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sinfucks2024-06-30 09:10 am
synfluxmods) wrote in sinfucks2024-06-30 09:10 am
Entry tags:
TDM #5
TEST DRIVE & SIMULATION #5
▶ 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 to desire your normal life. When you awake, 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 wakens each Outsider. When 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, a set of gray loungewear to wear as LILITH makes the final decision in organizing the Outsider 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, and feed 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 …
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 2278, 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 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 10,000 KRYPTOS (about USD 66), 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.
While there would normally be a meal available for them in the cafeteria, this doesn’t seem to be the case this time. Robots working within the cafeteria will instead be handing out food ration bars to each Outsider. They are dense with calories and nutrition, but taste a bit like sawdust.
That familiar, robotic voice is heard again:
"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 wakens each Outsider. When 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, a set of gray loungewear to wear as LILITH makes the final decision in organizing the Outsider 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, and feed 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:
What is your darkest fear?
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 2278, 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 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 10,000 KRYPTOS (about USD 66), 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.
While there would normally be a meal available for them in the cafeteria, this doesn’t seem to be the case this time. Robots working within the cafeteria will instead be handing out food ration bars to each Outsider. They are dense with calories and nutrition, but taste a bit like sawdust.
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 busy handling a recent issue. Worry not, my children. You are in safe hands."
▶ 002. THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME.
Existing Outsiders will receive a call to report to the data portal within Las Vegas. They’ve done their parts helping to take down the worm kaiju and assisting with the clean up of the city. LILITH’s army of cleaner drones can take the rest from here. It’s been a physically and emotionally draining mission for everyone, and it’s time to head home. The beaming back to Neo Tokyo will go rather smoothly for the most part (and yes, holding someone’s hand through it still helps), but upon arrival, Outsiders might be struck with a splitting headache, nausea and vertigo. They might need an hour or so to recuperate, which they can do in their rooms or the sick bay.
New and fresh Outsiders will be given the task to take care of their seniors as they recuperate. Make sure they have water and food (even if it’s terrible ration bars). Give them a massage, or cheer them up because they’ve had such a difficult mission! It’s a great way to build bonds and get to know your teammates. Ask them what happened in Vegas! They’ll be more than happy to tell you.
New and fresh Outsiders will be given the task to take care of their seniors as they recuperate. Make sure they have water and food (even if it’s terrible ration bars). Give them a massage, or cheer them up because they’ve had such a difficult mission! It’s a great way to build bonds and get to know your teammates. Ask them what happened in Vegas! They’ll be more than happy to tell you.
▶ 003. TOO HOT TO HANDLE.
One thing Outsiders will notice immediately upon stepping foot in the Neo Tokyo base is that it is hot. Did someone forget to turn on the air conditioning? The rest of Neo Tokyo doesn’t seem to be any better. With summer approaching, the city has been hit with a heatwave, and it doesn’t help that the heat is interfering with the city’s power generators. This means that not only is it hot, but notices are popping up within everyone’s implants to be mindful of how much electricity they are using. Blackouts appear to be happening all over the base and the city. Electricity is being rationed, and when residents exceed it, it’s cut off.
This is having a devastating impact on the people of Neo Tokyo. The fact that it’s hot and there isn’t much air conditioning is one thing. Hospitals are also struggling from an influx of patients being admitted due to heat stroke, dehydration and severe sunburns. Fires are breaking out more often in the heat and this is only making things worse.
On top of it all, restaurants and stores have been greatly impacted by the electricity rations. Refrigerators and freezers are not working, so food storage is a problem and fresh ingredients are going bad. Restaurants are desperate to sell off what remains of their stock before it spoils. LILITH has been giving out food ration bars and non-perishable meals (such as canned food) and it’s been keeping the people from starving, but their subpar taste doesn’t seem to help the morale one bit.
While LILITH knows that older Outsiders have just had a difficult mission, there’s no choice but to activate them once again. A mission brief will pop up in everyone’s implants:
While things aren’t looking too great, the Neo Tokyo Meteorological Agency is promising that temperatures will go down when the rainy season comes along. There hasn’t been much rain recently, however …
This is having a devastating impact on the people of Neo Tokyo. The fact that it’s hot and there isn’t much air conditioning is one thing. Hospitals are also struggling from an influx of patients being admitted due to heat stroke, dehydration and severe sunburns. Fires are breaking out more often in the heat and this is only making things worse.
On top of it all, restaurants and stores have been greatly impacted by the electricity rations. Refrigerators and freezers are not working, so food storage is a problem and fresh ingredients are going bad. Restaurants are desperate to sell off what remains of their stock before it spoils. LILITH has been giving out food ration bars and non-perishable meals (such as canned food) and it’s been keeping the people from starving, but their subpar taste doesn’t seem to help the morale one bit.
While LILITH knows that older Outsiders have just had a difficult mission, there’s no choice but to activate them once again. A mission brief will pop up in everyone’s implants:
█ █ █ MISSION OBJECTIVE:
✖Contain heat-wave related fires and conduct rescue operations
✖Assist hospitals to care for the influx of patients while they may not have the power to use their medical equipment
✖Distribute water and food rations to citizens in need
✖Assist restaurants and supermarkets to salvage their food supplies as far as possible
While things aren’t looking too great, the Neo Tokyo Meteorological Agency is promising that temperatures will go down when the rainy season comes along. There hasn’t been much rain recently, however …
▶ 004. WELCOME TO OKINAWA.
After a few days of continued efforts to support the people of Neo Tokyo, things seem to have calmed down. LILITH has fired up some backup generators that are able to power the hospital and essential services, most of the fires have been contained, and the hospital has been able to get its patient load under control. LILITH has stepped in to further support the city, with their drones working hard to hand out supplies and provide medical aid. Restaurants continue to struggle, but nobody is starving, and LILITH is working hard to get the power back in operation.
On July 5th, there is a message from Captain Yamakawa:
Departure is set at 1100hrs, and Outsiders will be provided a water bottle and some sunscreen. Once they step through the data portal, they will be met with soft sand, the hot sun, and clear, beautiful waves - Welcome to Okinawa! Specifically, Outsiders will find themselves in Emerald Beach. While the water is pristine, the first thing Outsiders might notice is that there are unnaturally large coconut crabs all over the shoreline; with the majority of them the size of a large dog, and the largest of them about the size of a car.
Nearby to the beach, there are many abandoned fruit farms (such as watermelon, dragon fruits, mango and pineapples) that may have fresh produce for Outsiders to harvest. With how the rift changes the environment, some of these fruits have grown humongous in size. On top of that, the water appears to be cleaner than that found in Tokyo Bay. There are fish still swimming in it, and while some of these fish appear to have mutated, they do not appear inedible.
This is probably what Captain Yamakawa means by ‘supplies’.
On July 5th, there is a message from Captain Yamakawa:
“My Angels of LILITH. You may be at ease now. Our dedicated staff will take over from here. It’s been a difficult month for us all. To show appreciation for your efforts, we have organized a company trip to allow you the appropriate rest and relaxation. We do ask that you gather some supplies since food is short in Neo Tokyo, but that should be an easy task for our talented workforce. Please report to the data portals for departure at once."
Departure is set at 1100hrs, and Outsiders will be provided a water bottle and some sunscreen. Once they step through the data portal, they will be met with soft sand, the hot sun, and clear, beautiful waves - Welcome to Okinawa! Specifically, Outsiders will find themselves in Emerald Beach. While the water is pristine, the first thing Outsiders might notice is that there are unnaturally large coconut crabs all over the shoreline; with the majority of them the size of a large dog, and the largest of them about the size of a car.
Nearby to the beach, there are many abandoned fruit farms (such as watermelon, dragon fruits, mango and pineapples) that may have fresh produce for Outsiders to harvest. With how the rift changes the environment, some of these fruits have grown humongous in size. On top of that, the water appears to be cleaner than that found in Tokyo Bay. There are fish still swimming in it, and while some of these fish appear to have mutated, they do not appear inedible.
This is probably what Captain Yamakawa means by ‘supplies’.
█ █ █ MONSTER DEBRIEF SHEET
NAME: Coconut Crab
SIZE: 24 inches (size of a large dog) to about 5 meters (size of a car)
CLASS: Mild threat
LOCATION: Shoreline, ocean, forests
ABILITIES: Razor-sharp pincers with formidable gripping force - once it grips on to something, it is difficult to break free. Very hard shell that would take effort to crack.
WEAKNESS: Poor eyesight and hearing. Helpless if you tie them up. Becomes stunned with a knock to the head.
EXTRA NOTES: Apparently very delicious.
█ █ █ MISSION OBJECTIVE:
✖ Hunt and capture coconut crabs. Alive is preferable for the best quality meat.
✖ Harvest fresh fruit
█ █ █ ATTACHED PHOTO:
▶ 005. THIS IS A VACATION WE PROMISE.
“Are they seriously making you guys work on your vacation?! This is why we can’t leave everything up to that stiff-ass commander. This should be our beach episode! Don’t worry, your daddy Seok Dang’s got you. Take a crab, take whatever you want, have a damn barbeque! Lie on the beach until your tan comes in. Get nude! Let’s get this party started!”
(LILITH would highly discourage anyone from actually taking off their clothes.) Following Seok Dang’s message, outsiders will notice a pop-up appearing in their eyes, prompting them to accept an outfit upgrade. If accepted, they will find themselves in beach-appropriate attire (player’s choice) using LILITH’s Style Upgrade technology.
Despite Seok Dang’s bid for a party, Outsiders will have to make their own fun in this abandoned beach. They are free to do as they like, whether it’s having a swim, lying in the sand, playing a game of volleyball with an old ball that happens to be lying around, or cracking open a watermelon to share. He does try to encourage things along by sending a few gifts. Through the data portal, several drones will emerge and drop off portable grills, boomboxes, and alcohol from his private stash. For some reason he’s also unleashed a robot that is insistent on challenging Outsiders to a watermelon slicing competition. It looks like he’s serious about this beach episode …
Outsiders may travel between Okinawa and Neo Tokyo throughout the few days using the data portals. There are no resorts in operation in Okinawa, but should they choose to stay near the beach, they may set up a camp or sleep in an abandoned house or hotel.
▶ 006. AFTERWORD.
Welcome to our fifth TDM! All TDM threads are game canon; characters who don't app will be glitched out of this world. As TDM will act as the event, existing characters are heavily encouraged to participate. We encourage this format for top levels: CHARACTER | CANON | CURRENT / NEW CHARACTER. '
There are currently 13 available player slots. New players are welcome to use this TDM to get samples for when APPLICATIONS open.
None of the prompts suit your fancy? Feel free to check out our main base and locations page and make up your own prompts! (Note that Las Vegas is currently being rebuilt and will be made available to visit sometime next month.)
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.
For oldbies: for a job well done after the last kaiju mission, 250,000,000 KRYPTOS (~1700 USD) will be deposited into everyone's account. And to our kaiju MVPs: we haven't forgotten you! Those characters will get their due recognition next event. :)
Please note that all tags in this log will count for 2 reward points each and will count towards July AC.
There are currently 13 available player slots. New players are welcome to use this TDM to get samples for when APPLICATIONS open.
None of the prompts suit your fancy? Feel free to check out our main base and locations page and make up your own prompts! (Note that Las Vegas is currently being rebuilt and will be made available to visit sometime next month.)
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.
For oldbies: for a job well done after the last kaiju mission, 250,000,000 KRYPTOS (~1700 USD) will be deposited into everyone's account. And to our kaiju MVPs: we haven't forgotten you! Those characters will get their due recognition next event. :)
Please note that all tags in this log will count for 2 reward points each and will count towards July AC.
TDM #5 BREAKDOWN/RECAP (CLICK TO EXPAND)
1. ARRIVAL PROMPT: Newcomers arrive with ocular and brain implants and told a breakdown of the premise with an icebreaker orientation to fill out. Their first cafeteria meal is food ration bars. Newcomers are placed in gray loungewear while they are being sorted into teams.
2. THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Senior Outsiders return from Las Vegas via the data portal and will experience side effects such as dizziness, nausea and headaches. Newer Outsiders are tasked with taking care of their senpai.
3. TOO HOT TO HANDLE: There is a heatwave and that's messed up the power grid, leading to a city-wide electricity ration. Hospitals are struggling, fires are breaking out and black outs are happening all over the city. Restaurants are struggling to store their food so there there is a shortage of fresh food. Outsiders are tasked with assisting the hospitals, containing any fires, distributing rations to citizens and assisting restaurants to salvage their supplies.
4. WELCOME TO OKINAWA: With the chaos in the city now under control, LILITH has sent all Outsiders on a vacation to a beach in Okinawa. The caveat is that they will need to gather food supplies. These supplies come in the form of a coconut crab kaiju, fresh fruit and fish.
5. THIS IS A VACATION WE PROMISE: Seok Dang is eager to get this beach party starter. He's updated the implants, allowing all Outsiders to swap into beach-appropriate attire using LILITH's Style Upgrade technology. He's airdropped portable grills, music players and alcohol for Outsiders to enjoy. There is also a robot challenging people to watermelon slicing competitions. Outsiders can do whatever they want to relax at the beach.
004. wildcard baby
He'd confessed as much to Ratio when he'd spied that the other man had arrived, laying side by side on a beach recliner and sipping some of the offered alcohol. He'd grown up in the desert, after all, and while he's certain he wouldn't drown should he try -- his luck, after all, keeps him alive -- there never had been a chance or a need to learn how. What use does a slave have for swimming? What use does an IPC grunt attempting to claw his way up the ladder to a position he's desperate for have for relaxing at a beach? What use does Aventurine of Stratagems have for keeping his head above the water when he thrives so well with the threat of drowning?
So. He doesn't know how to swim.
Which is why he's currently in the water, barely waist height, with what Ratio has described as floaties on his arms -- plastic filled with air, decorated with little rubber ducks in an amusing pattern. But he is ready for his lesson, and he grins at the other man. )
Alright doc, what next?
no subject
The grin on his face—he's seen many on the gambler's face, almost always fake, concealing his true intentions behind a facade of friendliness, but this one, he knows to be true. And his eyes, though still lacking the shine he wishes he could revive in them one day—they glimmer with excitement at the idea of spending time with him, both free of the burdens and expectations placed on them by their circumstances, station and everything in between.
He would love to burn this image of his lover into his mind forever, free and joyful, but he settles for the next best thing: a hand reaches up behind his ear and he takes a picture instead. Several of them, just for good measure, and then he switches on video recording. He can pull more pictures from the video later.
With a fond smile on his face, he enters the water to stand beside Aventurine. ]
First, we must adjust you to being in water without the ground to support you. You must be able to tread water before we proceed any further. Come.
[ Gently, he grasps Aventurine's hand and pulls him deeper into the ocean. ]
If at any point you begin to feel uncomfortable, inform me immediately. But be assured; I will not leave you alone.
no subject
Reasons to keep himself afloat.
His fingers curl around Ratio's, grip firm but not tight as he feels the water rise up against his chest and, after that, floor of the ocean recede from beneath his bare feet as his floaties attempt to keep him on the surface. He can keep himself up on his toes, but the waves pick him up off completely until setting him down again. Huh. )
You never have, doc. ( He splashes the water with the hand that isn't holding Ratio's, sending some at the other man to tease him. ) Just out of curiosity, how long does it take for someone to learn how to swim, on average?
no subject
He tried his best to give Aventurine a reason to stay afloat in the sea of Nihility, and now, he's teaching Aventurine how to stay afloat in the ocean.
He blinks rapidly as Aventurine flicks water at him and frowns, but doesn't reprimand him. It's more important that his lover feels comfortable in the water. ]
That depends on the level of proficiency you'd like to be at. To simply float in the water? That can be accomplished in a day. To tread water, a little longer. To swim laps for an hour? A few months at minimum.
[ They stop at this point. Ratio keeps a firm grip on the Aventurine's hands. ]
For now, adjust yourself to the sensation of the water moving around you. You may lift your legs and allow the water to carry you. We will remove those flotation devices [ the floaties around his arms ] once you feel confident in the water.
no subject
( Only Ratio would insist on calling them flotation devices. Aventurine grins, however. )
What, not fond of them? I got the ones with the ducks just for you, Doc.
( But he does lift his feet up here and there, allowing the water to lift him up in the waves before setting him down again. It's soothing, though perhaps more soothing is the fact that he has flotation devices and Ratio's hand to hold. )
no subject
[ Ratio only shakes his head with exasperated fondness as Aventurine admits the reason for the duck theme. ]
They are not conductive to learning how to swim, that is all.
[ They are incredibly cute on Aventurine though, he won't deny that. And in the water, soothing waves lapping around them, the sun bright in the sky and his lover slowly getting used to the shifting currents, Ratio feels... happy. Truly happy. That he gets to experience something so peaceful and leisurely with Aventurine.
For a moment, he can pretend the two of them are ordinary people in an ordinary world, simply having fun because they are on vacation and nothing more. That they aren't a celebrity scholar and a high-ranking executive with the weight of the cosmos and a megacorporation on their shoulders. That they aren't trapped on a dying world, separated from everything they know, and forced to fight against monstrous creatures. That he is just Veritas Ratio, and his lover is just Kakavasha, and they are here, together, because nothing else matters. ]
no subject
( He laughs, hair damp around the ends as he bobs in the water. It’s nice to be like this. As if they don’t have anything else on their minds but the simple act of teaching someone to swim. The whys and hows of how they got here is unimportant, just that they’re here now. Aventurine does take the quiet moment to appreciate it, to appreciate how Ratio looks in the water, and how he looks when Aventurine does attempt not only to splash him, but shove him under the surface.
All’s fair in love and war, after all. )
no subject
[ He would never let Aventurine drown, both in the literal sense and the metaphorical sense. If the other man were ever to feel overwhelmed by—anything, really, Ratio would always have his arms open to catch him. Not only is he an anchor, he is also a lifeline for the gambler. Chip he can always bet on to fall in his favour. An addition to his goddess-blessed luck.
His reverie is ruined when Aventurine splashes him, and he splutters in surprise, only for the other man to attempt to shove him underwater. Fortunately, the water makes it far easier to keep his balance, as he was already bracing himself against the waves, and he stays put, catching Aventurine's wrists to stop him. ]
Gambler.
[ It's a warning, and then he lets go.... only to make a powerful sweeping motion with his arms to send a huge wave of water at the other.
All is indeed fair in love and war. ]