𝚂𝚢𝚗𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚡 𝙼𝚘𝚍𝚜 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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synflux2024-06-01 12:01 am
synfluxmods) wrote in synflux2024-06-01 12:01 am
Entry tags:
- !event,
- chainsaw man: aki hayakawa,
- chainsaw man: makima,
- devil summoner: raidou kuzunoha,
- elfen lied: lucy/kaede,
- fate/grand order: okada izou,
- genshin impact: wriothesley,
- honkai star rail: march 7th,
- jujutsu kaisen: fushiguro megumi,
- jujutsu kaisen: satoru gojo,
- jujutsu kaisen: suguru geto,
- library of ruina: gebura,
- library of ruina: malkuth,
- limbus company: ishmael,
- lobotomy corporation: yesod,
- mobile suit gundam seed: dearka elthman,
- mobile suit gundam seed: yzak jule,
- my hero academia: katsuki bakugo,
- persona 5: ren amamiya,
- spy x family: yor briar,
- yu-gi-oh! gx: manjoume jun
PRE-FIGHT EVENT #1
PRE-FIGHT EVENT #1
▶ 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.
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.
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...
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.
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.
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.
C-II
H-Hold on! I'm here! I'm coming!
[ At first, it doesn't seem like she's getting anywhere. Her arms and legs kick and flail to propel her forward, closer to Ereshkigal, but the motions are sluggish. Like she's wading through a neverending wave of mud. ]
No, please!!
[ Finally, a breakthrough! A burst of strength sees her soaring through the strange water to the goddess' side. She recoils at the sight of her body in terror. Those wounds...how? Why? Who did this? This poor girl.
Ereshkigal's eye closing sends another spark of fear through her and Nyuu crashes down further into the water to reach for her. ]
No, wait! Don't die, please! [ She doesn't know her. She doesn't know what happened. But for her to just give up...that's too cruel. This poor girl...this poor, poor girl...she can't face something like this alone! In what she can only assume is so much pain! ] It's not fair...not when you tried so hard! Come back! It'll be okay now!
no subject
How many times has she thought someone was coming to help her... Only for nothing to change? ]
I have failed. The one and only thing I was meant to do...
And I could not do it right.
[ And even if she continued, what then? She would have to remain in charge of the Underworld for how many more years? She can't fight her fate. She can't become as free and radiant as Ishtar. She can never do that. But right now, she's been given an excuse to do something else. The next best thing after becoming more like her sister.
Giving up. ]
Life is unfair. But death is fair. That is what I have always tried accomplishing.
So why can't I...
Why can't I...
[ Give up.
It's easy. Maybe it's cowardly. The thought had crossed her mind before, but she's too dutiful to even consider it seriously. Now is different though. Nergal's out there to do her job afterward. No one will miss her. She's sad of course, she wishes things could have ended differently. But of all the endings available to her...
Right now it's the only one she sees peace in. ]
no subject
Because it won't stop the pain!
[ It's a fool's errand to try and grasp for her still. She knows this but still she tries. There's nothing to really hold on to, and a part of her fears that grasping at the girl will cause her wounded body to fall away. ]
Even if you tell yourself you accept it, your last few moments will be filled with pain...sadness. And that, that's not fair! If you die, it should be surrounded by people who care! People who will help you smile in the end! People who'll hold your hand and tell you they're proud of you!
[ Nyuu can't tell anymore if Ereshkigal's figure is so blurry and watery from the abyss around them or from her own tears. The inability to distinguish between the two spurs her onward, and she finally grips the goddess' hand with her own. A shudder runs through her; the idea that this woman should be icy cold to the touch, like a corpse. Her hands can only feel skin, but the freezing cold chills her to her very soul.
Yet, she doesn't loosen her hold. ]
No matter who you are, you always have a place in someone's heart. There's always...always someone who will be sad you're not here anymore! And you can always keep trying! Keep moving! Living!
no subject
The resentment. The anger. And even the hatred. Towards those gods who sacrificed her so they could forget about death. Towards those humans who vilified her because they cannot accept that all things must end. Towards all those who have ignored her because life is easier that way. ]
I used to dream there would be. That someone - somewhere - would find me. That someone - anyone - would find a place for me in their heart.
[ There had been one, perhaps... But she forgot her. She forgot her voice. She forgot her face. So what's the point? ]
A thousand year passed. Two thousand. Ten thousand.
[ How many has it been? She can't even remember. So long as she had her duties, she could keep going. But now... Even that, she is no longer good enough for.
Finally she open her eye, and her thoughts are no longer heard. Instead, she speaks aloud. Someone who will be sad when she's gone. Someone who cares. Someone who will help her smile. ]
... There are no such people.
[ There have never been. So why should it change now? ]
no subject
That is, until she swallows hard and forces herself to smile again. Brighter, warmer, not for her sake but for Ereshkigal.
If she could find people who care about her, why can't Ereshkigal? If there are those who could love someone with horns, why not this girl too? She can't...won't accept it! ]
If there's really no one, then...then I'll be the first! [ Tears streaming down her face, she continues to reach. An awkward, sheepish laugh bubbles up from her, embarrassed her first impression on someone is to be one of tears and sobs. ] It's nice to meet you, my name is Nyuu! Please tell me your name!
no subject
But she was never a perfect goddess. ]
Nyuu....
[ She looks at her - it feels... Strange. She's never seen her before. Yet her presence doesn't feel wrong. Like it was meant to happen. Or is she delluding herself once again? ]
I... I am Ereshkigal.
[ No title, no grandiose introduction. She couldn't even if she wanted to - but she doesn't want to. She only does those things to try and get people to like her. But now? She's dying and that girl asked her her name. Who she is. Those titles she usually introduces herself with: they're nice, but they're not her. ]
But why...? It's too late.
[ Isn't it? ]
no subject
Never!! If it's too late for you, then...it's too late for anyone.
[ And that, she couldn't live with that. She can't imagine she could happily live knowing someone in her limited scope of the world didn't see a point in their lives. That they didn't feel valued or wanted or needed. ]
And your name is so pretty. I can't say it more if you go away. I want to say it a lot! If we're friends, then I'll say it often! I'll call for you whenever I can!
no subject
[ Friend. There had been a friend, whom she forgot. The only one, for no other had ever desired her presence.
Yet, there is now... Another?
The goddess starts crying and something changes: her skin grows warmer and a gold aura surrounds her for a moment. The darkness and rot gnawing at her body fade away, her form returning to normal. Now is the moment when Ritsuka should her fight Nergal's malice and go back to the surface.
But the memory has been interrupted. ]
Ah... [She remembers now. The kaiju, the glitch causing memories to be shared with others. And yet - in spite of this realization - she keeps crying. This is, bar none, her most painful memory. R] I-I've been alone for so long... I thought... No one liked me. No one wanted me. Because... I am just so gloomy and detestable.
[ The memory is over. But she still feels trapped in that same mental state. N-No, that's not right. She shouldn't... Just put all of those things on that girl's shoulders. Nyuu is so kind and sweet. ]
I... I'm sorry. I-I am not like that usually...
no subject
You've had to carry all of this all alone, and for so long. That's not fair.
[ There should've been someone--anyone!--who would listen. There should've been someone to help carry that burden. This poor girl had to do it all by herself with no sympathy. Before she realizes, she's crying harder herself. She keeps talking through the growing waver in her voice and pauses only to push back a sniffle. ]
You can cry all you want to. I don't mind at all. It's good to cry, to let it all out.
no subject
So to hear that girl say those words... It's bittersweet. Even Ritsuka had never outright told her that. She'd thought it would be insulting to even pretend she could comprehend her pain. But...
It's nice to hear. ]
I-I don't... I don't know what to say...
[ Ereshkigal closes her eyes and rests her head on Nyuu's shoulder. There's no stopping the tears now, is there? But for once, it feels fine. Even though someone sees her crying. If she can accept that ugly side of her... Isn't that what she has always wanted? People who accept her? ]
... Thank you.
no subject
You did very well. You made it so far on your own. You're amazing, Ereshkigal!
1/2
There is an ugly side to her, one that has grown and grown the more her pain had become unbearable. ]
no subject
You are a kind soul. I don't know if I truly am amazing.. But I'll endeavor to be worthy of those words.