TRAVEL LOG #2

[synfluxmods]

TRAVEL LOG #2

CONTENT WARNINGS: natural disaster, acid rain, vehicle crash.

▶ 001. WINGING IT.

In the early morning hours of the 1st, Outsiders will receive a rude awakening blaring through their implants. No matter what they do, the alarm will not stop sounding until they are forced to get up. A message will flash through their vision:

ALL OUTSIDERS ARE TO REPORT TO THE HANGAR IMMEDIATELY FOR DEPARTURE

Get up, get dressed in your plugsuit, and it’s time to go! Once they report at the hangar, they will be met with a huge spacecraft, large enough to fit at least 80 people. This will be their mode of transport to their next location.

"My Angels of Lilith. You are needed once again. We have received distress signals from the neighbouring country of South Korea. Unfortunately, since we have not established data portals in that country, we require you to embark via air. Your aircraft is ready for you and your seats have been assigned. I bid you a safe journey."

True enough, there are more than enough seats on the LILITH SKY CRUISER to accommodate every Outsider, and to get everyone organized quickly for departure, all Outsiders will receive a seat number. Like any plane, seats are rather cramped and there isn’t much leg room. Once the seatbelt sign is off, Outsiders are free to stand up and move around the cruiser, but they might have to climb over other people or make the whole row stand up to give them room. The aircraft is serviced by robotic stewards serving light snacks of nuts and crackers, and coconut crab kimbap and seaweed soup at meal time. Any characters who use a cloaking device will be instructed to use it during the flight to accommodate the aircraft. Also, any characters who rely on a weapon or anything else (such as a Gundam), it will be loaded onto the cargo of the aircraft.

The flight will take about 2-3 hours. Outsiders may take a nap, chat or try the inflight entertainment available. This inflight entertainment is delivered through a virtual reality headset. Outsiders may pick a selection of AI movies of questionable quality, along with several virtual reality games. There are single player or multiplayer options available for every game.

Available games include:

• The Sims 30: One player gets to become the ‘god’ of a world and build houses or dictate the lives of other players and NPCs within the game as they see fit.
  
• Farm Crossing: A farming simulator game where players get to build and manage their own farms. Harvest your crops and tend to your animals! Impress the friendly villagers in the town with your beautiful ranch!
  
• Tales of Heroes: A fantasy game where players are reborn into a world of monsters and magic and have to level up by fighting monsters and slaying demons.
  
• And many more … (Feel free to design your own VR games.)

Eventually, the sky cruiser will touch down on Incheon Airport. There’s no need to be stuck waiting in line at immigration... it appears as if the Incheon Airport has not been used in decades and seems completely abandoned with the exception of the Outsiders. The old scanning machines and luggage belts are simply collecting dust. Outsiders will be ushered immediately to the nearest train station, where they will continue their journey by train.

▶ 002. WELCOME TO SEOUL.

Once descended from the train ride, they will have arrived in the city of Seoul, South Korea. Similar to Neo Tokyo, a lot of the people on the outskirts moved to this area in order to receive shelter and the benefits of being amongst civilization, rather than fending for themselves. As such, there is a certain hustle and bustle, but considering the state of their dilapidated airports and most of the other cities falling to ruin, there definitely is a more somber vibe to the city. Despite that, the residents carry on and there is no shortage of shopping, food stalls (mostly with foods that are not easy to perish), cafes, pojangmacha to have a late night food or drink at, and many more smaller businesses. The people are resilient and have every single desire to continue making a living. As such the prices here are competitive and Outsiders will find if they look hard enough, there are some fairly good deals to be made. Currency exchange is no issue, as KRYPTOS is the universal currency.

Since a lot of efforts were made to keep Seoul intact, there are still some important sights that were kept up and can be visited if desired. While LILITH urges people to keep their eyes peeled out for any clues to the next kaiju’s whereabouts, Seok Dang may or may not have sent each Outsider a map of the best sightseeing amongst many other not-so-innocent suggestions. He calls it the difference of experiences and “doesn’t want anyone missing out!” If people check back on the message a day later, they will find it was almost as if it didn’t exist at all. On the list, however, includes sights like the Gyeongbokgung Palace, COEX mall and aquarium, Seoul Sky, and many others. However, some of them may or may not exist anymore. How long was he out of the country for? For an extra “freebie” he throws in, Outsiders will find an odd message on their style upgrade saying there is a new outfit available, when opened, it will download a hanbok that they can wear at any time.

"Well, well. Unfortunately, whatever fun could have been planned will need to be halted just a mere two and a half days to get settled. Once again, a message will be produced on everyone’s oculars suggesting an emergency is on the horizon. Guess we better get to that instead of showing you my home country!"

And Seok Dang wonders why he is the Commander's least favorite.

Beep! An alert pops up on the Outsiders' ocular devices. According to the information LILITH just received, there is not just one large kaiju occupying this region, but two. In order to chase both of these leads, Outsiders are split into two groups in order to chase these two kaiju. They have described these kaiju as being very agile and fast, but resembling a serpent from the few sightings that have been spotted. As for the rift that it originated from, there is no sign of a rift in South Korea. Did it migrate here from somewhere else? More details will pour into the Outsider's devices as soon as possible, but for now, Outsiders are called to pursue the hunt.

▶ 003. TEAM SEOUL.
_{EVERLIGHT & REDEMPTION}

Within the next hour, rain will begin to fall upon the city, but this is far from the average summer shower. The precipitation doesn’t seem weather-related as much as it does seem to be a proponent of the kaiju’s abilities. They find this when studying the rain itself, which is acidic to the touch. While the buildings and other structures will remain sound, the people will need to evacuate quickly in order to avoid any lingering effects to the skin. Skin contact with the acid rain will cause both minor and severe burning, depending on how quickly it is rinsed off with normal water. At the first discovery of the acid rain's danger, Outsiders will be commanded to press a button on their plugsuit on the left shoulder, activating an invisible helmet to keep their heads and faces safe.

The Outsiders’ plug suits prevent them from receiving any damages from the rain, but that’s certainly not the case for everyone else. The first team, made up of the members of Everlight and Redemption are to prioritize the initial evacuation of the people, especially those who live slightly outside of the city limits of Seoul. They are the most vulnerable during crises like these and will need to be pulled from their homes, and those who live in the basement shelters will need to be pulled to one higher ground in case of potential flooding with the acid rain. Individuals who have skills in healing will also be called forth in order to tend to the injuries of those who are saved.

Between evacuation, there will also be tidbits of information provided to those on the team that remains in Seoul to check out specific locations in order to figure out more about this kaiju. The first location listed is Gyeongbokgung Palace. Outsiders that remain in Seoul will be utilizing that as their base. They are set to look at any remains the kaiju may have left behind. Any findings are commanded to be surrendered to LILITH. Emergency response of South Korea will use this palace as a safe haven, providing cots for sleeping overnight and other emergency supplies.

▶ 004. TEAM BUSAN.
_{BRIMSTONE & REVELATION}

The second team will depart via train on a journey to the city of Busan. The journey is expected to take 2 hours, and while there are comfortable seats available on the train, any luxuries beyond that are minimal. At least LILITH has brought along a few VR headsets for whoever wants to kill time with games or bad movies? Anyone can sit where they'd like for this ride.

An hour into the trip, a loud crash is suddenly heard, with the entire train rocking and falling to its side. This causes a complete blackout throughout the train and it stops functioning completely, leaving Outsiders stranded within the pitch black tunnel. The train system is completely inoperable in this condition. Outsiders will need to make their own journey to the city, following the rails by foot and helping any Outsiders who happened to be injured in the crash. It’ll be dark within the tunnel, but light will soon emerge once they exit it, and they will find themselves at the foot of Mount Geumjeong.

From then on, they’ll need to put their trekking skills to the test and cross the mountainous, forested region, where they will encounter various local fauna such as snakes, deer and black bears. They will also spot many destroyed villages and temples on their way to Busan. However, evidence of the Kaiju can be found in both the subway tunnel and throughout the mountain trek, suggesting that the kaiju has moved through here. This encourages LILITH to keep Outsiders in this area. The Outsiders will need to make a campsite in one of the destroyed villages, though emergency response will also pay them a visit several days later with sleeping cots and emergency supplies. In the meantime, hopefully they brought enough food with them or know how to forage and hunt for food in the wilderness. Some of those berries out there are poisonous....

The team here will be encouraged to explore the area to find further traces of the kaiju and help any villagers who are still alive.

▶ 005. STATUS REPORT.

Promptly, at the same time, all Outsiders will receive a text message and be put in an encrypted chat-room: OPERATION: RED/BLUE
CODENAME:
LOCATION:
STATUS:
FINDINGS:
Outsiders are instructed to fill out this information and send it into the chat to communicate with one another.

▶ 006. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our second travel log!

Characters do have ASSIGNED SEATS for the duration of their flight to Incheon airport, though there are just enough empty seats that some characters can move around if they really don't like their seat buddies. Teams BRIMSTONE and REVELATION will be traveling to Busan, while teams EVERLIGHT and REDEMPTION will be staying in Seoul.

RNG below to discover what your character will find in both Seoul and Busan respectively. For the STATUS REPORT Prompt, treat it as an open chat room for all Outsiders and respond to the HEADER COMMENT. Feel free to threadjack and discuss among yourselves. You may also include this as a text prompt in your top level if you would like for people just to reply to you instead of using the header comment.

All tags on this log are worth 2 points and will count towards August AC.

EVENT BREAKDOWN/RECAP (CLICK TO EXPAND)

1. WINGING IT: Characters are told to head to the hangar for DISPATCH to SOUTH KOREA where reports of a kaiju have been seen. Characters sit in their assigned seats for a short air travel ride.

2. WELCOME TO SEOUL: We arrive in Seoul and are given orders to split into two teams: Everlight & Redemption in Seoul, Brimstone & Revelation in Busan. Seok Dang has tried to sneak in some sight seeing in between mission briefs, but it looks like there won't be much time for that, as two kaiju have been found in South Korea.

3. TEAM SEOUL: Everlight & Redemption deal with acid rain in Seoul, ushering civilians to refuge, tending to acidic burns and using Gyeongbokgung Palace as a makeshift base. Investigation hints at the kaiju being somewhere in this area as Outsiders find claws, teeth, droppings and other things that belong to a dragon-like creature.

4. TEAM BUSAN: Brimstone & Revelation board a train to Busan which has an outage, trapping them to travel along the tunnel in the dark. They arrive at the end of the tunnel at the foot of Mount Geumjeong and create a makeshift base in the village there. Investigation hints at the kaiju being somewhere in this area as Outsiders find claws, teeth, droppings and other things that belong to a dragon-like creature.

5. STATUS REPORT: Outsiders are encouraged to share their findings and speculations on the kaiju in an encrypted chat room.

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Comments

003a.

[photosympathies]

ooc: i need you to know i made a plurk being surprised about godzilla being a hot man and now we're all talking about how godzilla as a lizard is even hotter. you have a fan club.

( It's after maybe the third person complaining of a bruised arm or leg that Vash realises maybe there should be some intervention. He watches the man leave with open curiosity, and then, helplessly shoving bandages at a poor volunteer, he starts scarpering out into the rain too, almost skidding on a puddle as he goes. )

Hey!

( All but skedaddling over, too much limb. But Vash gives the man his brightest most charming smile as he reaches him, hands on his hips. ) You doing okay there, big guy? You need a break? I have a granola bar you can have?

( Because maybe it's hunger? He starts patting his pockets immediately, and then his face falls. )

Uhhh. Gimme a second.

( More firm patting. He does not have a granola bar. )

[30storieshigh]

ooc: oh gosh y'all im blushing i can't... ya right tho, he's a hot lizard and it needs to be said

[ Whatever else can be said about Vash he sure does know how to make an entrance. Looking over to see who's called out Godzilla is put in mind more of the flailing limbs of a tree in the wind than a person ]

The only "break" I require is that of our enemy's neck between my claws.

[ He crosses his arms and huffs. He's not annoyed at this fellow Outsider, the concern is actually kind of endearing, but not endearing enough to dispel the bad mood. ]

There will be plenty of time for rest and food after the last of these helpless denizens is brought to safety. [ Another huff. ] I know they are soft, yet I believed ingenuity was to make up for this. Most however act as if panicked prey, it is vexing.

[photosympathies]

ooc: apparently the godzilla lore goes wild? who knew! but i had fully intended to hit you up before all of it though it was wildly funny to have a whole bunch of people come to be like OBVIOUSLY GODZILLA IS HOT

( Claws? He looks down but no, those look like fairly well-maintained fingernails. It's not like Vash to be unused to being one thing and looking another though, so he's not going to mention it. He nods though, quick and snappy, oozing sympathy. )

Yeah, I'll bet. It's kind of frustrating knowing there's something more you could be doing, right? But uh, we shouldn't take it out on the people we're helping. They're probably not used to being strategic, right? And panic doesn't necessarily make sense. I know. ( A quick snap of two metal fingers. ) How about I come with? Then between us both we can convince people to panic later, yeah?

( Rocking on the balls of his feet. )

I don't mind, I could do with stretching my legs.

[30storieshigh]

ooc: oh the lore is an entire thing, i had a corckboard up while writing my application... no worries tho!

[ Those metal fingers certainly get Godzilla's attention! He hadn't noticed that metal arm at first, it has him looking Vash up and down a lot more closely. Besides the arm he doesn't look like a metal faker, and if he's an Outsider he should be trust worthy. Maybe he's letting some biases and his bad mood cloud his thoughts here? ]

If you wish to assist me I can not prevent you, I hold no authority over the pack. [ His arms finally uncross, but he's still looking cranky. ] However it is unnecessary. I was simply planning to render any further uncompliant civil denizens unconscious. This shall greatly reduce the efforts needed to bring them to the areas of safety.

[ please stop him. ]

[photosympathies]

The pack? That's such a fun thing to call us! ( He wants to be part of a pack, even if in No Man's Land that usually just means a whole pile of rabid dogs roaming the streets and ready to bite. Maybe that's a little too fitting for the gaggle of people LILITH brought in, but he's not going to let his smile dim. They all seem to be trying their best.

Even this guy, who thinks knocking people unconscious is a good idea. Vash pulls a face, a little spasm of something, but then he holds out his hands, placating. ) Sure, we can do that? Maybe. As a last resort, right? Because we don't want people to be scared of us when we're trying to help, that just has them running in the opposite direction. Let me come with, I'm good at talking to people.

( Maybe not. People don't trust him either. )

We just have to put our heads together, right? I'm Vash, by the way.

[30storieshigh]

When respect isn't given it is often fear that will help maintain order.

[ He fully believes that too. Once respect fails, fear for one's life is the next best thing, where neither exist you often have to kill the individual who's proving difficult. Granted... that was with titans, the more he thinks about it the more he's realizing LILITH probably won't be okay with him knocking civilian heads together to make a point. ]

Bah, very well. We will work together, you will talk, I will enforce. This will be a suitable compromise. [ That uh... wasn't a question. ] I am Godzilla.

[photosympathies]

Sure, but respect has to be earned too, right? And we're newbies here, they've got no reason to trust us! And they're already pretty afraid. I bet if we explain we're just trying to help then I'm sure they'll let us.

( Hopeless optimism? Check. But he smiles at the other man, bright and cheerful. ) Godzilla, huh? That's a cool name. All right, Mr. Godzilla, I'm Vash. I take it you've covered a few places by yourself already, right? How about you lead the way, so I don't make us cover ground you've already worked on.

( He has a feeling his new friend doesn't like to be frustrated. )

Don't worry, I'm quick!

[30storieshigh]

[ The only response to hopeless optimism right now is a non-committal grunt while he starts walking off in a direction. If Vash is as quick as he claims to be then he should be ready to follow without having to be told as much. ]

[Still something of Vash's good nature is getting through to that lizard brain. Godzilla can at least recognize he's being very rude to an ally, which is something he shoud smooth over. Humans enjoy tiny talk, right? Let's try that. ]

Your enthusiasm is a commendable quality. It has served you well dealing with the civil denizens?

[photosympathies]

Uhh.

( He really should lie, but that feels ... not very cool of him. He wants to impress Godzilla like he does everyone else, and that means being open and honest, unfortunately. So he gives him a sheepish smile as they walk, abashed. ) It depends on the people? Sometimes it works, but sometimes it's just annoying. I don't let it deter me though, because I want to help out whenever I can, you know? It's not their fault they find me strange anyway, and like I said, most of the time everyone's afraid so you have to cut them some slack.

( It's maybe a good thing Wolfwood isn't around, if he heard him talk like this he'd absolutely smack him upside the head. )

I'm used to being convincing though? At least, trying.

[30storieshigh]

[ Godzilla appreciates the honesty. It doesn't exactly raise his expectations for how well this venture is going to pan out but it speaks volumes for Vash's character. ]

There is no harm in trying one's hardest. It is admirable to do so and stay by such principles during adversity. We shall see how many denizens you convince, as for those you annoy. [ He takes a moment to crack his knuckles. ] I shall do the convincing with them.

[photosympathies]

( Admirable? Vash smiles and it's bright and pleased, because usually people tell him his hopeless optimism is a fool's game that's going to get him killed. There's even a spring in his step now as they walk, though he does keep his eyes carefully peeled for any stragglers. )

I mean, I'd do whatever you said so I'm sure we won't have a problem.

( He has this aura, you know. Bigger than him, somehow. )

Have you been here long? With LILITH, I mean.

[30storieshigh]

I have been here but an eye blink. Human time tracking is vexingly obtuse.

[ With Vash keeping a vigilant eye out Godzilla activates his ocular to look up the calender. He's never going to get used to this. ]

July. I was called robots defend during the period known as July.

[photosympathies]

( He knows Godzilla means the month, he does. But hearing the word makes him stumble a step either way. Julai still hangs heavy over his head, a conclusion he hasn't met yet but one he can't see any way around. He's doing his best to ignore it as best he can, though it festers in the back of his mind either way. )

Oh wow, did not see that stone there. ( Nailed it, it's fine! ) With the big crabs, right? Me too. How are you finding it here? Is Neo Tokyo like your home?

wow thanks 11pm auto correct i dont even know what robot replaced there...

[30storieshigh]

[ Grumpy as he may be Godzilla's at least dependable. When Vash stumbles the other man casually reaches out and grabs his shoulder, steading him without pause or commentary. He's not about to let an ally faceplant. ]

In some ways. There were lairs, ah, cities rather, like it. One in the same position in fact, though I do not think humans possessed the level of technology that is there just yet.

[ Things weren't as neon at least, that's for sure. There weren't as many flying vehicles either, there were plenty, but not nearly as much as Neo Tokyo has. ]

I find it to be an assorted sack. [ Mixed bag. ] It is interesting to live amongst humans. I enjoy their writing, their food, the art as well. Yet I ill-like being forced to hide myself as one of them. What of yourself? Is this far different from your world?

the worst thing is i apparently didn't even notice and just decided yes i understand??

[photosympathies]

Kind of? But also not. ( A shrug. ) No Man's Land - where I'm from - is completely desert the whole planet. Let me tell you, when I saw the ocean for the first time I could feel my eyes welling up! It's so big! And so blue! And so wet! We have technology though, but only the really rich can access it properly and I'm not as used to the city because I tend to stick to smaller towns back home. They're less noisy, you know?

( Also he has to keep out of the clutches of his narcissistic brother, so a wide net must be cast. But some of the way Godzilla's talking has him curious, and it doesn't exactly sound like he's keeping his otherness a secret, so maybe it's all right to ask. )

You're not human then? But LILITH's making you pretend?

( Strange, considering they outed him as a plant seconds in. If they're mistreating his new buddy he'll have to fight them. )

see it all worked out for the best then

[30storieshigh]

Ah. You are extra-terrestrial. [ He keeps running into aliens but on the bright side they're all super friendly and doing wonders to dispel his bias. ] I understand well the desire for peacefulness. It is why I myself preferred to lair under the ocean for so long.

[ That and because modern humans had this nasty habit of trying to blow him up initially. Now he's set up his bed right in the middle of Rome, who knows how that's going to pan out once he returns home. ]

Correct. I am Godzilla, not human. I must use the shape-changing technology to prevent panic amongst the civil denizens.

[ That doesn't really clarify much of anything at all but Godzilla's got Vash on this one. Activating his ocular implant he projects a hologram of his true Godzillay in front of him. ]

I can be mistaken for one of the enemy kaiju as I understand it, so this is a necessity.

🤝

[photosympathies]

Well. Kind of. The people on my planet are all humans though! They just travelled there on ships. So less aliens, more refugees?

( All human bar himself and his brother at least. And Vash does consider himself closer to them than he does Nai, his sisters. He's more human than not. It's an important distinction, and one he keeps trying to make. But he pays close attention when Godzilla brings up the projection, blue eyes going round and awed. )

Oh, wow! Look at you! You're so big! And that tail! How cool is that? ( Listen, someone has to support the big lizard man. ) That's neat. I've never seen anything like you before! But jeez I can guess how people might get you confused with a kaiju, that sucks man, I'm sorry. Especially if you don't like pretending.

[30storieshigh]

Hmm. Humans never cease surprising then.

[ And he's just going to take it at face value that Vash is one too until proven otherwise. It doesn't really matter what he is though, he's complimenting Godzilla, which is a quick way to put the lizard in a better mood than he has been. ]

It is vexing, however it is not all a negative. It allows me to observe humans close, I can enjoy their culture and foods, a fair exchange of goods as they say.

[photosympathies]

Oh! What's your favourite food so far?

( Not that he has a one track mind or anything but -- well, he does. It always pays to know his teammates snack preference though, especially because Vash likes to be a gift giver. Who knows what he might bring Godzilla in the future? Better tailor to his tastes the right way. )

But yeah I totally agree with you there! I love visiting new towns and figuring out the people. Sometimes they're so vastly different it's a little funny. Like one place I went to you weren't allowed to drink at all. I absolutely skedaddled out of there fast.

[30storieshigh]

Coffee.

[ That is not a food. He may have a Problem. More importantly Vash just keeps offering up confusion to the big guy, he's looking at the other man with his eyebrows attempting to vanish in his hairline. ]

No drinking? How then would any survive? Were they metal fakers in the guise of humans?

[photosympathies]

Oh, no. No alcohol! They drank, but it was boring.

( And he's just adding that to his current mental list of people's likes and dislikes. Though maybe he'll need a vat to have enough coffee a big lizard guy could drink. )

I think it was for religious reasons but me and religion do not get along so I didn't need anymore reason to leave, you know? I just found the nearest town with an open bar.

[30storieshigh]

Ah. Alcohol. I confess, I do not see the appeal in consuming poison as a form of recreation.

[ Says the guy who's been mainlining coffee for days but that's different. That gives him energy, makes him alert, surely there's nothing bad about coffee. ]

But each has their own, as they say. It is not my place to judge humans for their habits. [ Out-loud. ]

[photosympathies]

It's not for everyone! But sometimes you've been shot and you just really need some nice, cold beer to take the edge off.

( Almost wistful for it, which, great impression there. )

Coffee's pretty good too though. Some mornings it's the only thing helping me get out of bed. I always hate when I run out in the desert, because then it's just sand dunes and misery.

[30storieshigh]

I will have to take you at your word on this.

[ He's never really been shot in a way that was anything other than Vaguely Annoying so he'll leave that to the experts. ]

Your kind is ill-suited for the desert, yes. It is pleasant in my judgement, one of the few places on land where I can rest undisturbed. [ It's kind of weird amphibian boy doesn't dry out hiding under sand banks but hey when did Godzilla make any scientific sense. ] Though an entire planet of sand would grow tiresome quite quickly. You have my sympathy for that.

[photosympathies]

Oh, actually I guess that makes sense. We have some worms that are your size. Your other size, and they mostly get left alone.

( Unless they're disturbed by hunters, but having been swallowed by a worm himself Vash is finding it a little hard to sympathise with the creatures. He's always more fond of humans anyway, they inspire that in him. Wisely, he doesn't bring this up to Mr. Lizard, maybe he'd feel an affinity with Zazzie. ) And thanks, it's not so bad though! People have adapted! Lots of towns about, so you get to brush off the dust every now and again.

( He likes Neo Tokyo, but it's a little strange to feel homesick for No Man's Land. )

What about pizza? Have you ever tried that?