synflux | PRE-FIGHT EVENT #1

PRE-FIGHT EVENT #1

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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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ The situation is becoming more and more suspicious—enough so that even through the influence of the memory, Ratio can tell that there's something severely wrong with the circumstances.

Music? And that expression... what's going on? Suddenly, he feels as if the floor has dropped out from under him and that he is no longer in reality. ]

There is hardly any use in entertaining a scenario that will never become true. What are you trying to play at?

[ Because surely the innocuous-looking Trailblazer wouldn't ask such a question, would they? ...who is he talking to? ]

Play at? No, I'm being serious!

[A red ball rolls by from one end of the hallway to the other, bumping up against Ratio's feet before rolling on. It disappears as soon as it came.]

Anyways, that answer....BZZT! Wrong! [And in a perfect rendition of Dr. Ratio's voice, as if recorded and being played back to him.] No points!

[Sampo heaves a little sigh - there's a big door with a control panel next to him. Another twirl on his feet, and his hands on his hips, like he's a parent admonishing a child.]

You're boring, doc. You have this big big brain and you can't even entertain the idea? Come on. Throw me a name? Out of curiosity's sake?

[ He should turn around right now. Head back to the elevator and return to the base floor to report this. He is not one to play with fire like this—to mess with something that is very likely to be out of his control. He has already lost control of the situation, and reality, judging by the red ball, the recorded voice, and a door he does not remember existing there before.

Intuition and gut instinct are two methods of reasoning that are often overlooked in the scientific community, because they rely on unconscious information processing and cannot be actively controlled by the conscious mind. Right now, his intuition is drawing one very damning conclusion about the identity of the individual in front of him. ]

What is it you seek from me, Masked Fool?

Whoah! Whoah, buddy! Big words you're throwing around, there! I'm just Sampo Koski, conversationalist, businessman, guy to know, all at once.

[He holds up his hands like he's under arrest, though there's absolutely no tension in his body. The accusation seems to bounce off of him uselessly as he holds the pose for a minute, before shrugging and tapping away at the control panel.]

Anyways, we're here! Feast your eyes, dear doctor. It's a sight that will shiver you to your core! Be ready for it! Here...we! GO!

[He slaps the panel, and the door opens - Sampo takes the good doctor and totes him inside. Time for.....the bug!]

Edited 2024-06-07 18:53 (UTC)

[The chords of Sexy Back swell into a symphony. Justin Timberlake has never sounded so good.]

[A spotlight shines down into the dark, dark, abnormally large room. Another. And then another, leading up to the main attraction. Something incredibly enormous and imposing sits, with many legs, horrific in its visage. Truly, a beast that would strike fear into the hearts of the strong, tormenting all.]

[One last spotlight shines, and reveals]

[The giant bug.]

[Sexy Back recedes to silence, as if the song itself is disappointed.]

[Sampo gives a little click of his tongue.]

Well! It's a bug? It's a bug.

[ How

How does he even react to this ]

[ Laughter? Anger? Incredulity??? He's dreaming. He has to be dreaming. ]

[ .......................................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A problem has been detected and the brain has been shut down to prevent damage to your Ratio.

If this is the first time you've seen this stop error screen, restart your Ratio. If this screen appears again, follow these steps-- ]

Edited (bleh icons) 2024-06-07 19:31 (UTC)

....

[Sampo walks up to put a hand on it, before turning around back to Ratio, as if he's a car salesman ready to show off his new specimen.]

You have to give it to it, though, it's a big guy-

[There's a rush of air.]

[The bug starts to deflate with a loud wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.]

[Sampo closes his eyes as if this very action can make him ignore what is happening behind him.]

Never mind.

[ He still has no idea how he's supposed to react to this, though if there's any indication from the boiling anger starting to from inside him, it's that.

But there must be a reason for this. To do something so absurd that it makes absolutely no sense. He needs to find out, so he tamps down on the anger. ]

...What was the purpose of this farce? You have my full attention, if that was your goal.

[ It doesn't stop the anger from leaking into his voice though. A warning tone—if the answer is not to his satisfaction, he will unleash his wrath. ]

[The bug is well and deflated now, looking a sorry sight in this large and empty room. Sampo Koski has been put in his place as Number One Clown Failure Of All Time. He heaves a great dramatic sigh.]

That might have been my goal, yes! All eyes on me. The professor's full attention.

[He strides forward, and his footsteps don't make a sound. If anything, the anger only seems to spur him on, with green eyes shining in the light like jewels.]

But enough of this farce, as you would say. Let us finally unmask! You first!

[A giggle as he reaches forward - the tip of his finger presses against the man's forehead. With a poof, the alabaster explodes into confetti and glitter.]

[Sampo's grin widens to his ears, like a knife, like a crescent moon.]

And now? My turn!

[And he rips off his own face.]

[THEY are here.]

[The world explodes in laughter, screeches, screams, and moans. THEY are cavorting around, dancing. Poker cards shuffle themselves, coin purses vomit up black bile. There is music in the air again, like Justin Timberlake was singing Sexy Back after he swallowed a thousand bees. It's a party! It's a funeral! THEY start to sob, tears running over Ratio's shoulders and down his hands.]

Boring, boring, boring! Ah, how boring. Aha wanted you to say THEIR name! But it's fine. I wanted to make you laugh!

[A thousand cake cats are in line at desks, typing away at typewriters randomly with ill-fitted paws. They are expected to write the great play Spamlet. One manages to do so, and explodes into fireworks. THEY see this, clap wildly, bow to the audience, take a seat with Ratio in the empty theater seats that are suddenly there. THEY start to toss bits of popcorn at his face.]

Did you like it? Can a stonehead like you like anything? Eat the popcorn. It's good for you! It won't ruin your teeth!

[THEY flip their blue bangs, and wiggle THEIR feet like a schoolgirl expecting another to tell THEM about a crush.]

Do you like Aha better than that metal clunkhead? Yes! No! Maybe so?

[ Out of all the possible scenarios he could have expected, nothing prepares him for this. His hackles rise; the hair on his skin stands on end. There is a heavy, heavy pressure being exerted upon him.

This is what it means to be in the presence of an Aeon.

Ratio is usually calm under pressure. Quick to think of ideas, solutions, explanations. But in the face of THEIR jeering, his mind is, for once, frozen. It is uncomprehending of the scene before him. How does one behave in the face of such an incomprehensible being?

Aha isn't truly the antithesis of Nous; that honour belongs to Mythus the Enigmata, but the chaos they cause throws wrenches into even the surest of equations. There is nothing Ratio can use to predict Aha, or understand what THEY truly want from him. What is he supposed to do, then?

He blinks back into reality (reality? No, this is a dream, he's certain of it. But is Aha a dream? Was it possible for THEM to appear here? Wasn't this dream his memory?? How does Sampo have a memory of THEM???) when Aha starts throwing popcorn at his face, and he realizes that he's being asked a question. ]

...

[ He truly did attempt to answer, but nothing comes out of his open mouth. He closes it, brows furrowing in distress, swallows despite his mouth being far too dry, and tries again. ]

I... do not favour any Aeon over another.

[ It's the truth. ]

Oh, oh? Happy day! I eat the truth for breakfast.

[THEY reach forward to touch Ratio by the hand.]

[Ratio is turned into a rubber duck. He is sent to live in the wild lands of Rubberduckville, where a coup has occurred, and his people now live under an iron rule. He joins with others to vanquish his enemies, but not before realizing he is a chatacter in a film made by an undie animation studio that goes bankrupt after premiere.]

[Ratio is turned into an abstract painting. He is stolen by a thief, admired and kept secret in his dingy apartment for his entire life. When the thief dies at the ripe age of 74 by tripping over a cat and out a seven-story window, Ratio is left to gather dust with no one to remember his existence until the apartment building goes up in flames.]

[Ratio is turned into a math equation. He solves himself but it haunts him for the rest of his life.]

Hm, see, I could do more! But we're in a dream that's being written in a roleplay comment on a website, so none of that actually happened. [And its true, none of it did. THEY stick THEIR pinky finger out and pop bubbles that come out of THEIR mouth.] So! Smile! That's all you need.

[ It's to his credit that he doesn't flinch at the touch. Instead, he's painfully still—and then he's a rubber duck. And then he's a painting. And then he's a math equation.

Except none of that happened and he has no idea what Aha's talking about. He's reeling from existing in forms he never thought possible (but it didn't happen), and so disoriented he's not even certain he exists the way he's meant to right now. If he thought Penacony's twisting dream rooms were terrible, this was a thousand times worse.

So, when Aha simply commands him to smile, he just stares blankly at THEM. ]

...Smile?

[ It comes out shaky and utterly confused. ]

Smile.

[Smile.]

[THEY pop their head off and give it to Ratio to hold. THEY then go off to have a picnic with the ambassador of inflated ladybugs to reduce war tensions. The coins snuffle over the floor to eat up the pieces of popcorn. Multiple versions of THEM pop up around Ratio and start clapping, cheering. One of them is dressed like Ratio himself, though its alt colors since its his fighting game version.]

Smile! Smile! Smiiiiile! Smile! [One of THEM sneezes THEIR heart out, which flops on the floor in bloody agony, gives an oratorio about the dangers of soap ingestion, and dies.] One thing to make you laugh! Two things to make you smile! Three things...forgot it! Sampo Koski is a Masked Fool, and I am a ball!

[One of THEM grabs Ratio's chin with a smirk to hold it firm. THEY are drawing a chalk outline around the dead heart. Sampo's voice says, gently.]

C'mon, doc. A smile would do you some good, here. Please the audience for once.

Edited 2024-06-09 18:54 (UTC)

[ He's got a head in his hands. There is too many of THEM. A heart on the floor, an outline as if this were some historical crime show. Like it was his heart that might be next. The scene in front of him is still too surreal.

He vaguely wonders if the Dreamscape Store in the Golden Hour sells dreams to this effect. Maybe this whole thing, including his arrival to this broken planet, was just all a dream, and in reality he was only trying to run away from the uncertainty of Aventurine's fate. Maybe he never confessed at all. Maybe he's just in denial.

For once, the truth eludes him, and without that, what is he left with? He's not certain anymore. ]

I-I... what reason do I have to smile? YOU haven't given me one. If YOU are the Aeon of Elation, then YOU should know that YOUR display is far more unsettling than pleasing to the average human.

[ He stares at THEM defiantly, trying to claw back his sanity, his grounding, and his truth. ]

[THEY look amongst each other, almost a little confused. THEY take the one dressed as Ratio and turn THEM into a podium THEY sit at. One of THEM shows a score of "1". The next shows a score of "3.14". The last shows a score of...nothing. There is nothing on the scorecard and it is desperately trying hard to be something. Ratio is at a desk, and it is trying to converse with him in a long-forgotten language all while patting him on the shoulders with spindly metal legs.]

Unsettling! Unsettling. Did you think Aeons were easy to encapsulate, put to equation, solve? Like your thesis. Clunkhead thinks the same, and that's a machine. That's the joke here. I swam all the way here, and boy, are my arms tired!

[THEY reach deep into his mouth to pull out a little casino chip. THEY blow on it, and it blossoms into a casino chips bouquet, which they present to Ratio!]

You are alive! Your luck is here! are you not happy? Aha is embarrassed. Aha has no face. Aha has no face. Ratio has a face. Stonehead and all. But no smile. No smile?

[ He's starting to get his bearings again. The scene before him is surreal, yes, but in the end, all things can be reasoned through, even if THEY claim the opposite. Sure, an Aeon cannot be easily encapsulated, but is this... thing in front of him truly an Aeon? Or just an approximation of one?

Ratio gingerly takes the bouquet of casino chips. His luck. His happiness. Aventurine.

Just the mere thought of him is enough to clear his mind, and he sees the truth in front of him for what it is. As with all Aeons, the Aeon of Elation has always only ever been interested in one thing. There is no need to fear the being before him. ]

...YOU are correct. I am happy now. Happier than I have ever been before. There will be challenges we must face once we return home, but... A happiness that one fights for is all the sweeter, in my opinion. And I will fight to keep it in my grasp. Can you understand that, Aeon?

[ He's smiling, soft and warm, casino chips in his hand and the spark of challenge in his eyes. ]

[There is no need to fear Elation.]

[Except, there is every need to fear it. After all, it isn't as if THEY are known as a benevolent god. The very nature of THEIR being is whim. The twists of fate can be both wondrous and cruel, toxic and healing. There is no rhyme or reason. A planet can be half blown up, and thousands would cheer.]

[The casino chips start to melt, before they solidify into little grains of sand that sit down and agree amongst themselves to split the economy. Stocks rise. Stocks fall. Stocks explode. A single store manages to get a windfall of credits which drowns its happy occupants. The police find their bodies with bills stuffed in each orifice, impossibly, tragically.]

[THEY smile a cruel, cruel grin, hand reaching to pluck out one of Ratio's eyes, turn it into an aventurine stone, and crunch it into THEIR teeth until it bleeds.]

You can fight! You can perish like a worm. You will be bones to play a song on. Aha needs to dance, Aha needs to dance! Oh, how funny it is. You're nothing. But your smile is everything!

[But now that Aha has gotten their smile, THEY are bored, even as THEY pluck it out and hang it to admire. A cacophony of laughter resounds. Ratio is to be twisted, wrung like cloth, shuffled into cards, buried ten feet under ground, eaten, spit out, resurrected, cloned, destroyed, and every step, every moment, THEY clap and holler and weep and cheer.]

You will fight! The professor, a fighter, a lover, a poet, a dimwit, an idiot! If you say "Aha" with your whole heart, you will find enlightenment! I promise!

[This has been a presentation the whole time on a grainy old TV screen. The display pauses, and Sampo Koski pops out the tape from the player, heaving a little sigh. All the madness has ended. He looks a little weary, but he's smiling as he always does as he walks over to the good professor who is very much himself.]

Wow, that was a lot, huh? [A little shake of the head, as he pockets the tape and takes the man gently by the arm.] Time to go to bed, doc. Here we go.

[He's leading Ratio back to a bed that's inexplicably here, before settling him back, fluffing his pillow, tucking him in.]

Sleep tight, Dr. Ratio. Don't let the bedbugs bite!

[A little playful smooch on the cheek, and he's gone.]

[And Ratio is awake in his bed, like none of it ever happened. Dreams are just dreams, after all.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

PRE-FIGHT EVENT #1

▶ 001. STORM CHASERS.

▶ 002. THE STORM CALLS.

▶ 003. CITY OF DREAMS.

▶ 004. REST & RECOVERY

▶ 005. AFTERWORD.

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1/3 I'M SCREAMING

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2/2 cw: it's hella weird up in here

i do not have any appropriate icons for this smh

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1/2 cw: body horror

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