TRAVEL LOG #5

[synfluxmods]

TRAVEL LOG #5

CONTENT WARNINGS: death, nightmares, gun violence, survival scenario

▶ 001. EYES WIDE OPEN.

"Angels of Lilith, report for duty in the DISPATCH."

The day starts off with alarms blaring and oculars shining bright lights in the Outsiders' heads, waking them up early for an emergency dispatch. Although the current Rift at Mt. Fuji needs to be explored and examined, the Rifts continue to appear in different parts of the world, and this Rift is no different. Captain Yamakawa continues,

"We have received a distress call from EGYPT. Much of the region fell during the first kaiju crisis. Now it is a desolate land that survives with the help of a generator called an ESSENCE which is currently malfunctioning. We assume the cause is Rift energy—according to our radar, there is a heavy amount of Rift energy coming from that area. We will move out immediately. Pack all the things you may need, but each Outsider will be supplied with a care package of their own containing essentials."

Even though it is 4:00 AM Tokyo time, LILITH hopes you all have slept well. It could be the very last good sleep in awhile. While the dataportal to Egypt is operational on Japan's end, because of the malfunctioning generator, Outsiders are unable to come out on the other side. The old method of using the flying cruiser will be used once again.

There will not be assigned seating for this other than by teams. Everlights will sit with Everlights, Brimstones with Brimstones, and so on. The Outsiders will be encouraged to rest on the flight, and a few hours before landing, an in-flight meal will be provided. The meal is surprisingly delicious and consists of chicken or pork katsu cutlet, but with the warning that all Outsiders will know about: it contains high amount of cyber caffeine. This sort of newly innovative caffeine can keep Outsiders awake for several days, but sometimes it may cause restlessness or hyperactivity, causing characters to have a jittery amount of energy but razor sharp focus. Other times, it simply keeps characters awake and they feel no different. The cutlet will be served with KAIJU™ Energy Drink. Any Outsiders that require a different diet will be provided with what they need, and the cyber caffeine will be added to it if they would like.

Yamakawa gives instructions again:

"We have received more information about the kaiju. Civilians have died in their sleep from horrible nightmares, and we are encouraging Outsiders to sleep together in pairs or groups, or disregard sleeping at all until we obtain more information. We are still receiving facts about this monster, but this meal will help with keeping everyone awake as a safety measure."

Those who do not want to have the highly caffeinated meal can have everyone's favorite: a ration bar that isn't spiked with any energy, but it doesn't taste good at all. Outsiders may be more likely to fall asleep and be in danger by choosing this meal. The balance of a dystopian society.

▶ 002. ARRIVAL IN EGYPT.

When they finally arrive, the air is temperate and dry in Alexandria. The Outsiders might have to check their clocks once more to make sure everything is right; everyone is expected to land in the late afternoon and every clock says it should be close to evening, but the city is already growing dark with the sun setting quite early. Because of the ESSENCE disruption, Alexandria is running on back up energy, which makes for spotty lighting and loss of basic power.

LILITH will be greeted by a small group of researchers at the airport and they will help take the Outsiders to their base: the Alexandria Institute which was once the University of Alexandria. They will give the Outsiders a quick run down of the situation and some background.

1. LILITH does not have a strong defense branch in the region any more. Instead, the branch here seems more focused on research, especially on the origin of kaiju and rifts.
2. This region is extremely prone to spontaneous Rifts. Many of them are small and pass quickly but this most recent one is unprecedented.
3. One evening, in the final week of March, the Alexandria Institute received a corrupt file from their fellow researchers in Greece. It shut down much of their research facility (including their warp portal) and all they have been able to recover so far are the words, "Do Not Go To Sleep."
4. The next morning, they awoke to find the sun rising later and setting earlier. It feels like the days are getting significantly shorter.
5. Many locals developed a fear of the dark and going to sleep. They would then die in their sleep within the next few days.
6. The autopsy of these victims have shown no cause of death, puzzling coroners.

Progress has been slow because the corrupt file shut down many of their facilities. They have not been able to track the source of the Rift or identify the kaiju responsible for it. They believe the answers may be within the corrupt file and will be happy to receive any help they can get from the Outsiders.

When they arrive at the Institute, Outsiders will be set up in the old student dormitories. Each room has 2-4 beds depending on the room, with a common shared area on each floor. Given the current threat, there is also a supply of energy drinks and bars boosted with cyber caffeine. Outsiders have two options:

1. OPTION ONE: Stay in Alexandria and help the researchers with the generators, while keeping themselves and teammates awake during the night by playing games.
2. OPTION TWO: Go out into the Egyptian desert on camel-back, spending time getting to know their camel before heading out.

OOC NOTE: While players may write prompts for both options, we ask that you submit for a clue only once per player (not per character, as we have a lot of characters in game now!)

▶ 003. LEARN & EXPLORE. (ALEXANDRIA RESEARCH.)

Times are hard in Alexandria right now with their generators malfunctioning and efforts being split. The researchers are trying to get the generators back up and uncorrupt the data they received from Greece. LILITH will instruct the Outsiders to help with the research but also warn that they cannot afford to just sit around and wait to crack codes. The researchers also agree. Sometimes the best way to get research data is to go out into the field, but they haven't been able to do it due to not having much protection. The desert is vast, and there have been sightings of other small kaiju lurking beneath the sand and in some smaller cities.

Outsiders can decide to stay in the city of Alexandria to help crack the codes, or they can opt to go out into the field. For the latter, they can choose to stay close to home and investigate within Alexandria.

Those who wish to help with the ESSENCE generators and researchers will stay in Alexandria, using any downtime when not investigating to try and stay awake, slumber-party style. Two Truths and a Lie? Maybe Spin The Bottle? Perhaps some games can keep Outsiders enticed so they don't doze off.

▶ 004. FEELING SANDY (DESERT EXPLORATION.)

For those who wish to explore the desert and smaller cities, Alexandria Institute will supply what they need, such as water, food, essential tools for digging, sleeping bags (no sleeping, but maybe for resting!) and anything else. To conserve energy, the researchers supply camels for the Outsiders to use. The camels are mostly tame, but have their own distinct personalities, so they may need a little more handling and can be coaxed to behave with treats like artificial carrots and bananas. Outsiders can spend time getting to know their camel if they are going to explore the desert or cities. A camel can seat two people on its back comfortably, but also carry any essentials that travelers need to bring along.

In the distant small cities and across the desert, Outsiders will come across Sand Crocodiles, one of the smaller kaiju that have been inhabiting the desert. These monsters are basically crocodiles but with a twist: they can spit fire if angered and they can camouflage in the sand. They hide strategically, and one wrong step will cause them to push their jaws out of the ground, harming a person or camel. The stubby quills along their backs or rounds of their horns aren't entirely covered while hiding, so watch carefully. Fortunately, Outsiders will be supplied with a shotgun. Aiming between the eyes or in the mouth will kill it, but also beating it with the back of the shotgun will also do the trick. And yes, they also taste like crocodile too, if anyone is hungry.

After exploring, Outsiders are requested to report their findings back in Alexandria.

▶ 005. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our fourth travel log!

Welcome to the new and improved Travel Log! Below, you will see the link to the MONSTER DEBRIEF SHEET post that has information about the kaiju below along with RIFT EFFECTS. Fill out the form for RNG Attacks and whether you would like to receive a RIFT EFFECT. This should give characters some ideas for the status of their character in the next log, which will have more action and monsters in it. Outsiders may use the CHAT to report and discuss any findings.

We thank you in advance for your patience as we try out this new format!

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

EVENT BREAKDOWN/RECAP (CLICK TO EXPAND)

1. EYES WIDE OPEN: Outsiders travel to Egypt after receiving reports of their power generator, ESSENCE, being unstable and malfunctioning, leaving citizens in peril. They are instructed to "stay awake." They are supplied cyberpunk caffeine and told to try not to sleep or stay in pairs to be watchful of any danger.

2. ARRIVING IN EGYPT: Arriving in Alexandria, the Outsiders are confirmed that citizens have been dying in their sleep, with coroners unable to determine the cause. The days are mysteriously getting shorter and people are unable to stay awake.

3. LEARN & EXPLORE: Outsiders are given options to stay in Alexandria to help with the generator or find clues to assist the research team. Between researching, they are asked to continue to stay awake by any means possible. Those who will be exploring the desert and smaller cities for clues are given a camel for transportation. Outsiders are encouraged to get to know their camel before traveling.

4. FEELING SANDY: While looking for any clues out in the desert, Outsiders encounter smaller kaiju known as Sand Crocodiles. They hide in the sand and attack at the opportune time, snapping jaws and spitting fire. Shooting them between the eyes or in the mouth will K.O. them.

code

Comments

Ratchet | Transformers (IDW G1) | Redemption

[asafepairofhands]

001: Keeping Cool
Ratchet is spending most of his time tending to others as part of the medical staff in between helping Ratio with his experiments. There have been so many overheated and dehydrated patients that eventually he gives up treating them individually and sets up shop. He collects as much bottled water as he can carry, transforms into an ambulance, and lets his hard light avatar start shuffling people inside. The air conditioning is blasting and the bottled watter is collected in coolers both in the front cab and in the back of the ambulance, which fits maybe six or eight people and also has AC. If you really need to get out of the heat, this is the place, if you don't mind being inside a robot alien's body. He... doesn't mention that unless asked directly.


002: Offering Rides
In addition to helping people keep cool, Ratchet is offering assistance for the... less camel-inclined. He went and got himself some sand tires, since trying to walk on the sand as a giant robot hadn't really worked out. He's tending to patients near the camels, but if anyone is really struggling with them he'll offer to take them where they need to go. If you want a comfortable passenger seat and some air conditioning instead of a camel ride, he's your robot. As long as it doesn't take him away from his patients for too long.


Wildcard
Please hit me up at thechariot if you'd like to do anything else!

[likemybooks]

I believe it's the composition of minerals in their organic matter that counteracts the rift effects, but that will require more lab work. What I do know is that amulets are stylish.

[He holds up one bone that he had been carving into. Rivets and grooves line the surface in a simple art form.]

[queenofkur]

[ Now she looks confused. And while she has never tested her cages, she does her very best to make sure they're as comfy as can be! ]

Heh? U-Unfortunately, I do not...

[ Why would she have a change of clothes at the ready? Clothes fit for a man and for his exact size, no less. Those are crazy expectations. Maybe... ]

... Did the cold get to his head?

[ She says to herself, but she's not sure what to do here! Is that what people call a brain freeze? ]

[asafepairofhands]

Oh, huh. I'll have to tell Ratio about it if he doesn't already know, though he probably does. [He leans in to inspect the amulet, then nods.]

It looks good. Do you... want any help? That's a lot of bones to get through and I've got built in heavy-cutting tools.

[egraegis]

Mm... it has made everything here more difficult. Even the brief moments we've been able to catch for sleep has been... complicated.

[Athrun pauses again, taking in the air quietly as well, and wondering how the hell to approach this gracefully. There probably isn't a way.]

Have you had any strange or especially vivid dreams?

[likemybooks]

[The scenery shifts, the memory skips travel, fear is replaced by hope, but soon trepidation returns as you're in a bustling port down, obviously out of place among the working people with your shining armor. Everyone gives you a strange glance, which you response with a glittering smile, and a thought--

This is better than home.

Pops up over and over again. You'll come back home eventually, and your father will see you as something other than an embarrassment. The rest of the memory is a haze, a mix of conversations and questions about where the nearest tavern popular with adventurers is, and the worry that this won't work out manifests as a quiet anxiety that's always there. Though you're more free than you had ever been before, you know that you are all alone, truly, in an unfamiliar town.

Taryon begins to realize that someone is inside his memories, and as he fights for control, attempts to think back to the present day before this one goes too far.] How do you get out of this? [A voice coming from all directions: the actual Taryon.] Who's in there?

[copy]

[ VASH YOU'VE BEEN IN NEO-TOKYO FOR MONTHS, THERE'S NO EXCUSE. But no, it's fine. Yuta's been abroad before and so he knows better than to expect everyone to just know. He'll take the accidental win. ]

It's nice to meet you too, Vash-san. It's okay.

[ Is it tho?? First he gets mistaken for Kenjaku (which, understandable), then a drugs dealer, and then Sukuna... it just keeps getting worse. At least it can't get any worse than the latter. (Probably. Hopefully. Please don't prove him wrong.) ]

Superhero...? [ A superhero school sounds pretty cool and maybe Jujutsu High can sort of be considered like one when they've been fighting to protect people in secret, but Yuta is shaking his head. He sure can't think of himself as a hero or anything so grand. ] No, it's a school for Jujutsu sorcery. We're Jujutsu sorcerers.

[ To that last statement he can nod with confidence when Yuji's expressed to him how glad he is to have someone around his age again, adding with sincerity: ]

I'm just happy I can be there for Itadori-kun.

[queenofkur]

No, it's fine.

[ If anything, what he says makes her happy. It's true she sees a lot of endings - or the result of those endings, rather. ]

I'm glad you think that way. I-I never suspected people would appreciate my work so much... [A pause.] It makes it less painful when I'll go back there.

[ She tilts her head. ]

Thanks, Vash. You're really very sweet.

[copy]

ah, about that...
i have some difficulties sleeping, so i might need a little help with that.

[ Kind of an embarrassing thing to admit like this, but it's probably important to note here. ]

i could drain my cursed energy to tire myself out faster, but that's not ideal for this.

[copy]

[ He's starting to take note of the way Harumasa keeps rubbing his neck and both that and whatever disturbs his sleep are rather worrying. Before he can think of more reassurances to voice or a polite way to ask in a manner that's more subtle and not nosy, the abrupt scrutiny he suddenly comes under stops Yuta short. Did he say something wrong? He'd just been trying to commiserate as someone also plagued by nightmares. Ones that do often happen to involve being a monster too, as it happens, but he's not sure if that's something he should bring up when he isn't even sure if that's truly what haunts Harumasa from the little bit of sleep talking he caught. Especially not when Harumasa is sitting up and getting so serious.

Yuta's head cants to the side ever so slightly, questioning and a little nervous at the abrupt shift in attitude, until that question is posed and his eyes dart away promptly; telling all on its own. Perhaps if Yuta's whole demeanor didn't turn sheepish and distinctly caught, it could have been feigned as looking away in thought, but alas. ]

Uh, I- ...I'm not sure. A few hours, probably? [ Maybe. He hasn't been keeping track. ] But it's fine! I'm used to it.

[ Like that makes it better... It doesn't, and he only belatedly realizes how that sounds after the words have already left his mouth. Oops. Time to be the one to laugh it off and quickly try to change the subject, glancing back. ]

Does your neck hurt? I can help with that.

[followyourstar]

I'm not going to say it can't, but it normally doesn't. Not when I'm just looking at something. Or seeing it.

["Looking" implies they have some kind of control]

Me neither. Which means we have some idea what it looks like now. Maybe we can use that information to help narrow down a weak point.

[misclassed]

Is that all? That's easy. I can manage that without a forge.

[ hehe, its nice to find people who value his skills. ]

I'm best with katana—you know, those blades with the single sharp edge we've got in Japan? [ considering how this guy butchered his name, he has a feeling... he sketches the shape on the back of the seat in front of them: the subtle arc of the tempered curve. ] But I'm good enough to do other forms, so don't worry about it if you're not used to them.

Most of my best work is iron, but I've done time with other metals. Like titanium, which has that pretty color that comes out when you anneal it right. Oh—and that Gigan guy had me sharpen him once, so... whatever alloy he's got. I'd give a fortune to work some of it from scratch; the sheen on it is just... [ he is NOT sighing wistfully (but his vibes definitely are) ] It's nice, you know?

HHHHHHHHHH REM!!!!!!!!!!!

[wwtd]

I can't imagine it being hotter. [ said as she waves a hand at her perspiring face. japan had hot summers, buzzing cicadas, but this is like

the sun is a microwave. she wouldn't be surprised if her insides were boiling. ]

It looked like you enjoyed the snow, though. [ their pictures they took around the plaza and the snowangels and everything else we didn't thread out WEH.

must be nice not to get hot in this heat, however. ]

Wha - it, it would work but... how are you going to shoot and hold up a coat umbrella at the same time?

[ pls demonstrate ]

[powderkegs]

[ she sighs. gives him a long look. ]

What are you doing.

[the_fourteenth]

[This is so much to take in at once. Raidou isn't sure how or where to react first. His instinct is to grab his sword and defend those who need it, but it doesn't apply here. So instead, he feels frozen to the spot, eyes wide at the carnage the likes he's not seen outside a kaiju fight.

Kaga's voice brings him back down to focus.]

1942. 20 years past my own time.

[He'd done some reading up on the history between his own time and present-day Neo Tokyo, and even now, the World Wars feature heavily.]

You were there. This-- This is you.

[The ship, the planes, the weapons.

That's right, he wasn't there. He couldn't have been. So this has to be...]

A dream. Damnit. It really is happening again.

[Referring to the shared memories. You know he's mad when he drops an expletive.]

[not_laurent]

Perhaps! Have you shared your world's idea of technology to the LILITH scientists?

[An honest question. Maybe. Or maybe Silco should do something about it instead of just griping!]

With all the people here from so many different worlds and times, I bet there is a lot we could share with them, in that regard.

[not_laurent]

[Roland sighs deeply, nodding.]

They did warn us it was bound to happen, hmm? Can't stay awake forever though, no matter how many chemicals you get pumped full of.

[Thinking back on the dream, something is nagging at Roland. He swore he could have seen Athrun there, but how would that make sense? While it was a pretty vivid memory, it was also a dream... Perhaps his mind was play tricks on him, sliding Outsiders into the background?

He looks thoughtful for a moment.]

Though, it felt less like a dream, and more like... a replay. Don't usually have dreams like that...

[blastedass]

Damn. But we have a chance to wake them up before they get to that state.

Yeah? What're you suggesting? A damn kiss and call? We need to snap them out of it quickly!

Hmph. But if everyone's stuck at those phases, we're not gonna be able to get the kind of rest we need to function properly after a while.

[blastedass]

[The goal's to wake them up before they get so riled up in fear or excitement, they have a damn heart attack and die. If they try to punch back, good; that means they're awake and the danger's past! Bakugo has every intention of decking the person he's sleep guarding if they show signs of distress.]

The worm made people think someone important to them was out in the desert. You heard their voice or saw their image. Anyone who tried to stop you appeared as an enemy.

[And the desire to rescue said person made any interloper a target for the Outsider's increased aggression. It was a dirty fucking trick that either set them against each other or lured them out as prey.]

[blastedass]

[Ratio. Vash will eventually start to get used to and suss out Bakugo's nicknames. It's rare he ever changes them. They usually have something to do with a person's physical appearance or a quickly-realized character trait. Mostly childish insults. Go figure. Undercut.]

Aa. They're either getting smarter or realizing they're being hunted down.

[Which makes him wonder, if they are coming from the rifts, how long any one kaiju has been in this world at a given encounter. Years? A few months? Weeks? If they keep dying, and they're more intelligent than they seem, shouldn't that send a message back "home" not to come here?! Bastards.]

Hmph. Fine. You probably don't need as much sleep?

[Being a plant and all.]

[followyourstar]

[stare..........]

< ...Since when is poisoning mundane? >

[powderkegs]

[ maybe silco doesn't realize it. this is his blind spot after all. but the cadence of his voice when reciting a story, a legend long gone by reminds her of vander, sitting by their bedsides. telling them about the wind woman. her eyes flutter as she takes it in. ]

Sounds like you both shared a lot of stuff.

[egraegis]

I'll have to look them up sometime, then.

I'm amazed you have such a robust emoji vocabulary but no one seems to have taught you exact slang yet.

[sanguivorous]

[He chuckles along with him, a little more dry but still a sign of being in the same boat.]

Don't worry, I have been here for months and I still don't quite know what "cyber" even means. But, no, that's not the reason.

[He gives a sigh, dramatic as if he was so put upon.]

Really, I ought to just wear one of those "Hello, I'm..." stickers but instead of my name write "a vampire" on it. It gets so tiresome having to repeat it.

[blastedass]

[is it any surprise bakugou would brush these things off? he was back in school a few days after getting kidnapped, was back in the battlefield a month after almost dying in a war, angrily stomped off his humiliation on the first class test when he entered u.a., and many other elements of trauma and hardships. as denji eases his arms from his back and lets him rest, bakugou reaches up and settles his hand on the other boy's head, fingers splayed over his cheek and jaw, thumb easing back and forth on his cheekbone. no longer trapped in the dream, he's able to rest once more, though whether he'll be sleeping again for a while is... hard to say. even if he wants to put everything behind him, his adrenaline is only slowing down, not stopping. they'll have to sleep sometime. staying awake isn't an option, else they'll crash and burn when the time to fight comes. besides, the longer someone goes without sleeping, when they do sleep, the harder it'll be to wake them up if something happens.

talking about his almost death isn't something bakugou likes to do. he explained what happened to denji in the days following his return to neo tokyo. how the war got started, the villains and heroes involved, how they separated their opponents, but wins and losses took their tolls, how shigaraki wrecked his arm and blew up his heart and lungs, midoriya's return and battle, todoroki and uraraka's fight against the villains they both desperately wanted to save, each one leaving them with mental and physical scars. denji knew the story now, though bakugou's still not aware his boyfriend had just been forced to view a first-person memory of his death. it's one reason why he's more intent on brushing past this, thinking denji's heard the details before and doesn't need to dwell on how close the man he loved came to dying. who wants to dwell on such sorrow and fear? that's asking for denji to have nightmares next time! as for why the kaiju picked this memory? ... who knows. it's an opportunistic asshole.

as denji moves to his side of the bed, bakugou sits up, one knee tenting beside him as he turns to face his boyfriend, other leg left bent and braced on the futon. he drops an arm over his lifted knee, other hand braced to the ground below. something's wrong. the way the half-devil's combing his hair too roughly, the distracted look in his eyes, the heavy breathing trying to control himself, a racing heart not yet calmed... it's not that he's asking denji not to give a shit. but getting worked up and angry about something in the past denji wasn't around for and couldn't control will only make his boyfriend riled and emotional.

as for what to do to pass the time, that's a topic to itself.]

Haa? [okay, now scratch all that. bakugou blinks, staring at denji with one eye slightly wider than the other, lips curled in an expression of confusion and dawning realization.] You saw?