synflux | TRAVEL LOG #5

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TRAVEL LOG #5

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.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( Naked-barking-like-a-dog is going to happen in season two, mark my words. )

Like, at least once a day? Last week I tripped in front of an old lady and spilled all my jellybeans. ( Actually it had been to cover up for one of the kid's crying, but that's by the by. ) But yeah, you're right. Not many people would want to be from No Man's Land either.

[Please don't. That's just traumatizing.]

Yeah, and how many of those are on purpose?

[Look, he hasn't spent this much time around Vash and NOT realized the man often orchestrates his own mishaps for other reasons. He might look like he's scuttling around helter skelter, but he's really effectively dodging everything in the safest way possible.

It's Vash.]

And it's impossible for anyone to fix those ships and take off into space again? You've been there for over 100 years, right?

( Wow.

Being perceived. He doesn't know if he likes it or not. At least the conversation changes, though he's not sure that's any better. )

A lot of lives were lost when they did crash. People that were in cryosleep. The ones that weren't. I guess that makes it a little harder. And there's only so much my sisters can bring to the planet, you know? I imagine the humans would rather still get food and water rather than burn them all up trying to gather materials for replacements. Besides, not every plant can bring every thing, you know? So it's trial and error.

( A hum. )

Also, I don't know if you've noticed, but people working together isn't always everyone's very first instinct. I keep trying to tell everyone that if we just stopped fighting and tried to figure stuff out we might manage, but no dice. And then I guess people have settled now? The cities have more, so they might not want to leave. And they probably don't care much about the small towns.

[Bakugo's pretty perceptive. He's learned to look past people's faces and actions to see their feelings and intentions behind them. Sometimes they're nothing more than face value and obvious meaning, but often, more exists.]

You'd think everyone would gather together and try to get off the planet. [Vash said they were scattered all over, and he's not wrong about the other plants being used, but... it's hard to grasp the magnitude of Vash's planets' populace. A settled world, sure. But "ships crashed and scattered" sounds like a hell of a lot less than a settled planet. Like a sci-fi movie where the crashed didn't bother attempting to contact each other and regroup.]

So it was make or break the first few years. [Then everyone "gave up" and settled down in their individual areas.] And there's no chance of more people coming to check on the crash?

[Or were these humans all that was left of humanity in the entire universe?]

I don't know. ( Apologetic, and a little self-flagellating. ) Rem didn't tell us much when we were on the ships. I knew humanity was going to a different planet and that the Earth was a no-go. She told us all about the one we were bound for. But then after the crash ... I wasn't really in a position to help out, you know? Nobody wants a weird kid hanging around, especially when they're clearly not human.

( He doesn't blame Brad and Luida for keeping him pretty much imprisoned. He understands their fear. He was an Independent, and that was strange in itself. There wasn't a lot else they could do. )

If they knew anything in those early days they didn't tell me. And then by the time I started travelling alone the settlements were already springing up. I think there's a general consensus that there might be other people out there? But nobody's wasting time waiting.

Don't apologize for not knowing.

[Vash couldn't know everything about his world. People were people. People are unpredictable and stupid at the best of times. It sounded like a lot of those with more knowledge about the ships, piloting them, fueling them, moving them, weren't around anymore. He scowls at the idea of people not wanting Vash around, because he was a plant, thinking he was weird when he was simply looking for help. To help.]

Tch. Bastards.

[As a hero, he wants to try and save everyone. But as a human, it's hard not to think those assholes will have had it coming once they're nothing more than sun-bleached skeletons and Vash remains wandering the planet for a while longer.]

The planet was populated before your crash?

By the Toma and the worms, sure. But nothing human. Well, whatever Zazie the Beast is, but I don't think they're that.

( A question for other people, but they're not around for Vash to ask. )

Sometimes I think that's why the planet is so hostile. We shouldn't even be there, you know? Humans or plants.

So whose general consensus thinks other people are out there?

[Vash mentioned other people, hence the question. If it's just animals, he can see that. Zazie excluded.]

Duh. It wasn't the planet you were supposed to land on.

[Vash made that clear.]

( Blinking.

And then -. )

Oh, I meant out in space. The people on No Man's, the one's who crashed. Some of them think there'll be someone to notice they're missing. But it's been a hundred and fifty years, so surely they'd come and look by now, right?

No one from your home planet or any other settlements or ships have tried contacting an entire missing group?

[He hasn't talked much about what happened in Vash's world before, since the plant seemed to be really young when he was on board the space ship. But... no time like camel back.]

( He shrugs, and then realises Bakugo can't really see him. )

Not that I know of. I think Brad or Luida would have said something at some point if they'd been contacted while I was out exploring. And before the crash, Rem never said anything to us. She was mostly focused on letting us be kids, you know? Nobody's gonna tell weird little plants anything. Also I wasn't really the logistics guy. Nai would have been. He cared far more about that stuff than I did. I just wanted to play and eat.

[He can feel his shrug. They're sitting flush as it is.]

So you don't have any idea about the rest of humanity?

Not really.

( He laughs, but it's still abashed. )

I think everyone's just mostly trying to survive. No point in looking at the bigger picture, right? If they're out there then they're taking their time.

~~[I'm gonna take this to mean canon hasn't bothered answering the "what about other humans" question]~~

Of course there's a bigger picture, dammit! If no one's bothered trying to contact a fucking fleet of downed ships, that's an issue!

[Most space-dwelling stories have "home base" very interested in ships that vanish.]

ooc: they have not. wait no there's a snippet at the very end of s1 where there's someone else on a ship talking about independents so i'm imagining that means we get other humans next season but for now it's largely localised to no man's land. i could have missed something, but i don't think vash knows.

Well.

( What does that mean? He doesn't know. Hadn't considered it. Mostly because he'd been too busy being sick with grief, and then imprisoned, and then trying to figure out who he was without the two most important people to him existing in his space. He's been busy. )

If I ever go back maybe I'll ask Luida.

[*nod nod* that makes sense. i can't remember much about whether it was a thing in original trigun. been a long time. but if i go back, i'll awaken vash muse and i ain't got time for that.]

Hmph. We'll have the option to go back at some point.

[When they finish their jobs here or when LILITH decides they're done. Some people have talked about staying in Neo Tokyo, others have talked about wanting to come and go as they please, still more want to go back home to the life left behind on pause. It's a grab bag. As long as no one gets in the way of what another person wants with their wants, it shouldn't lead to problems.

As long as...]

ooc: asjdk keep him at bay.

I know. But also, it's an option, right? So maybe some people won't.

( Does that sound shady? Maybe. It's mostly just thoughtful. )

Neo Tokyo's not a bad place. It has the arcades. And the convenience stores. They might need people to stay behind and help rebuild.

I know some won't. Their lives are better here than back home.

[Especially the people who are dead in their world. Why return to that when you can have a second chance at life here?]

Aa. Our worlds are "paused" for us as long as we're here.

Wait.

( Listen.

Listen.

He didn't pick up a whole lot from the early days LILITH-spiel. )

Paused? Like ... nothing happens?

Aa. When I was pulled here the first time, I remembered the exact moment I left.

[Standing on a building, pain and life in his body, smoke around him, interjected between All Might + Edgeshot and that overgrown child, the greatest villain his world's ever known: All for One.]

When I was sent back home, that same moment continued as if I never left.

[Over a year spent in Neo Tokyo, all his experiences, physical, emotional, mental, completely and utterly as if it never happened. His life picked up without missing the fragmentest of a second.]

As far as we're concerned, for each of us, our world's timeline is frozen.

But what about everyone else? Like the other people who live there. Your friends? Are they just stopped too?

( Because it's been sitting in the back of his mind the longer he stays here. On No Man's Land he's a calamity. He's a threat. But here he's been surviving. Nobody's been hurt because of him. He'd started to think maybe he could just ... not go home. Let everyone else live their lives. Stay out of the way where it's better for them.

But if that stops them getting the things they worked hard for. If Wolfwood doesn't ever get to go back home - he couldn't do it. It wouldn't be fair. )

As far as you're concerned, yeah. Once you go back, everything picks up right where it left off.

[He knows it's confusing, and while he could use analogies to try and help, they usually confuse people more when they don't make the same links he does using the stupid analogy.]

When Wolfwood came here, he didn't come from the exact same point of time you did, right?

[A few days, maybe weeks or months, ahead of or behind Vash on their world's timeline.]

It never really came up.

( Because they DID NOT talk about it on account of them avoiding the fact that Wolfwood sent Vash to Knives, so don't look this way for any reasonable behaviour. He knows Roberto is dead though, but that could have been at the same time he was fighting his brother. Still, he's trying to figure it out. )

Is it one of those parallel line things? We're the same world but Wolfwood's still gets to move on even if I'm here?

Something like that. We're separate from our world's timelines.

[How the hell does he describe this without coming across as weird, confusing, or nihilistic?]

We're embodiments of a single point of time on our lives and worlds' timeline. Like a damn snapshot of "us" was taken and brought here.

[Doesn't matter if they spend five minutes here or five years, that "snapshot" from their world remains their entrance and exit. Once they go back, the snapshot's put back in their timeline, exactly where it came from, and they resume their lives from there. Each and everyone one of them.]

Ugh.

( Briefly his head dips forward in the space between them, chin against his chest. )

Okay, so technically if I never go home it just means this snapshot of me doesn't join in with the other version of me? So it's fine. Maybe he can keep going through it all and I can just chill out!

( Wilfully ignorant, too bright. )

▶ 001. EYES WIDE OPEN.

▶ 002. ARRIVAL IN EGYPT.

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

▶ 004. FEELING SANDY (DESERT EXPLORATION.)

▶ 005. AFTERWORD.

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