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𝚂𝚱𝚗𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚡 đ™Œđš˜đšđšœ ([personal profile] synfluxmods) wrote in [community profile] synflux2024-05-13 03:41 pm

TRAVEL LOG #1

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.


the_fourteenth: (Default)

[personal profile] the_fourteenth 2024-05-16 09:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Back home, I just wore my uniform, too. It was easy, I guess.

[Raidou gives him a little poke on the shoulder.]

Something like what you have? Possibly. That seems like the easiest option. I was just wondering what else was out here. Turns out, there's a lot.

[Especially in these high-end shops, that have all manner of things on the mannequins. How do you know what's the best for you?]
eyescar: (pic#16963634)

[personal profile] eyescar 2024-05-17 04:06 pm (UTC)(link)
It was basically just a hoodie, so it was whatever, same for me.

[ He leans into Raidou more at the poke. He's not light, but Raidou can handle it. ]

How about we just start with the kinds of colours you like and go from there? Some shirts and jeans are easy enough... We can get you some sweatpants for casual wear too.
the_fourteenth: (053)

[personal profile] the_fourteenth 2024-05-17 07:54 pm (UTC)(link)
I like darker colors, but it seems like a bad idea with all this sun, yeah?

[And let's not even get into that porcelain complexion of his. He's not going to fair well in this climate.]

Sure. I don't need to buy too much, with the style chip... But it's never a bad idea to have some back-ups.

[Since you can't trust LILITH technology fully. You never know what might happen.]

Ah, a lot of these stores seem... pricy, though.
eyescar: (pic#17020140)

[personal profile] eyescar 2024-05-17 07:59 pm (UTC)(link)
That's why you wear sunscreen.

[ Nodding his head, Yuji finally unwraps himself from Raidou's shoulders and grabs his hand, tugging him towards the store. ]

We can get some basics and then use the chip to back it up with other things. If something happens, you can borrow some of my stuff.
the_fourteenth: (040)

[personal profile] the_fourteenth 2024-05-17 09:05 pm (UTC)(link)
[He nods and is happily tugged along into the store.]

Alright. We shouldn't need too much, right? I can't imagine they're going to keep us from Tokyo for too long.

[Little does he know.]

Have you ever visited a place like this? Ah, the desert or the city, really.

[He asks as he browses the racks, full of light colors, and breezy cotton and linen fabrics. But hey, there's a good selection of hats.]
eyescar: (pic#17064376)

[personal profile] eyescar 2024-05-17 10:14 pm (UTC)(link)
It'll get warm in Tokyo eventually, so having options will work out in the end.

[ Yuji is peering at the clothes too, getting excited over the reds, yellows and pinks. ]

No way. I grew up in Sendai, which was nothing compared to Tokyo.
the_fourteenth: (142)

[personal profile] the_fourteenth 2024-05-18 01:23 am (UTC)(link)
So it'll be like the Capital in the summer, of course.

[The time of year that's almost enough to send him back up into the cool mountains where he was raised. Not a fan.]

It's so different here, though. The heat feels so... oppressive.

[Not to mention everything else. The casinos, attractions, lights and noise... Neo Tokyo was a lot to get used to, but Las Vegas was something else entirely.

He flicks through some shirts, making note of the fabric on the tags so he can find it later with his style chip. Linen was seeming like a good way to go. You couldn't get everything with the upgrade, but this seemed pretty popular here, so it should be available.

He does take notice of the colors Yuji was looking over. Hmm...

He pops around a corner for a moment and activates the chip. He reemerges... and still looks like Raidou, but like he was suddenly run through a summer fashion filter. Black linen shirt, black shorts, black sandals, and his uniform hat transformes into a baseball hat. The big difference is the red tank top underneath the open shirt.

He's trying! He gives Yuji a questioning head tilt. Yes, no?]
eyescar: (pic#16908093)

[personal profile] eyescar 2024-05-18 09:37 am (UTC)(link)
[ Oh!

The red shirt...

Yuji can't help the way he grins, stepping forward to grab onto the sides of the shirt and tug gently, to try and get the boy closer. He looks him up and down and nods. ]


You'll still be warm in that colour, but it suits you. You look good.

[ He might be staring, just a little bit. ]
the_fourteenth: (120)

[personal profile] the_fourteenth 2024-05-18 02:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah? Thank you. [It's a pretty sharp combo, the red with the black. He's relieved that Yuji seems to like it, breaking out into a grin as he's pulled closer.]

I figured I'm going to be warm no matter what. So I might as well go with this. Do you want to get anything while we're here?
eyescar: (pic#17186850)

[personal profile] eyescar 2024-05-18 04:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Do you think there's anything that would suit me?

[ Mr Just Wears Hoodies and Looks Cute. ]

I only wear this kind of stuff and uniforms, even before I became a sorcerer, so...
the_fourteenth: (153)

[personal profile] the_fourteenth 2024-05-18 06:57 pm (UTC)(link)
We can take a look, though I don't know if I am the best person to be asking.

[Look how much he was struggling, after all. But, he'll definitely take a look around the racks to see what their is. Eventually he holds up a Hawaiin shirt that contains all the colors Yuji seems to like. The grin on Raidou's face tells on how loud he knows it is.]

How's this?
eyescar: (pic#16897172)

[personal profile] eyescar 2024-05-18 07:08 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Unfortunately... ]

It looks great!

[ Yuji is stepping over, reaching to shove off his current shirt and tug on the new one, just to see how it looks. ]

Suits me, right?
the_fourteenth: (040)

[personal profile] the_fourteenth 2024-05-18 08:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[Nailed it. He hands it over and then stands back to assess.]

Very much so. Colors like that work much better on you. Maybe it's the hair.
eyescar: (pic#16987551)

[personal profile] eyescar 2024-05-19 08:17 am (UTC)(link)
[ He laughs, turning to try and find a mirror. It's a really loud shirt, but he definitely kind of likes it... ]

I'm going to take a photo so I remember it for the style chip!
the_fourteenth: (Default)

[personal profile] the_fourteenth 2024-05-19 02:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[Raidou slides up next to him while he's looking in the mirror, wrapping an arm around Yuji's. They look like night versus day.]

Perfect. Was there anywhere you wanted to go while out here? There seems like a there's, um, a lot.

[All of the Vegas attractions, he means. Neo Tokyo has been overwhelming when he first arrived, but Las Vegas was on a whole other level. They weren't old enough to get into a lot of places, but there was still plenty of things to do.]

Or we could always keep window shopping.
eyescar: (pic#17153034)

[personal profile] eyescar 2024-05-19 08:25 pm (UTC)(link)
It's totally overwhelming, right? At least we've got a lot of time to explore!

[ Yuji frowns, leaning against a nearby pillar as he starts to look at the map in his implant. ]

It depends if you're hungry, or if you want to go and do something like see a film, or try and find a rollercoaster again...
the_fourteenth: (117)

[personal profile] the_fourteenth 2024-05-19 09:05 pm (UTC)(link)
It's probably the closest we'll ever get to a vacation, yeah?

[Even with a mission looming soon, it was nice to get a little time off.

When he mentions roller coaster, Raidou perks up. He wanted to try the ones at the fairgrounds, but they didn't exactly seem safe. Besides, the ones here seemed very different.]


Can we try a roller coaster?
eyescar: art by <user name=juju_EBI site=twitter.com> (pic#17113808)

[personal profile] eyescar 2024-05-20 08:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Unless they send us to more places after this.

[ Even if Yuji thinks a lot of this place is like a vacation...

Reaching out, he grins, offering his hand. ]


Let's fine one! I think I saw one down the way a bit.
the_fourteenth: (Default)

[personal profile] the_fourteenth 2024-05-21 12:03 am (UTC)(link)
The ones here are huge. The one in Neo Tokyo was nothing like these.

[The fairgrounds had nothing on this. Raidou eagerly takes his hand.]

Have you been on ones like they have here before? Are they fun?

[It's almost impossible to scare this summoner with something like a roller coaster.]
eyescar: (pic#16974978)

[personal profile] eyescar 2024-05-21 05:19 pm (UTC)(link)
I've been on a few, but they were mostly designed for kids.

[ He didn't grow up around a lot of big parks like that, so... ]

I think I've found a cool one. Let's go!