synflux | TRAVEL LOG #1

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.

code

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

❀ TROUBLE BREWING

VEGAS GHOST STORY

(The sights and sounds of Vegas are totally new to Tsurumaru and he finds himself completely taken by all of it. he explores the luxury hotels and checks out all of the shops. He find himself visiting the elaborate buffets and he even tries out the slots. All of this is to say: You can find him anywhere just flitting around to place to place like a bird.

He doesn't slow down until evening where he can be found in front of the Bellagio Fountain. The water show is due to begin at any moment but with all of the people gathering, it's easy to see some of the people who are acting strangely. Fights break out, people point at random places and begin screaming, someone even jumps into the fountain and has to be pulled out. It feels a little chaotic, doesn't it?

Tsurumaru doesn't really understand what's going on but then again, does anyone?)

I wonder this place is haunted…

❀ FOR THE ROAD

SNACK PACKING

(Before they hit the road, Tsurumaru can be found hitting up the stores or even one of the hotel buffets trying to scrounge up snacks for the road. Catch him with an armful of sweets and some precious fresh fruit. He sees you staring and he's quick to explain)

Did you try the food they gave us?

(The MREs. He means the MRE ration packs.)

I don't think it's really food. It shouldn't fit in a bag like that…

(HE IS NOT CONVINCED.)

HEADING OUT (prelude)

(Before heading out, while everyone is getting accustomed to their camper vans, Tsurumaru sits outside in the shade of one of the vans and whines,)

It's hot…

(Of course it is. It's a desert. And when he looks out into the desert… there isn't a single tree to be seen.)

It's so hot, I'm gonna die…

❀ WILDCARD

open to original prompts and down to set up custom starters. if you want to touch base, you can catch me on plurk

yosakoi PM, or message me for my discord.

❀ HOTEL

PERSONAL PLAYGROUND (closed to hotel roomies)

Eeh?! Look at that!

(As soon as he sees the room, he's zooming right for one of the beds. He throws himself down on it face first and laughs. )

It's so big! And super soft, too!

(And suddenly he's scrambling, crawling over to the center of the bed, standing up and… jumping. He has to? How can you give him such a big bed and not expect him to jump on it.)

Woah! It's really strong, too!

(Tell him to stop? Join him???)

❀ CAMPER VAN

TIME TO EAT (closed to camper van cr)

Don't eat that.

(He's swatting the MRE out of your hand and replacing it with an orange or some random pastry he got back in the city. It's like, a honeybun or something.)

That isn't real.

(THE MRE IS NOT REAL FOOD!!!)

NIGHT TALKS (closed to camper van cr)

(The van is crowded but its lively. It's the type of atmosphere he likes best so he's in good spirits for most of the trip. As silly as he may be, he's a clean and orderly person. He makes sure to keep the place clean and that everything is where it should be or else the van will really feel claustrophobic for everyone.

During the trip, he can be found keeping watch at night. It's quiet, there isn't much to really see, and sometimes he finds himself distracted by the stars.)

… The stars are much brighter out here.

(Sorry, sorry, he knows he's supposed to be keeping watch but with nothing happening right now…. well, who can blame him? Its also at night when he seems a little calmer, more focused on the assignment when he thinks most people are sleeping,)

It's not so bad now… (The temperature, that is,) But during the day, I wonder how long a human could really last…

(They've already found remains on their journey. It doesn't look too good.)

❀ WILDCARD

open to original starters & setting up closed starters too if none of these work!

Edited 2024-05-17 19:18 (UTC)

[ Aki stares mournfully at his lost MRE. He was going to eat that and some other food, just to be sure - the heat and the work is a sap to energy - and turns his head to give Tsurumaru a look. It's almost scolding. ]

What a waste. You should eat it all, even if it's not as good as other things.

[ In a very 'eat your veggies' tone. ]

Pastries aren't nutritious.

Stop him!

[ denji pokes his head from behind aki's shoulder, scowling and pointing a finger at the crimes unfolding before them. ah, oh wait — tsurumaru just tossed in another pack, and denji was quick to catch it before it got launched across the van.

his precious food. ]

It's better than cat food.

(Which he's convinced this is!!! He won't be shamed for this. He's doing everyone a favor.)

I don't think this is for humans.

[ Something something Tsurumaru you're a sword - ]

It's fine for now. I can make something better once we have a good kitchen.

[ Picking up the MREs and passing them to Denji, Aki sighs, a little irritated sound. ]

Don't waste things. Just give them to me if you hate it.

[ he grabs the remaining untouched MREs, securing a pile between his arms and chest before taking them away to safety. he will hoard them on his bed, planning to keep an eye on them until dinner time.

he sighs and settles down. ] Man, that was close ...

[ control your mistress, aki. ]

(HIS MISTRESS....... denji please.)

There has to be better food than this. Back in my day, we could still have rice.

(Fresh rice!! Good rice!! It's a shelf-stable grain!! Just add water and have some salt and you can have a perfectly good riceball.)

You can have rice later. There's nothing wrong with this.

[ A little judgemental. ]

Don't turn down good food.

(Mumbling......)

There's nothing good to turn down.

[ it's not 'good food' - it's just food, but he won't sass aki right now. this is, uh, a key moment of asserting dominance between couples he assumes. or whatever.

he's just gonna hide those MREs under his pillow. perfect hiding spot. ]

Okay, no more fighting. This is our first road trip, it should be fun.

Who's fighting?

[ Aki frowns, turning his head to give Denji a look. ]

I don't see how any of this is fun. Aren't we meant to be on a mission?

[ Tsuru's whining catches Yor's ear, and she hurries over with a large canteen in her hands. ]

Here, hold onto this.

[ She shoves the canteen toward him, all smiles. ]

Make sure you drink plenty, okay? I've heard wearing white blocks the sun better than other colors, so your usual coat should be a good shade from the sun!

(Instead of drinking it, he's raising it to his forehead to feel the cool metal against his skin,)

The sun feels hotter in this country. (It's hotter than he remembers it ever being.) And it's so dry, too.

(He's never left Japan. This is all taking some getting used to,)

Are we really going to go out into the desert like this?

[ Yor nods solemnly. ]

It seems so. [ Certainly not the ideal environment to be going out into. Even with the special suits they've been given and the vans to hide out in, the heat is unbearable.

Thankfully, she's been thinking about it since they first came to the city. ]

But it's okay! I've put some extra cooling items in my camper. Ice packs, water, a tent to sit under, and little fans! So if you need any of those, just let me know, okay?

Eh?

(Wait, that sounds really nice...)

So prepared! Are you an experienced traveler?

Not at all!

[ And she says it so confidently! ]

I just read that we were going into a desert, and I figured it'd be best to stock up. We probably won't find much shade or water in such a place, and all.

And it's your first time in the desert?! (Wait...) That's seriously impressive.

Who are you traveling with?

I'm going along with Tifa, Irisviel, and Kiritsugu.

Which van are you with?

(Holding up his hand and counting down,)

Aki-kun, Denji-kun, Megumi-kun, Bakkun, and Ittou-kun.

(Yeah, all of them are -kun's to him. This is also... a lot of people?)

It's a little crowded but it reminds me of home.

You're used to traveling in a large group, then? Or just being surrounded by other people?

[ She can hardly imagine. It sounds exhausting!

...though, she supposes she's handled large groups decently well after being recruited. ]

I usually traveled in groups of six whenever we had assignments.

(So this really is just like home for him.)

Ah, but whenever we were home, there were more of us around. I've practically lost count at this point!

Edited 2024-05-28 17:18 (UTC)

[ It's a relief to know this isn't too out of the ordinary for him, even if it's only in a small way! ]

Wow! Sounds like you had a big family! Or were they more like comrades?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TRAVEL LOG #1

▶ 001. A RUDE AWAKENING.

▶ 002. WELCOME TO LAS VEGAS.

▶ 003. TROUBLE BREWING.

▶ 004. FOUR FOR THE ROAD.

▶ 005. THE HUNT IS ON.

▶ 005. AFTERWORD.

tsurumaru kuninaga ⟡ everstone ⟡ ota

( closed ) hotel / camper van

time to eat

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Heading out ~prelude~

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