synfluxmods: (Default)
𝚂𝚢𝚗𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚡 𝙼𝚘𝚍𝚜 ([personal profile] synfluxmods) wrote in [community profile] synflux2025-04-01 10:56 pm

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.

fursuit: (① yectlamatcayetoliztli.)

[personal profile] fursuit 2025-04-01 12:38 am (UTC)(link)
Character Name: Tezcatlipoca
Area of Investigation: Out to the desert, naturally!!

If possible, he'll be looking for ancient Egyptian ruins in particular for more personal reasons (saying hi/bye to his homie Set) in case that adds anything extra of interest! If he's extra lucky and happens to find one with any kind of dedication to Set, he would offer it an (animal) sacrifice, but again, that's a personal initiative.

But, y'know. If that draws anything out. Hooray!
vorous: (004)

[personal profile] vorous 2025-04-01 12:38 am (UTC)(link)
Character Name: Laios Touden
Area of Investigation: Desert
lionize: <user name="lionize"> (Distracted)

[personal profile] lionize 2025-04-01 12:48 am (UTC)(link)
So, overall question re: weakness if possible. Is it only natural light it's weak to? What about artificial?

And on that note, what's the artificial light situation here? Flashlights? Several of the mobile suits are nuclear powered. Is there anything stopping them from being used to power things or just having a beam saber activated at all times to provide some light?
lionize: <user name="lionize"> (Happily)

[personal profile] lionize 2025-04-01 01:13 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you!

They shouldn't need to, since their design is (sci-fi) nuclear, they can theoretically remain powered on and supply power to other things without a need to recharge. So would supplying some extra power to research activities be doable? (And please don't apologize! It's all a giant mess lol)
asagami: Their sidekick is a fairy...which is called Sprite (I wonder if their sidekick's Sierra Mist)

[personal profile] asagami 2025-04-01 01:17 am (UTC)(link)
Character Name: Fujino Asagami
Area of Investigation: Desert!
cosmarchy: (Default)

[personal profile] cosmarchy 2025-04-01 01:22 am (UTC)(link)
Character Name: Sung Jinwoo.
Area of Investigation: Desert! Jinwoo will also be cheating using his shadows to search an expanded area, so feel free to say any one of them could've found something. 🤗
intertwinedfates: smile anime (kicked open)

[personal profile] intertwinedfates 2025-04-01 01:24 am (UTC)(link)
Character Name: Yato
Area of Investigation: Desert!
curingidiocy: (thinking)

[personal profile] curingidiocy 2025-04-01 01:29 am (UTC)(link)
Character Name: Dr. Ratio
Area of Investigation: Research in Alexandria

Idk if it'll help but Ratio has both a PhD in Engineering and CompSci, if you feel like that adds flavour or anything hahahahaha.
soft_shelled: (051)

[personal profile] soft_shelled 2025-04-01 01:33 am (UTC)(link)
Character Name: Donatello
Area of Investigation: Alexandria Research
lionize: bubblemilk @ lj (Realize)

[personal profile] lionize 2025-04-01 01:45 am (UTC)(link)
One more unrelated question I'M SO SORRY

But hypothetically, what if a camel ingested some of that cyber caffeine? Camel races?
fursuit: (① tlapoctemi.)

tezcatlipoca ; fate/grand order ; brimstone

[personal profile] fursuit 2025-04-01 02:29 am (UTC)(link)

one. Fortune Teller

[ Tezcatlipoca is a fairly light, minimal sleeper in the first place, so at first, this prospect doesn’t bother him. He’s used to staying up all night tending the bar, so helping that process along with some extra caffeinated beverages works for him. It’s like chewing the rare coca leaves from the south, except now that he’s saddled himself with a human body, he’s really feeling it.

So. He’s feeling, uh. Creative with all of that energy.

You’ll find Tezcatlipoca at a table with two wheels made of paper roughly like so. One wheel contains dots, and the other contains many glyphs that are easily recognizable as Aztec, if you know such things. But once he catches someone’s attention, he beckons you over with a toothy grin. ]


Yo. When’s your birthday?

[ …That’s certainly a lead in, huh. ]

two. He's A Cat Your Honor

[ Eventually, though. Not even extremely caffeinated beverages are enough.

He does well, all things considered, but his human body can still only handle so much. He at least takes the advice they were given seriously (perhaps surprisingly), but in true Tezcatlipoca fashion, this also presents itself in an extremely rude, pushy way. If they need to sleep in pairs or groups, that’s fine with him. Everyone is just so sleep-deprived that maybe he tried waking someone up to no avail or maybe you’re familiar enough that he figured it was fine (probably).

But regardless. When you wake up, you’re not alone. The resident god of conflict is, well. Cuddled up next to you, actually.

Surely, that’s fine, right? ]

three. Desert Visions

Potential CW for drug usage.
[ When the chance is given to get out of the city, Tezcatlipoca is one of the first to volunteer. He has some personal reasons for that, but if you decide to accompany him, it’s fairly obvious that heading out into the desert is somewhere that he’s more comfortable. These sands are very different and distant from the deserts to the north of Tenochtitlan, but he still feels some fondness for them. That’s part of why he wanted to come out here, but that’s a private matter.

They may not be able to take a good rest, but once the night falls, Tezcatlipoca is pensive and dutiful in making a campfire. It’s fairly cozy, all things considered, and in the deeper, earlier night, he seems more relaxed. He looks up at the stars for a while, but then as he settles by the campfire, he reaches into a pocket of his jacket. ]


You smoke?

[ …Oh. He’s talking to you, apparently. He pulls out a pack of cigarettes that’s slightly crumpled from the journey, then waves them playfully. ]

I even got some special ones, if you catch my drift.

etc. Wildcard

[ If you have another idea for a prompt or want to do something different, just let me know! You can hit me up with questions via PM or [plurk.com profile] runthejewels. Tezcatlipoca can potentially be involved with everything here, so I'm down for whatever! ]
fursuit: (① huehuetzquitia.)

closed starters

[personal profile] fursuit 2025-04-01 02:29 am (UTC)(link)
vorous: (078)

Laios Touden | Delicious in Dungeon | Everlight

[personal profile] vorous 2025-04-01 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
001 EYES WIDE OPEN.
[ Unfortunately for anyone sitting in the Everlight section, Laios has gotten a negative effect from the caffeine. Who knows how he even got into this discussion (with you, or someone else sitting nearby), but he's talking way too fast.. and way too much like a smartass: ]

Here's the thing, okay. Let me help you out there. You said a "wyvern is a dragon." Is it in the same family? Yes. Of course. No one's arguing that. I'm not arguing that. As someone who as read a ton of books about dragons, studies dragons, slays dragons, eats dragons, I am telling you, specifically, no one calls wyverns dragons. If you want to be "specific" like you said, then you shouldn't either. They're not the same thing. If you're saying "dragon family" you're referring to the taxonomic grouping of Varanidae, which includes things from wyverns to eldwurms to drakes. So your reasoning for calling a wyvern a dragon is because random people "call the flying lizards dragons?" It's not one or the other, that's not how taxonomy works. They're both. A wyvern is a wyvern and a member of the dragon family. But that's not what you said. You said a wyvern is a dragon, which is not true unless you're okay with calling all members of the dragon family dragons, which means you'd call eldwurms, drakes, and other flying lizards dragons, too. Which you said you don't. It's okay to just admit you're wrong, you know?
002 RESEARCH & EXPLORE.
[ As someone from the Northern Continent, Laios is pretty excited to travel and see other places, and he has read about camels before but never has seen one before! He's a little disappointed it isn't some kind of monster mount to help them out, but he seems very eager to appease the camel to get it to like him. He sees his camel a few yards from him, still standing on it's feet, and he turns to anyone else next to him. ]

Whoa. I don't know.. I'm kind of nervous about getting close to it.

[ IT'S A CAMEL?? YOU HAVE KILLED A DRAGON BEFORE, LAIOS. ]

But I'm sure it's like facing any sort of creature. Look confident, avoid eye contact and approach slowly! Want me to show you how?

003 FEELING SANDY. (cw: blood, kaiju death/eating)
[ Laios absolutely hates the heat but he has learned that this sun can be cruel to someone like him with such a light complexion-- it's not like this up north! The sun is the least of his worries right now, however. Perhaps you were also caught up in the fight or maybe following along nearby on your camel, but Laios is sitting on a small rock formation, seeming to be dressing a wound on his leg. Why is it always his leg? Bright red seeps through the cloth that he has gotten from his emergency kit, and his hands are pressed over the injury. His eyes are closed tight-- he does look like he is in pain-- but it also looks like he is talking to himself. You can do several things:

1. Interrupt him. Are you okay?
2. Watch for a moment anf marvel with how the bleeding suddenly stops after a moment and Laios falls backwards, making an exhausted sound.
3. Or, maybe you are also injured. Laios will assist in a moment once he is taken care of.

The cause of this fight? Two, dead sand crocodiles lie at his feet, and the shotgun he had is broken in two. It must have been quite the scuffle! Laios has his cooking set with him, so naturally, those things are out on display. Yep. He's gonna eat them. It's free real estate. ]
the_fourteenth: (Default)

[personal profile] the_fourteenth 2025-04-01 02:37 am (UTC)(link)
Character Name: Raidou Kuzunoha
Area of Investigation: Alexandria
zauneyete: (pic#17756792)

[personal profile] zauneyete 2025-04-01 02:39 am (UTC)(link)
Character Name: Silco
Area of Investigation: Desert!

He'll be drug along with Tezca to say goodbye to their BFF Set, so if their combined efforts of Tezca actually showing effort and peepaw... ineffectively kicking around some sand and poking around boosts their chances feel free to combine their efforts into one!
penaltypoints: (Default)

[personal profile] penaltypoints 2025-04-01 02:39 am (UTC)(link)
Character Name: Yesod
Area of Investigation: Alexandria Research
followyourstar: (02)

[personal profile] followyourstar 2025-04-01 02:39 am (UTC)(link)
Character Name: Dante
Area of Investigation: Alexandria

They don't have any engineering or code-breaking skills, so they'd be focusing on the people in the city to ask them more about people's behavior around the time of the nightmares or if the nightmares had anything in common.
fursuit: (① aninomamati.)

for silco

[personal profile] fursuit 2025-04-01 02:44 am (UTC)(link)
[ They’ve been out in the desert for a bit now, perhaps a few days, even. Tezcatlipoca had insisted that Silco come with him, but he also refused to explain why. The most that he would ever give was “it’s important” and “trust me”, the latter of which was only given after a lot of prodding. He knows that’s asking a lot from Silco in particular.

At least he’s made it fairly easy and painless, as he’d promised. Besides dealing with the heat, Tezcatlipoca doesn’t ask anything of Silco. He seems to just be searching for something, but for all he knows, it’s just the clues that LILITH seeks. That is, until Tezcatlipoca had suddenly wandered off from camp one evening with a cryptic “be right back”.

Maybe it’s no surprise at this point that when he returns to the campfire, he’s glistening with blood. Clearly, it's not his own, since he seems happy and perfectly fine. This too goes unexplained, but he has a dripping sack in one hand, and he heads to his little section of camp to pick up his pack and sling it over his shoulder. With a toothy little grin, he looks right at Silco. ]


Come on. Time for you to see why I brought you out here, bossman.
belli: (pic#17377342)

[personal profile] belli 2025-04-01 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
Character Name: aodh
Area of Investigation: desert! he is going to look for artifacts and treasures. there are prob no treasures but that's his goal