PRE-FIGHT EVENT #1

[synfluxmods]

PRE-FIGHT EVENT #1

CONTENT WARNINGS: natural disaster, PTSD, mind-control, psychological trauma, violence, delirium from heat, temporary blindness, hallucinations, dead bodies.

▶ 001. STORM CHASERS.

After weeks of searching for clues on the kaiju and missing people, the desert landscape begins to blend together. Didn’t you pass that cactus earlier today? That rock formation looks exactly like the one you passed the other day. It’s natural to loop back around when conducting a search but doesn’t it feel like everyone has been going in circles more frequently?

The heat isn’t helping either. Temperatures start to rise and continue to rise to all time highs. The sun is unrelenting and the only reliable shelter they have are their campers. Prolonged exposure outside will result in heat exhaustion, dehydration, and delirium.

Warnings will be sent to the Outsiders via their implants to keep them up to date with the weather as well as providing health tips such as reminders to stay hydrated or seek shelter during the hottest parts of the day. They will also receive warnings for sand storms and tornadoes called dust devils. The storms start of short and relatively weak but gradually begin to last longer and become more powerful. Pretty soon, Outsiders will not be able to see ahead from the dense sand and wind.

Outsiders will be told to chase after the storms and if they progress far enough, they will begin to find traces of people. They will find random belongings, articles of clothing, and occasionally, human remains in varying states of decomposition. Eventually, however, they will start to find survivors suffering from extreme fatigue and dehydration. They speak incoherently to themselves and as soon as they regain their strength, they try to run into storms while calling out to things that people can’t see.

Outsiders can wait for emergency caravans to arrive from Vegas to take survivors back to the city or they can take back the survivors themselves and use the opportunity to restock on supplies.

▶ 002. THE STORM CALLS.

The sandstorms increase and grow stronger until eventually, they last entire days. The sands shift, the grounds shake, and something thunderous can be heard in the dust. It becomes harder to see out in the desert and it’s almost like the storms are trying to hide something. At the edge of a storm, sharp eyed Outsiders may catch sight of a great shadowy serpent in the heart of the storm. Messages to their implants will urge them to get closer and investigate but be careful.

The storm grows stronger as they approach and the camper vans may slow down or get stuck in the shifting sands forcing some of them to proceed on foot to make visuals. Eventually, they will get close enough to finally establish clear visuals on their target: A giant sand worm. It’s size is not immediately clear due to the poor visibility and it being partially underground. However, the worm also sees them and when it does, it glows. The light catches on and reflects against the sand particles and that’s when it hits some of the Outsiders: A sudden splitting headache followed by an inability to look away.

Some outsiders may suddenly find themselves entranced by the worm; hypnotized. They will begin to see mirages and hear voices calling out to them in the storm. Captivated Outsiders will find themselves wanting to run into the storm to chase after the phantoms, some of them images and figures of people from their past and present back home. If anyone attempts to stop them, they will become irrational, violent, and turn on their friends and allies. Some Outsiders may begin to view their allies as enemies and attack, turning on one another in a gruesome frenzy. Some of the hypnotic beams will effect those still in their campers, turning on their friends and other Outsiders.

Outsiders will have to restrain each other to keep them from running into the desert or harming each other. In the chaos, the worm disappears into the storm. The psychic effects of the monster will weaken after the worm disappears and the storm dies down but it may leave some characters feeling overwhelmed and confused in the aftermath. Some will remain in an erratic state for several days, occasionally acting normal. In the insanity of all of this, Outsiders may have picked up another Outsider into their camper van for their protection or camper parties remain shuffled. It's up to the ones unaffected by the psychic attacks to watch over the others while retreating from the desert.

▶ 003. CITY OF DREAMS.

Following the disaster of the first sighting, LILITH will order characters to return to Vegas so they can assess what happened. En route to Vegas, some Outsiders may notice some side effects from the prolonged exposure to the sandstorm. They may experience shortness of breath and coughing as a result of breathing in so much dust. Furthermore, they may experience a splitting headache or pain behind their eyes. Their implants may lag, glitch, or go completely offline which will render them temporarily blind in one or both eyes. It seems that the fine sand and dust combined with whatever psychic damage the worm did may have messed with their implants and crossed some sensors which is all the more reason to return to Vegas for treatment.

Outsiders may become lethargic and experience vivid daydreams while they are awake or regular dreams while sleeping. In these dreams, they may relive memories. Some of these memories may be pleasant but others may be traumatic or things characters would rather keep secret. Unfortunately, being in close proximity to someone suffering from these effects will force a link through a glitch in their implants and drag other characters into the dream.

These links will function similarly to how simulation training works. The dreams they visit appear to be very realistic and characters can experience pain and be hurt within the memory. They will be able to interact with the memories. While in these memories, they can try to wake up the memory holder to bring them back to reality. Who knows, maybe helping each other understand what is real and a dream may even make them more resilient to the worm’s attacks the next time they go into the desert...

▶ 004. REST & RECOVERY

As characters recover from the psychic effects and implant glitches, LILITH will try to assess everyone’s biometrics to understand what happened. Characters who need therapy or counseling after reliving some horrible memories of theirs will be provided sessions via their implants. They now understand that the worm has some sort of psychic mind control power that it can use on victims. It is currently too dangerous to go back into the desert until they can come up with a proper defense against it.

Outsiders will be ordered to stay in Vegas and focus on recovery, given two queen side bed hotel rooms again OR if they would prefer to stay in the camper vans, that is also fine, with their same room mates or new ones. They are confident that they can fix the implants with the right upgrade but they aren’t sure what to do to stop people from following the call of the desert and making them act erratically. What is important is that LILITH sticks together.

In the meantime, those who have recovered, and even those who are experiencing these issues are ordered to remain close to one another; a buddy system of sorts. Each Outsider will be given designated groups to keep tight watch over one another while in Vegas. They will be responsible for physically checking on those in their groups and making sure one another’s whereabouts are properly tracked in order to avoid losing anyone to the desert.

LILITH encourages Outsiders to hang tight and wait for instructions before adventuring back out into the desert.

▶ 005. AFTERWORD.

In light of the results of the scheduling poll, here is our first event with a preview of the kaiju. All side effects from either the sandstorms or the worm kaiju can last for as short or as long as players would like.

For the daydreams/memory share, players can decide how they would like characters to experience the memories, whether it plays out in front of them like a movie or if they're reliving it by acting out the scene all over again or a mix of both. We encourage you guys to have fun with it and use whatever format feels most comfortable.

As always, feel free to leave questions under the QUESTIONS thread. All tags on this log are worth 2 points and will count towards June AC.

EVENT BREAKDOWN (CLICK TO EXPAND)

1. STORM CHASERS: Outsiders, still in the now expanded Mojave Desert, face problems with heat and sandstorms, resulting in dehydration and delirium. Still, LILITH encourages them to press onward in their camper vans and desert approved attire. Many dead bodies are found, but those that survive, Outsiders can keep an eye on survivors until emergency care can come pick them up.

2. STORM CALLS: A glimpse of the creature causing the problems is seen beneath the sands surface: a giant sandworm. It attacks LILITH recruits with psychological damage, causing Outsiders to hallucinate memories of their past, act erratic and violent and turn on LILITH crew. Outsiders are tasked to wrangle in one another and retreat back to Las Vegas to recover.

3. CITY OF DREAMS: Seeking refuge back in Las Vegas, character's implants go haywire from the psychic attacks, causing a memory share between characters that are close enough to one another.

4. REST & RECOVERY: Outsiders are placed in hotels again, or if they prefer to stay in the camper vans. They are tasked to keep an eye out on one another and sit tight for further instructions while LILITH assesses their data and next move to wrangle in the sandworm. Outsiders are to wait until given instructions.

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Comments

[curingidiocy]

[ You chose to talk to him while he's drunk out of his mind. It's your responsibility now.

Anyway, he fixes an unsteady gaze on her. Not as sharp as it could be, but still rather intense. His sunset eyes have always intimidated others. ]

You... What do you want me to say? That there is more? To admit what I should not? I cannot. I will not.

[ He cannot, because the truth will hurt him. Aventurine. He does not want to hurt Aventurine. He looks down at the drink in his hand, the ice more than half melted at this point. ]

He will not accept it.

[wheft]

[ kinda hard to be intimidated with a drunken glaze over his eyes, just saying.

she purses her lips, pausing to take a long drink before ordering for a new glass. man, this is hard. how did marcille even do it? no, maybe ishmael's just a special outlier who didn't need to hide her feelings for long. maybe that can work. ]

I thought you'd be the more rational one here, Doc. Have you tried asking him?

[curingidiocy]

[ He scoffs immediately at the suggestion, and his voice takes on a slightly higher tone, miming a conversation with Aventurine. ]

"Would you be opposed if I... if I held feelings for you, dear gambler? Oh no, I am only asking for hypothetical reasons, there is no basis behind my words. None at all."

Is that... what you want me to say?

[ He looks at her like she's an idiot... or would be, if he wasn't heavily intoxicated. As it stands, he just looks like he's having trouble concentrating on her. ]

No. He... will not accept intimate relations with anyone.

[wheft]

[ he really did his imitation of that guy... that's how drunk he is. ishmael can only raise a brow at him but ultimately concedes with a sigh. this is as far as she can go, then. ]

If he actually did say something like that, then I can't help you there.

[ her drink arrives once more, and she wastes no time in taking a swig from it. ]

But I really do suggest talking to him, at the very least. Be on the same page as him. That's... all I know.

[ she is only speaking from experience, after all. ]

[curingidiocy]

[ Communication really is an issue between them. They don't talk. They assume, think they know, based on what they've read about each other, because neither of them are low profile individuals.

Never has Ratio spoken with Aventurine about his trust issues. He just assumes the gambler has them, because wouldn't that be logical for someone in his position? ]

I... I want to. He is... dazzling. Incredible. Clever. He deserves more than he allows himself to have.

[ He's a bit like a pathetic sad puppy now. He yearns so strongly for Aventurine—to shower him with the affection and love he deserves. But he can't. Aventurine will not accept it. He's certain of that. The sigh that comes out of him is forlorn and lovesick. ]

[wheft]

[ he is looking pretty pathetic right now, yeah. but ishmael supposes that love(?) has that kind of effect on people. she was literally throwing up at the thought of having a crush on her now-boyfriend, even.

she watches him from her seat silently, letting those words sink in for a moment. ]

And... you think he doesn't deserve you? Or is it the other way around?

[curingidiocy]

[ He's probably not going to remember much of this conversation, because he would be mortified to know how much he's spilling to Ishmael. Ratio has always been a private person. To talk about feelings like a lovesick teen... Perhaps it is only fitting that he finally experience the side of life he missed out on in his childhood. ]

He is... afraid. He does not trust anyone. Even though... we've worked together for so long...

[ He groans, pressing a hand against his face. Just when did he fall for that damn gambler? Their first meeting was anything but normal. A gun, in his hand, pressed to the Stoneheart's chest. Three pulls of the trigger—all blanks. The pounding of his own heart, and the fear, the rush of blood in his ears.

Perhaps it was then—a misattribution of arousal, associating his fear to attraction. But if Aventurine had not been so intelligent, so clever, it would not have persisted. He is an intriguing puzzle, but he is also an individual whom Ratio respects, and even admires. And it pains Ratio to see him so desperately try to hide his wounds, the scars left in his soul, build a wall around himself and no other, because he believes he is alone and can rely on no one.

Ah. He's been doomed from the start. ]

I cannot... give him everything he deserves. But... at least, I want him to know he's not alone.

[wheft]

[ she continues to scrutinize him. it's not like she's going to use any of this against him, though. she may have done a lot of questionable and even outright horrendous things before coming here, but she'll never resort to manipulation. she refuses.

and besides, any of this is not up to her, is it? ]

Then tell him that.

[ said matter-of-factly. ]

These feelings... They're hard to grasp and rationalize. And it may seem that it'd be better to hide them to spare yourself from the hurt. But in truth, it does the opposite. In fact, it may make you feel even worse.

[ she flashes back to that one morning, her head spinning as she kept emptying her stomach because she couldn't accept that she liked him. it's horrible. she does NOT recommend it, doc. ]

None of us are going to be here for long. I've seen peers come and go in this world in less than a month. [ she stares into the reflection in her drink. ] You two may come from the same world, but you won't get the chance to tell him then. Don't wait for him to make the first move, in other words.

[curingidiocy]

[ It's logical, the part of his brain that is still lucid says. She's right. Back home, the two of them are extremely busy people. Him, with his job as a professor, researcher and IPC liaison, and Aventurine with the high-stakes assignments he always gets that takes him to all corners of the cosmos. What little time the two of them get to share is often limited to the assignments they work on together, and that is hardly an atmosphere conductive to romantic confessions.

But. She's wrong about one thing. ]

It is not me who will hurt... if I was to be rejected, my life will not shatter. My work is... too important, for me to drop everything and mope from heartbreak. [ This is what he means when he says he cannot give Aventurine everything he deserves. Ratio cannot give him his entire being. He cannot give that to anyone, for he has already given most of it to humanity. ] It is him that I... I fear will hurt. He will run... and isolate himself, because it is too heavy for him to bear.

[wheft]

[ oh. well, that makes sense too. ishmael did hide away for a while upon realizing her crush on wriothesley, but couldn't even keep up with that for long because he is still her friend at the end of the day, and the last thing she wanted is to lose another one. ]

In that case, would you ask for him to wait for you? This also requires a lot of patience, if he's not yet willing to give you an answer.

[ she looks up to gaze at ratio right in the eye. ]

It's a precarious balance. Either he wants you to wait, or to pursue him anyway. They're two sides of the same coin, so it's up to you on how you go about that.

[ that's. really all she can offer. ugh, relationships really are so hard. she empties her drink once more and lifts her finger for another one. ]

Mm, maybe I shouldn't drink too much... He might fuss over me again.

[curingidiocy]

[ He only shakes his head in response, which— ouch. Makes the headache throb, and he hisses in pain, placing a hand on his temple for a moment before it dulls again. ]

Our... our current relations... are adequate. I am capable of providing company to him... and he to I. That is... that is more than enough. I'm... more than satisfied with this arrangement.

[ He's going to be stubborn about it, or at least try to be. Sorry Ishmael. But there's a chance to change the topic, because belatedly, he realizes he shouldn't be talking about his feelings on the off-chance Aventurine overhears. ]

...Troubles of your own?

[wheft]

[ she huffs out a short laugh at that. ]

Doesn't that sound familiar.

[ because it's practically the same thing she told marcille, almost word for word. but of course, that didn't last for long - though it's only because the feelings were mutual and too obvious to ignore.

as for the good doctor's question: ] No, I've got no troubles so far. He treats me pretty well, in fact.

[ now it's her turn to smile as her third glass comes along. ]

[curingidiocy]

[ Normally, he wouldn't pry. He has never been interested in the relationships of other people, nor had he been interested in a relationship himself (not at least until he met Aventurine). But because of that, he has little to no experience with navigating relationships. If he ever, on the small chance, enters a relationship with Aventurine, he should at least have basic knowledge on the topic. ]

Who? ...If I may ask.

[ Through the fog of alcohol, he distantly notes that she seems happy. Perhaps he will learn from her what he ought to do to make Aventurine happy. ]

[wheft]

[ being asked about that feels embarrassing, somewhat. she hasn't been making a huge show about it, given how only a small handful of people are aware of their relationship and the fact that they're not the type to do that much PDA outside of holding hands. but since the good doctor asked, she may as well reply in kind. ]

Do you know Wriothesley? He goes by duke on the network. We... started going out less than a month ago.

[ she takes a long swig of her drink. her blush deepens, and if he asks, she can just blame it on the alcohol, along with the stupid smile on her face that she tries the hide with the rim of her glass. ]

[curingidiocy]

[ He thinks for a moment. Wriothesley... he certainly hasn't been introduced to a person of that name. But the user name... he thinks he remembers seeing it once. Right, because this individual was acquainted with March 7th. ]

I believe we've... conversed once through the network.

[ He looks at her and notes her expression, the blush that could be attributed more to alcohol than emotion, and the smile she hides behind her glass. ]

...You seem happy.

[ An obvious statement if he's ever heard one. If he were sober, he would smack himself for stating that. But inebriated, he instead wonders: could he make Aventurine make that expression? ]

[wheft]

[ wait, he caught her smiling just now. not that it wasn't obvious to begin with, but sometimes she'd kind of forget that she smiles whenever he's in the picture. but having someone point it out is embarrassing...

she clears her throat. ahem. ]

...Yeah, I am.

[ she takes a looong swig of her glass. ]

I've been speaking from experience here the whole time, and... Not gonna lie, it's kind of nostalgic looking at you now, doctor. Because I was in your position a couple of months ago, actually. So if a mere seadog like me could do it, then so can you. You can also make him happy like how I feel about mine.

[ of course, that's easier said than done. and she herself hasn't grasped on the fathoms of another's relationship, let alone hers. but it did work for her, so why wouldn't it work with someone else? ]

[curingidiocy]

[ From experience... Well, experience is often the best teacher, and he would be remiss not to listen to someone who had a similar experience. Still, the issue isn't with him. It's with Aventurine.

...He'd thought about waiting until the two of them took a vacation to his home planet, but... this was almost a vacation of sorts, if one could discount the looming threat of kaiju and the fact that this planet was broken and dying and therefore wasn't exactly an ideal retreat. Nowhere else, and at no other time could they be so fully disconnected from the IPC and their jobs as they are now. If there was any moment Aventurine would get to let down his shields and air his hurts... it would be now.

He's almost certain Aventurine reciprocates his feelings. He's not blind to how much Aventurine trusts him, and only him. That he's the only one the gambler chooses to spend time with on his birthday, a day that weighs heavy in his heart because of the tragedies of his life. That Aventurine enjoys sharing a bed with him, far more than would be warranted if it were simply a matter of calming his Nihility-fueled nightmares.

If Aventurine feared taking the next step... it would have to be up to Ratio to reassure him, wouldn't it? ]

...I will take your advice under consideration. Perhaps only now... without the IPC hanging over us...

[wheft]

[ she doesn't know what an IPC is just yet, but yes - without any of those troubles hanging over their heads, it... should be fine. though that depends on how both parties see it, in the end. ]

You should consider it and fast, doc. Time is ticking.

[ she lifts her glass towards him. ]

Here, let's drink to that. I'll check on you once all of this is over.

[ because they still got a worm to kill among other things. ]

[curingidiocy]

[ And isn't he aware of that. With the way Aventurine lives his life, his safety is not guaranteed. With what Aventurine truly plans to do, he is all but guaranteed a violent death if he fails. Here, and only here.... he does not have to contend with any of that. He's... free, truly free to bare himself to Ratio if he so desires. To let Ratio help him.

But only if he so desires.

Here, Ratio would be able to confess, and they might have time to deal with hurt feelings and reconcile if he was wrong and Aventurine didn't reciprocate or wasn't ready to accept his affection. Above all, what Aventurine needed from him was a

single person that could always

be by his side

He presses a palm into his eyes forcefully and takes a deep breath, letting the sting of pain reorient him. If he remembers any of this tomorrow, he will consider it with a clearer mind and not one so prone to emotion.

He lifts his head and ignoring his blurry vision, lifts his glass, almost empty, and taps it against Ishmael's. ]

Cheers.

[ And downs the rest of the drink in one go. He is never drinking this much again. ]

I shall... shall expect your contact.

[ But he won't remember. Oops. ]