Perhaps, you can test your luck and make a profit while you’re at it?

▶ 003. NEW YEAR MERCENARIES.

Amid all of the public celebrations, local businesses and organizations throw New Year parties for their employees and members. Many of these parties take place at luxury high rise hotels or award winning restaurants in the city. These celebrations are easy to plan, safe within the city limits.

However, there are some groups that won't settle for just safe and easy. No, they have to show off their wealth and influence by going on luxury trips outside the city to the traditional inn on the outskirts of the city. The journey outside the city is risky– there is a high chance their entourage may be attacked by kaiju on the way to the inn and when they arrive, their activity will surely draw attention from even more kaiju. Still, that doesn't stop them from setting out and reveling in celebrations.

These figures will hire mercenaries to escort them into the mountains and keep them safe through the duration of their stay. Most of them are wealthy CEOs and politicians who may or may not have certain shadowy connections so they can afford to pay for protection. They promise high commissions and even offer to pay for a shared room and meals.

Sure, they have to share a room and they might not get the same high quality meals and drinks as the main party but it's not so bad, right? They're free to use the hot springs after everyone else is finished, too. All they have to do in return is spend some time out in the freezing cold and keep kaiju away so everyone else can have a good time.

Just remind yourself: You're doing it for the money!

▶ 004. A DEADLY SOAK.

A few days into the new year, people living outside the Neo Tokyo metropolitan area have been having a hard time due to the recent appearance of medium-sized kaiju. No one knows where they had come from, but there’s reason to believe that a small rift has emerged somewhere and it’s mutating the local wildlife. One popular, family-run business that is going through some hard times is the Yuryo onsen, in Hakone, an outer suburb of Neo Tokyo. Seasoned Outsiders might be very familiar with this onsen resort already, as it’s one of the last surviving ones outside Metropolitan Tokyo and hosts a huge colony of feral cats.

Drawn in by the comfort of a warm bath in the cold winter, a troop of mutated macaques have made said onsen resort their home, and they have made it impossible for any customers to visit. These monkeys vary in size depending on rift exposure, with some of them as large as a lion, and others as large as an elephant. Business for the local onsen has been impossible with the macaques occupying the hot springs, stealing food and harassing guests. Though appearing docile as they sit and bathe in the springs, these macaques have become fiercely territorial following the rift’s influence. When they identify a threat, they will let out a piercing scream that’s enough to make ears bleed. Their claws and teeth are sharp, and primates are known to be brutal when tearing apart their enemies. It’s a situation that needs to be contained immediately if people are going to continue living in the outer suburbs.

The macaques aren’t the only wildlife that have been affected by rift. Pockets of Yama-Kujira have been seen roaming the forests and abandoned small towns. While a large portion of the outer suburbs are uninhabited, there continue to be some stragglers toughing it out in the abandoned houses. They all have their own reasons for choosing not to live in the armored city but they will need to be protected all the same. The Yama-Kujira are blind but vicious, making up for their lack of eyesight by charging into anything and everything. Refer to our bestiary or previous TDM for more information about this boar kaiju.

With the increased reports of mutating local wildlife, LILITH has requested that Outsiders also round up the colony of feral cats that normally roam the onsen. If a pride of mutated felines were to emerge in the outer suburbs, the results would simply be disastrous … These cats, fearful of the kaiju, will be skittish and very, very difficult to catch.


█ █ █ MONSTER DEBRIEF SHEET
NAME: Nihonzaru
HEIGHT: 2-10 meters
WEIGHT: 20-200kg
CLASS: Moderate threat
LOCATION: Tokyo, Japan
ABILITIES: A piercing scream that can cause ringing in the ears, temporary deafness and bleeding from the ear canal with frequent exposure. Razor sharp claws and teeth. Considerable strength and muscle. Highly intelligent, capable of using basic tactical strategies, using tools (please do not leave your weapon unattended), capitalizing on weaknesses (please do not leave your children unattended) and reading the movements of their enemies. Family orientated and attacks in groups.
WEAKNESS: With how intelligent they are, they might not find a battle worth fighting if they are at a clear disadvantage or there are benefits to being passive. This means they can be bribed to a degree. It also means they will run away if outnumbered. Their skin is not particularly dense and they are weak to being stabbed in their vital organs.
EXTRA NOTES: Juveniles are playful, mischievous and can build bonds with humans, mistaking the humans as their family. Some of the adults can also build bonds with enough bribery.

█ █ █ MISSION OBJECTIVE:
✖ Incapacitate and capture the Nihonzaru and Yama-Kujira and bring them back to base. Large cages will be provided for this purpose.
✖ Kill the kaiju if necessary, especially if they are threatening the people in the area.
✖ Capture the feral cats and bring them back to base.
✖ Following the return to base, these cats will require care. As LILITH does not have the resources for this, the ban on pets on base will be lifted and Outsiders will be encouraged to care for the cats.

█ █ █ ATTACHED PHOTO:

▶ 005. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our 8th TDM! All TDM threads are game canon and characters who don't app will be glitched out of this world. As the TDM will act as the event, existing characters are heavily encouraged to participate. Please use this format for top levels: CHARACTER | CANON | CURRENT / NEW CHARACTER.

There are currently 9 available player slots. New players are welcome to use this TDM to get samples for when APPLICATIONS open.

Use the code provided in the ARRIVAL prompt if you'd like to participate in the ice breaker, and place it in your top level along with your other prompts. Anything such as civilian name or username can be marked as UNDECIDED if you're unsure of what you'd like your character to have for now. Though it says 'Orientation', existing characters can still participate in the ice-breaker.

Please note that all tags in this log will count for 2 reward points each and will count towards January AC.

TDM #8 BREAKDOWN/RECAP (CLICK TO EXPAND)

1. ARRIVAL PROMPT: Newcomers arrive with ocular and brain implants, and are given a breakdown of the premise with an icebreaker orientation to complete.
2. HAPPY NEW YEAR: Outsiders are welcome to visit local temples for New Year's activities, which include drawing fortune slips and writing down their wishes for the new year. Many sheep-themed goods and foods are also on sale to welcome the Year of the Sheep.
3. NEW YEAR MERCENARIES: High-profile businessman and politicians are hiring bodyguards and protective mercenaries to keep them safe as they enjoy new year's travel and celebrations. In return for being out in the cold and fighting smaller kaiju during the holidays, they offer high monetary compensation.
4. A DEADLY SOAK: Monkey and boar kaiju are attacking the outer suburbs of Tokyo, including a popular onsen spot. Capture/kill the kaiju and protect the people living there. Round up the feral cats to prevent them from rift exposure.
.

code

Comments

vash the stampede ( trigun: stampede / current )

[photosympathies]

a. network

Vash the Stampede

+

Username: typhoon
Civilian Identity: Eriks Stryfe
Age: 150 (ish)
Species: Plant
Origin: Space / No Man's Land

Blood Type: Red

What are your new year’s resolutions? To make up for my mistakes.

credit

( Ow, ouch. Way to call him on that, LILITH. Time to decompartmentalise. )

un: typhoon
ok, so what's a normal new year's resolution?
or, oh!!! the best ones you can come up with! the fun ones!

b. happy new year

( He's had his future told before. Usually it's by wizened older women who read his palm and tell him disaster is afoot. Sometimes - the kinder ones, or the ones looking for more double-dollars to cross their table - will tell him he's destined for great things, bright romance, heroics, but usually it's something he has to laugh off. That doesn't deter him here though. Because this is a new way, this has potential, and he hands over the kryptos buzzing with strange delight and eagerness.

His fortune! Here he goes.

Ah. )

Mine just says 'oh no'. ( A gulp both visible and audible. ) Is that bad? That's probably bad, right?

( He pauses, squinting down at it, and then the laughter comes. Bright and uncontrolled, peals of it. ) You know what? That's fine. I'd be more worried if it said anything else. I'm used to that. Hasn't killed me off yet.

( But he curls his fingers around it carefully anyway, just in case. )

c. a deadly soak

( On his belly over the damp onsen path lays Vash the Stampede. He's visible only because of his red coat, blue metal fingertips stretched out from him. He looks almost like he's collapsed there, but then those fingertips move, tap light across stone. Across from him comes the peering of green eyes, the swish of a tail, Vash making a small ps-ps with his lips. )

Here kitty.

( Listen.

Listen.

Cats are a weakness. He loves them. He wants to be their friend so badly. He is just unfortunately very prone to clumsiness. Cats do not like that. )

I'll share a donut. Come on. It'll be nicer on base.

d. wildcard

( Hit me up with whatever! I'm at qingya or discord: sadgaydna if you want to do some plotting beforehand! )

@topknot

[lifeprice]

I don't think anything here would classify as "normal", but traditional ones are things like losing weight, going to the gym, cutting back on vices. That kind of thing.

[photosympathies]

oh.
ew.
are we not allowed to have fun in the new year???

[lifeprice]

People think of the new year as a fresh start. You can have fun if you want to.

b

[intertwinedfates]

"Oh no"? That's--

[Totally unfair?? Ridiculous in its overt terribleness? More than a little concerning? All of the above?!

Yato pats his friend on the back in what he hopes is a reassuring manner, glancing at the little slip containing those two simple words. If anybody deserved better, it's Vash.

It actually kinda pisses him off that he didn't get something more positive; while he may be laughing now, he's got the feeling that Vash might take it a little too much to heart...]

I vote we purify it in fire.

[photosympathies]

( If a God of Fortune is getting all worked up about it then maybe Vash should be a little bit more concerned. He peeks at Yato out of the corner of his eye, mouth twitching at the corner. )

I mean, it makes sense, right? The amount of times a day I mutter the words, maybe the universe is listening to me.

( Fiddling with the slip. )

Are you going to get one? Maybe you'll have more luck!

[intertwinedfates]

[Don't worry, Vash, this is the same guy who thinks his own inability to get work and keep his money will be solved by spending said money on good luck charms. Not the most reliable source of information, honestly.]

Heh, could be that it's just echoing you, I guess. That wouldn't be so bad, then.

[He pulls out his own, showing it off.]

Nah, mine's "great curse" so I think I'm well and truly screwed. Though the actual fortunes aren't bad somehow...? Still vote we both burn 'em.

un: ʜᴜɴᴛᴇʀ.

[cosmarchy]

Isn't the one you wrote down a normal resolution already?

[photosympathies]

i mean, i guess so? but that's maybe a bigger task than being here can get me so i want to add more. fun ones.

a deadly soak

[cranekin]

(He sees Vash lying on the ground like a bright puddle and he comes over to investigate. He appears quickly, almost suddenly, and the cat hisses when Tsurumaru crouches down next to Vash, )

So this is what you're up to... or down for.

[photosympathies]

Tsurumaru!

( Whispered, but no less bright a greeting than usual, though Vash still stays on his belly as low as he can. )

Hi. Sorry, am I in your way? I'm trying to lure my new friend over.

@rasgulla

[peoplewatch]

This is why you need to answer their questions quick enough they can't fill them up for you.

[photosympathies]

they keep putting me on the spot!!! i'm only quick thinking if someone's actively shooting at me!!!
┗|｀O′|┛

@knight of passion

[laidtocrest]

I usually try to come up with something that there's no way of happening and nobody would expect it of me cause it makes failing at any other resolutions a lot easier

[Don't be him.]

[photosympathies]

oh.
i don't think you actually have to make them if you don't want to, sylvain.
so then you wouldn't even have to put yourself through it, u know?

a deadly soak

[newphew]

[ hunter catches sight of vash being.... vash, and well, he looks relieved!! initially, that is. no doubt the kid is happy to see him. ]

[ but the look disappears quickly as he notices what vash is doing, and the relieved, happy expression.... turns to grumpiness and exasperation ]

What are you doing.

[ did you miss him, vash?? ]

Cats can't eat things like that. They'll get sick. Probably. [ he doesn't actually know for sure.... shhh... ] You have to lure them with fish or something.

[ that being said, one of the cats he's trying to attract.... perks up a little. probably because it smells flapjack. wuh woh ]

[photosympathies]

( Vash's head whips up so fast he almost gives himself concussion, confusion turning to rampant delight behind his glasses. Immediately he's scrambling to his feet, all clumsy grace and awkward limbs, moving just to throw his arms around the boy in an instinctive, eager clutch. )

Hunter!

( Cats momentarily forgotten in favour of this, genuine relief. )

You're here! I thought I'd never see you again. ( Both hands on the kid's shoulders, putting only space enough to examine him for injuries, blue eyes shifting quickly behind orange glass. ) How are you? Are you okay? Did anyone hurt you?

@poolnoodle

[hydro]

A normal one?
Well... my mom always resolves to go on a diet, but it never really lasts.

[photosympathies]

oh.
i guess i could eat less donuts. hiyori did say six was too many to have at once.

@clown prince

[uncourteous]

Do you truly believe there is anything remotely fun about yet another year coming to pass? You certainly do have a way of being optimistic. [ is he joking or serious? yes. ] If you're looking for a suggestion...

The dealers in Vegas seemed to know a lot about that.

[ including the [redacted]... in reality he's just kidding. ]

[photosympathies]

sure i do.
it's another year we've survived, right?

( ... )

hey!!!
i told you i don't have a problem with that.
... i don't think, anyway.

@Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight

[blastedass]

[first...]

you're doing that every day, undercut.

[but he'll let him off the topic if he wants afterwards.]

is getting the fuck out of here "fun"?

[photosympathies]

i don't think making myself sick on donuts is very much the path to atonement, bakugo! but sure, okay.

here as in neo tokyo? or the world in general?

d. wildcard ~ take your pick!

[blastedass]

[With so much going on outside, from the festivals and stalls to the shrines in full swing to the fucking COLD WEATHER icing over the roads and dusting shit with snow, Bakugo's stolen off to Vash's room for their own little new year's resolution. Or in this case, lessons. He didn't gift the gunman those two cooking appliances for decoration; they're to be used. Considering how happy Vash was to have a home-cooked meal, and his joy for helping others, Bakugo wants him be able to share that with himself and visitors. Learn to cook and he can have homestyle food for himself and whoever else.

A quick rap of his knuckles against the door lets the other man know he's here to-

1) -go with Vash out to the store and buy the promised necessities for his new skill. (We're talking some common kitchen utensils and tools.)

2) -if they already did the former, Bakugo intends to teach him a simple recipe to break in some of the new items and get him going on the little portable grill, as well as show him how to use the rice cooker.]

it's store time if only because i think it will be really funny, they might need a toddler leash

[photosympathies]

( Not that Vash has been waiting on the other side of the door like an absolute creep, but it swings open a little too quickly, the gunslinger's smile bright. )

Bakugo!

( The delight of hanging out clearly refuses to dim even if they do it more often, he's glad to have made a friend in the wake of Wolfwood's absense, and their interactions feel both positive and productive. So of course he's immediately slipping from his room and taking several steps out before he remembers he's still wearing a blanket over his coat. ) Ahahaa, oops, hang on.

( It gets tugged from his shoulders, spinning on his heel to go and deposit it back inside. ) Sorry, sorry. Hi. It's cold still. How are you?