TRAVEL LOG #1

[synfluxmods]

TRAVEL LOG #1

CONTENT WARNINGS: potential mentions of drugs, suspected mind-control, alcohol, and gambling, gore.

▶ 001. A RUDE AWAKENING.

On the morning of the 15th, the Outsiders will hear an alarm sound in the early hours. No matter what you’re doing, the alarm will not stop sounding, and it’s because they’re playing directly into your oculars. If one is sleeping, they may even be roused by the spark of colors on their oculars dictating an emergency. After a few minutes of this, the following message will appear:

PLEASE REPORT TO THE DATAPORTAL AT THE TOKYO BRANCH AND BE PREPARED FOR DEPARTURE.

"Captain Yamakawa speaking. You’ve done a great job in testing the data portals. Now that we are able to travel, we were sent a call for help in another city due to lack of personnel and resources abroad. You will be looking for evidence of a new kaiju around the rendezvous point. It may be a difficult journey, so prepare yourself. SYNTHIA will still be online to help you make it to the city. Report to the POD CHAMBER where we have installed an international dataportal and prepare for transportation."

Following the success of the dataportal testing, the engineering department was able to fine tune its abilities and widen the reach of the portals. The portals can connect even abroad now!

Despite their best efforts, however, they cannot guarantee that the same symptoms won’t appear, and ask all Outsiders who are utilizing them to practice caution. Additionally, through all their testing, they found that people who hold hands or make contact with others as they pass through will be hit with less issues.

▶ 002. WELCOME TO LAS VEGAS.

When one passes through the data portal, they will see the refuge city of Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Similar to Neo Tokyo, it is also rich in life and known as the city that never sleeps. Incidentally, it is also famously noted as a place of endless vice. The city is built up around a strip of land of roughly 4.2 miles. A vast majority of the city was built up over the wreckage of the old, and some fixtures were simply made new with whatever was left preexisting. The Mojave Desert has expanded towards surrounding cities, though it will take a vehicle to get there in a timely manner.

The city has no shortage of hotels and with each hotel, a casino. While Outsiders here are on a mission, there’s no stating they couldn’t participate in the fun of Vegas while LILITH crew begin their investigation. While some hotels will be clearly abandoned or less traversed, there is no end to all card tables and slot machines, all asking for your KRYPTOS.

The hotel the Outsiders are slotted to stay over the course of the next few days is one where they built directly over the hotels of the old. While it offers a decent place to sleep, it’s not without a refurbished pirate themed bed, or the columns of what appears to have been from Caesars Palace. Is that a giant clown face staring at you in the room? Don’t worry about it. The hotel offers that this is the best place to depart into the desert from. For this mission, Outsiders may bunk up with whoever they would like, and each hotel provides two queen sized beds.

Excited to venture out into the city? Even under the threat of kaiju, the city doesn’t sleep. Outsiders may venture through the Las Vegas Strip and treat themselves to a fun night of drinking, gambling, shopping, partying and circle-style performances. The Grand Canal Shoppes, a Venetian-inspired high end mall, boasts a man-made canal with gondola rides for a fee, along with many retail outlets and restaurants. There are also numerous spas and carnival-style rides to enjoy. Las Vegas was once known as the ‘Marriage Capital of the World’, and in a world besieged by kaiju, the people don’t seem to think they have anything to lose. Outsiders may spot a few bride and grooms-to-be partying in the street.

(LILITH does not have a stance on whether or not Outsiders are permitted to get hitched as long as it does not affect their performance. )

▶ 003. TROUBLE BREWING.

It’s normal for fights to break out with so much alcohol being passed around, but something … isn’t quite right with some of the locals here. Outsiders who keep an eye open might notice people acting erratically, and not just from being intoxicated. There are people ready to pick a fight from just being looked at, people falling into despondent sadness and lethargy, people wandering mindlessly and people becoming distressed from seeing things that aren’t there. Ask the locals and they will tell you these cases seem to be popping up more often the past week.

The most concerning of all are the stories of people disappearing completely. One little girl will tell you she cried as she saw her mother mindlessly walk into the desert, as if called by a voice no one else can hear. There are many other accounts of this happening. In fact, all the people acting erratically seem to disappear within a few days …

Outsiders may interact with civilians who are acting erratic and aggressive, but asking questions they may receive answers that do not make sense, are perverse and inappropriate or may trigger aggression. Any Outsider to gets into a fight and is severely injured may report to a local hospital here and will find they are pretty packed with other civilians acting strange, hurting each other and themselves. Certainly, this was the main cause for concern that got LILITH's attention anyway.

▶ 004. FOUR FOR THE ROAD.

Within a day or two, the Outsiders will once again be called to action by a blaring notice in their implant.

YOUR VEHICLES ARE PREPARED. ASSEMBLE OUTSIDE THE CITY IMMEDIATELY.

When they gather at the location provided to them, they will find a fleet of armored campervans waiting for them. Each campervan comes equipped with beds, a kitchenette, and bathroom facilities, and will fit about 4 people. Within the campervans, they will find desert-appropriate attire designed to protect them from the scorching sun. These campervans also come with some basic artillery such as a mounted machine gun. There are also supplies in the form of water bottles and MRE ration packs.

Those who have driven large vehicles in the past are encouraged to take the driver’s seat. If the group does not have any driving experience, they will be given a crash course on driving recorded by the man himself, Seok Dang. (He probably shouldn’t be doing this with the stunts he’s pulled, but the Commander does not have any time to be teaching anyone driving, and Seok Dang volunteered so eagerly…)

"Listen. If you’ve ever handled a ▄▄ before, the joystick is exactly like that. You gotta tug it, but not too hard. Gently, yeah, like that, that’s the path to ecstasy … "

If it eases anyone’s worries, the campervans are armored and highly shock resistant, so they should withstand a crash or two.

(Those who finish his course and successfully drive 100km while supervised will receive an international driving license.)

▶ 005. THE HUNT IS ON.

With everyone settled into their campervan, the large scale road trip begins. LILITH has a general idea of where the biggest energy signal is located for the rift and they will feed the coordinates to the Outsiders. The journey will take about a few days into (and around as LILITH is searching for both people & the source of the rift energy) the Mojave Desert, and Outsiders will be permitted occasional rest stops to give drivers a break and to investigate the terrain. The terrain itself is a harsh desert, with cacti and small local fauna abundant. (Those not wanting to eat ration packs can take this time to hunt the local fauna such as birds, lizards and desert foxes.) While there is nothing else around, observant Outsiders may notice signs of human life - footprints in the sand, a shoe or torn piece of clothing being left behind, and even the odd human carcass being torn apart by vultures.

The logical conclusion would be that those missing humans have been here, and the only thing left to do is find them … but Outsiders and civilians aren't all that lurk here, and time will tell what lies beneath the desert surface ...

▶ 005. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our very first travel log! Each campervan will accommodate anywhere between 3-5 people, with 4 being the ideal and 5 being a squeeze. Players are encouraged to connect with each other to fill up a van but the mods will not be enforcing it. If you need help finding roommates, there is a FIND A ROOMMATE header below that you can make use of.

If you'd like to test your gambling luck, we also have an IC SLOTS HEADER for you to comment to for you to see how well your character does at the slot machines. This is entirely for fun, and of course you are always welcome to have your characters winning or losing at the slot machines as much as you want in your prompts so long as they aren't winning jackpots.

Following this log, all characters who have purchased style upgrades will receive an update to their chip enabling them access to desert attire and popular styles within Las Vegas.

All tags on this log are worth 2 points.

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Comments

[blastedass]

[It's tempting to call him "Kokuto" a kind of Japanese dark sugar too... but it'll likely end up being "Gyaruo" for obvious reasons. Feel free to weigh in.

Bakugo notices the menu still has the calories alongside the prices. Are they still doing that shit in America? Apparently. He can deal with it. The spicy chicken sandwich is an attractive choice, mostly because fast-food fish sandwiches are questionable even in Japan. So you can be damn sure he's not getting one from an American restaurant.]

He's a lazy prick with an authority problem. [Not just LILITH. Elan's issues run a lot deeper than that, though Bakugo's not got a problem with bitching about LILITH and discussing distrust of them with Elan. What he's not a fan of is blatantly disregarding the obvious out of personal grudge.] She might not be here anymore. Who the fuck knows.

[Or she might not have her mecha here. Bakugo's never met her. He'd agree that larger Gundam would be more useful, but LILITH seems to have an issue bringing through the huge pieces of whatever from other worlds.]

[busternaut]

[Maybe something based on his hair color? He also has some stuff about being the "gold" to Yzak's sliver that is referenced in supplemental materials so it's doubly fitting. Or there's always the good old fashioned route of nicknaming him based off his apparently lazy/lackadaisical attitude.

Dearka is not about to be that picky with his food. He's going for whatever gives him the most bang for his very limited buck, which is obviously going to be the value menu. Shitty burger, shitty fries, and a drink.]

Hard to blame a guy for having authority issues when the authority is LILITH though, yeah? [Says the guy who has no idea it runs a lot deeper than that. He'll just have to meet Elan in person and figure that out for himself.] Any idea what the chick's name is? Or which team she's on, that would also help to know.

[blastedass]

[Probably gonna go with "Gyaruo" because Bakugo's not really seen Dearka be lazy in the negative way. Maybe it'll evolve into Gudetama once he sees more of that side of him, but a lot of his nicknames are childish "mean" based on physical appearance, haha. Combining "gold" and "lazy" and looking up colloquial for "lazy ass" led to some long words...

Bakugo orders at the front once they're there, giving the cashier a slight glare when he assumes his and Dearka's orders are together. What the fuck? Do he look like he's paying for this guy's meal? They're not a couple, shitface. Now spice his fries and slap a fountain drink on there, since he's being "bad" anyways.]

He had those issues before he came here. [Bakugo doesn't know a lot about Elan's history, but the little he does plus the assumptions on hints make that pretty obvious.] If I knew, I would've said it!

[Zero clue asides from someone mentioning a girl with a mecha while trying to figure out who "Gundamn" was. Bakugo's nicknames usually irk people who don't know or can't keep up with them.]

[busternaut]

[Losing my shit here bc Gundam SEED had a sanrio collab (like every fucking anime does these days I guess) and Dearka's matchup absolutely should've been gudetama, thank you.

A shame Bakugo is so quick to dismiss the idea of their ordering together, because Dearka is absolutely the kind of guy who would mooch off that misunderstanding if he were given the opportunity to do so. He doesn't have a real job yet, he's light on kryptonite or whatever the fuck the currency is called! Ah well...]

Hahhh... I'll just have to keep an eye out for her when we finally get into combat then, I guess.

[Mostly a joke. He actually takes fighting very seriously, he's not about to get himself killed by being distracted searching for some girl.

Dearka goes ahead and places his order next, after which he continues on musing.]

...That Elan guy was familiar with the term "mobile suit". Most other Outsiders I've mentioned that word to have no idea what I'm talking about until I explain it to them. Makes me wonder exactly what kind of world he came from...

[blastedass]

[Well on top of being lazy and kind of -_- faced at times, Dearka's got a nice butt, just like gudetama. Now he just has to make a bed on slimy and be shiny while lazing around.

Yeah, welcome to Bakugo being smart and a dick at the same time. If Dearka had managed his funds well, even as a new person, he'd find himself with enough cash to spend on an outing like Vegas. Though it's not like the pilot knew they were coming to Vegas when he arrived. Once his order's in, Bakugo steps to the side and lets Dearka put his own into the queue.

...though when the guy goes to pay for his order, he'll find it's already been taken care of. Say something and you're dead.]

Won't be hard. There's only a few people running around with mecha. [So all he has to do is ask each one to find out which is the girl. Bakugo wouldn't put it past Dearka to want to know; he'd be instinctively head turned if someone showed up wearing a hero-like costume during battle. There's always cleanup afterwards.]

Mecha, mobile suit, Gundam, they're all a giant fucking robot you pilot.

[Probably from similar worlds, just calling the same tech different things.]

[busternaut]

[He does have the good sense to keep his mouth shut. It only makes sense that if Bakugo deliberately kept it on the down-low that he was going to cover for him in the first place, then he probably won't appreciate having that called out directly afterwards. But also, ha ha, angry teen is secretly a softie nice guy confirrrrmmmmed.

(Unfortunately, Dearka finds this kind of tsundere shit really endearing.)

Anyway. He shakes his head.]

That's not what I mean. It's more like... I'm wondering if we might be from the same world. Or variations of the same one, at least. Not sure what the odds are of that...

[blastedass]

[Dearka's a smart guy. Luckily Bakugo's not usually teased for those secret moments, since that'd be a good way to either die or never get treated again. He's not even looking at the pilot as he moves down the line to the window for order pickup. Despite his words, he remembers what it was like to start out with little here. Granted Bakugo knows how to budget and quickly got a job to make up for the income issue, but...

Dearka doesn't need the added stress right now after the shit the Outsiders have been through in this place already.]

You'll have something to talk to them about then. [The pilot raises an interesting question. Alternate versions of themselves or their own worlds? Is that kind of thing even possible?]

[busternaut]

Yeah... I'm definitely keeping him on my radar, that's for sure.

[He knows Elan from his profile picture, but Yzak has also met him in person. Maybe he's already talked to the guy and gotten answers. At the very least he should be able to point him out to Dearka.]

Hm. You wind up here with anyone from your world? Or are you a solo case?

[blastedass]

What's your mech's specialty? Warfare, rescue, transport?

[It seemed like Elan's was for war, but he abhorred it. That's not Bakugo's place to tell Dearka, though he's only seen Elan use his mech for rescue missions and demolition (clearing the path, etc). Don't expect this guy to point him out for you unless you're stubborn about it.

Bakugo clicks his tongue irritably at the question.] Two of my classmates are here. Bastards, how could they let themselves get kidnapped? Die!

[The last part's muttered to himself.]

[busternaut]

[Two classmates, huh? Dearka repeats that, committing that to memory. He can ask more about them in a second.]

...Warfare. Maybe there are other worlds out there that have mobile suits manufactured for other functions, but that's not the case where I come from. They're machines of war, plain and simple.

[blastedass]

No shit. Most people don't make weapon-loaded robots to work in the fields.

[Even the robots used in U.A. serve as stand-in villains that the students try to defeat during tests and stuff. Some have been outfitted for transport and other utility aid, but as far as mecha go, yeah, Bakugo expects the answer to be warfare. Seems common in space-related sci-fi, which isn't very popular in his world.

SUPERHEROES!!]

[busternaut]

[Dearka laughs, and shrugs.]

Hey, you're the one who asked. Buuuut on that note... I think that's more than enough about me. What is it you do? You said you have classmates here?

[blastedass]

I'm going to be a hero.

[Because that's obviously explaining everything. Bakugo gets his food from the pick up, waits for Dearka, and then goes to find a good spot.]

I'm attending U.A., Japan's #1 ranked high school for heroics and the top Hero Academy in the nation.

[He sounds so proud of it.]

[busternaut]

[Dearka opens his mouth as if to say something, but falls short, clearly perplexed. The food's up anyway, which gives him a blessed few extra moments to try and figure out how to react to this information.

They sit down. Dearka sets to unwrapping his burger without really looking at it, studying Bakugo's expression instead.]

A Hero Academy, huh? Can't say I've ever heard of anything like that. What exactly do they teach there?

[The answer better not be just, "how to be a hero". By name alone it sounds... Kind of juvenile? Like a little kid's dream college or something. Though Dearka at least does a good job of keeping that degree of skepticism out of his tone.]

[blastedass]

[Gape at him too long and he's gonna leave this guy behind. Bakugo sinks down into the chair, pointedly steering clear of the windows so they can avoid as much of that oven-like heat outside. A nice shaded spot in the corner... under the AC vent. Lucky. He works on his food almost immediately, biting into it with a clear focus on filling up. Damn, he's hungrier than he thought. Dearka's still staring at him... He gets a brief glare. Don't make it weird.]

Of course. Your society isn't like mine.

[They don't have mecha in his world, not like Dearka's.]

Combat practice, Quirk development, search and rescue tactics, battle escalation skills, PR situations, support gear uses, hero studies, alongside a normal high school academic education.

[U.A. is the ultimate school in preparing and generating the next generation of heroes to emerge in society.]

[busternaut]

[He starts monchin' his borger as Bakugo explains, one eyebrow raised in quiet interest.]

Alright, most of those things are pretty much what the names sound like, I'm guessing. But "quirk development"? You're gonna have to help me out a little with that one.

[blastedass]

[In answer, Bakugo turns one hand palm up and detonates a softball-sized explosion right there in the restaurant. Boom! Smoke rises from his hand for a few seconds before he shakes it and goes back to his food. Doesn't seem to care if others are having a mild startle.]

80% of the people in my world have a superpower called a Quirk.

[busternaut]

[Include Dearka in the "having a mild startle" category; he nearly drops his damn burger.]

The fuck--!? Did you just...?!

[He blinks a few times, and then settles back down, exhaling out the lingering alarm. He mumbles, mostly to himself but not exactly trying to hide it from Bakugo either.]

Jeez, Yzak wasn't kidding when he said there were people here with powers that border on "magic"...

[Another beat passes, and then a more detail Bakugo mentioned belatedly clicks in his head.]

...Wait, did you say eighty percent?!

[blastedass]

[Bakugo's never been shy about showing his Quirk, even if he grew up in a world where that's technically not allowed... People didn't entirely keep checks on their kids in school and such, and here there are no rules against it. It's one of the few areas the normally-responsible boy's a rebel.]

Get used to it. A lot of Outsides have supernatural abilities.

[He's used to that kind of reaction. That means Dearka's world doesn't have abilities like that. Must focus more on heavy technology since it has mobile suits, mecha, Gundam, whatever. Space colonies are often just as jaw dropping as magic.]

Yeah. I'm part of the 5th generation since Quirks appeared.

[busternaut]

Five whole generations, with 80% of the population...

[Dearka whistles.]

...Yep. That's gotta be a whole lot of superpowered folks.

[Assuming quirks don't have some kind of adverse affect on the birthrate or something, that is.]

So you make explosions or something? What about those classmates of yours that you mentioned, what do they do?

[blastedass]

There were only a few at first, but it spiraled out from there.

[From one recorded, then off to 80% of the population in five generations.]

Che, not all of them are awesome. A Quirk can be as stupid as just having a sixth finger.

[Before Dearka gets the bright idea that everyone in Bakugo's world is blasting lasers from their eyes and controlling entire gardens.]

Aa. The sweat from my palms is like nitroglycerine I can detonate at will. [Which is a massively powerful and flexible Quirk for someone as intelligent and creative as him.] Half-n-Half can make ice from his right side and fire from his left. Deku's got a strength-stockpiling Quirk.

[busternaut]

[That's a whole lot of information to chew on. Dearka's not sure how having a sixth finger would even count as a "quirk"??? That just sounds like a regular old birth defect to him, but, whatever... There are way more interesting details here for him to home in on.]

Alright... Explosions, fire and ice are all pretty self explanatory, but strength stockpiling? What's that involve?

[blastedass]

[It does in their world. Especially if that sixth finger is on your shoulder. But some Quirks do simply come across as defects, and a number are so pathetic or lame, people get teased about them. But it's still better than being Quirkless. Though hopefully, that's something to change going forward... Another topic for another time.

Bakugo lingers on the question for a bit. Midoriya's Quirk is special.] It builds up more power over time. Right now, it's up there with super strength, but it'll get stronger the more he works with it.

[busternaut]

[Dearka arches a brow.]

So it just keeps increasing exponentially over time? [He could ask for more details, but he'd rather just be impressed.] What's the craziest, most heavy thing you've ever seen him lift?

[blastedass]

Yeah. It's a crystalization of strength. Focusing it and strengthening it.

[Until he ultimately has to pass it on. Maybe he won't be able. He might not having by the end of the war... Bakugo doesn't want to think about that possibility.]

Three cars using cables. [Maybe it was four, one hidden from view.]