redshift: tdm #4

[modblob]

Redshift: Welcome to the v͖͕̺̲̘̱̜͎o̴̦̣̠̦̘̹͞i̯̖d̛̪̬͈̱̦̝͍̕.

▶ Click here to read what characters will experience when arriving in Anchor.

▶ All TDM threads can be considered game canon, and current players are welcome to either top-level on the TDM so prospective players can tag them, or use the prompts for logs or network posts on the communities. All threads on the TDM can be used for Activity Check.

a. the red shit.

There are rumblings in the deepest, most overgrown part of the agricultural area, where until very recently there was a lingering pocket of red algae. The good news is, the red algae is gone! The bad news is, it all got eaten by a mutated bear-thing with giant antlers. The algae did a number on the poor thing, doping it up and confusing it to the point where everything is an enemy.

What’s worse? The algae has adapted, colonizing the creature’s entire body. The algae has mutated in the process, releasing a protective cloud of toxins that causes severe hallucinations, as well as some of the protective and euphoric qualities that the red algae originally possessed. Which means the mutated, antlered, bear-thing is accompanied by a small army of other creatures, from large to small, who are all very invested in its survival and also are being driven crazy by its presence.

Prepare yourselves for one hell of a hunt. These animals can pop up almost everywhere in the agricultural zones, and when they do show their paws it’s to go on a rampage.

b. fashionista.

It wouldn’t be Anchor if the bots weren’t fucking shit up.

This time, the spa bots have gone full stylist coach, chasing down residents and trying to do their hair, nails, makeup, or change their clothes. In some cases, they're literally sweeping people off their feet and carrying them to the hot springs, massage rooms, and spa areas to be pampered. Too bad most of their cosmetics are fifty years out of date and the closests they’ve raided either had another resident’s clothes or moth-eaten dust-covered rags.

Is that the jacket Idris Elba was wearing in the introductory video? It kinda looks like it.

But it’s not all bad! The bots actually give great massages and fantastic mani-pedis. They also have a small stash of fresh cosmetics and clean clothes that got left behind in the spas. They might not fit great, but they look pretty good!

If your character doesn’t practice proper self-care, well. They’d better watch out. These bots have a particular eye for the sad, the filthy, the tired, and they’re going to make sure you get some damn fine pampering.

c. whole foods: 2.0.

Remember that whole Whole Foods grocery store thing that happened? Well, the grocery store and the zombies are still there. Only now there are more zombies, and two giant supply trucks have shown up, one behind and one in front of the store.

The one at the rear of the store can be accessed fairly easily. It’s painted to look like a giant United States flag, with a dramatic crying eagle emblazoned across the back doors. Inside, there is beer. Lots and lots of beer, and a bunch of semiautomatic rifles. Also some skeletons. Seems like the guns and booze didn’t help them.

The one in front of the store is thickly surrounded, the creatures clawing at the plain white sides of the semi like there’s something precious inside.

If Anchorites can make it through, if they can fend off the monsters and keep from getting torn to pieces by a hoard of bloodthirsty beasts, they’ll find out what that precious truck contains.

It’s twinkies. A semi full of twinkies. We hope you’ve got a sweet tooth, Anchor.

Navigation.

Comments

Garrus Vakarian | Mass Effect

[dispenserofjustice]

( A. Arrival )

[ Let's see... Which is really preferable in this situation: being stranded on a planet with limited supplies and absolutely no news about the war's end or being stranded on a space station with only a handful of survivors and no way back. Orbiting a seemingly dead planet. Choices. Honestly why can't there ever be an Option C like being stranded in a five star resort?

Nice things can never happen, can they? Garrus would blame Shepard for that but he has no idea if the Commander is dead or alive.

Pushing that particular thought aside for the time being, the Turian listens to the video, snatches up one of those communication devices, and goes through the decontamination process without so much as a complaint. Afterwards, however, he finds a location to start pulling apart his rifle to make sure that nothing's damaged.

Priorities. ]

( B. Red Shift )

[ Does Garrus Vakarian have any intention of getting too close to that mammal with horns? Nope. He will if he has to, but from the looks of it the thing is being protected. Thus his plan is to do what he does best: find a spot that he can defend that has a good vantage point. With the way that the colony is structured that's surprisingly easy.

Besides! It looks as though others will be getting up close and personal. Good thing Garrus is there to lend a hand. Someone might find that a smaller beastie getting too close to their person is shot down before they can even register the creature's presence. ]

Got you covered.

( C. Whole Foods )

[ The store itself is kind of lost on Garrus. He has been to Earth exactly one time and that hadn't been in the best of circumstances. The wonderful imagery of the crying eagle? Also lost on him. Though he does know for a fact that he should at least check out the vehicles parked around the store. Garrus opts to circle around towards the back. ]

In the end I can't tell what is creepier. The dead being reanimated by a collective AI or the reanimated dead that have no higher intelligence behind it.

[ It's actually pretty easy for Garrus to clear a path to that truck. Zombies actually move pretty slow. He's almost disappointed. ]

C

[itsnotaonesie]

[So there's a dude kneeling on top of the truck, nonchalantly rummaging through a backpack like this is the most normal thing in the world. I mean at this point it kind of is for him, but shh.

The very tall alien dude is kind of hard to miss, Peter peeks over the side of the truck to check this shit out.]

I mean, being reanimated by a collective AI sounds more terrifying than creepy? Maybe that's just me.

[dispenserofjustice]

Is Garrus going to judge this smallish human? No, probably not. Once they hit about that point in their growth, it is a little hard for him to tell differences in age. He's definitely no expert on humans. At all.

True. I'd argue that most of them aren't really terrifying after you hear the screams of a Banshee.

[itsnotaonesie]

[That's okay, man. Not even humans are experts on humans.

See now when Peter hears "Banshee" he's just picturing the screaming Irish ghost thing. Which sill sounds creepy, sure, but it's maybe not something he would have expected some kind of alien to bring up? Space is weird.]

You have banshees where you're from? Like, ghost banshees?

[dispenserofjustice]

Ghosts? No, not that I've ever seen.

[ He pauses long enough to shoot down another zombie. Hits the creature dead center of the forehead and Garrus looks nothing short of pleased with himself. ]

Banshees are what we call some of the Asari after they've been taken by the Reapers. Usually you can hear them coming and of course they can kind of warp around the area. They like to get close and pierce you with their claws.

[ Now. To see what is actually in this truck, right? Garrus fusses with the latch before pushing the door up. ]

[itsnotaonesie]

Uh huh. Uh, so just a heads up, you might see some here.

[That's not creepy at all, right?

Peter, while definitely creeped out by the whole exploding zombie brain thing, is still impressed by the bullseye. Well done, alien buddy.]

Ah, sorry, I don't know what an Asari is. Or a Reaper, unless were talking about like, the Grim Reaper or something? Everything else though, that sound pretty horrible.

[Teleporting enemies, yiiiikes bro. Speaking for bros, Peter's going to be one and slap his sticky fingers all up on that door and make sure it's pulled up all the way before leaning over the back of the truck to take a peek inside.]

[dispenserofjustice]

Great. I'm looking forward to coming into contact with some vengeful spirit. Pretty sure a bullet won't put them down...

[ This "alien buddy" is good at what he does, Peter. And that's usually lodging a bullet into a body. In the meantime, Garrus watches the human literally stick his hands and pull up a pretty heavy door like it was nothing.

He's pretty sure younger humans can't do THAT. ]

Er. Asari are one of the longest-lived races in what you humans refer to as the "Milky Way." Reapers are those AI I was talking about.

[ There's no life inside... That doesn't mean Garrus is taking a chance. He hoists himself up into the truck, gun at the ready just in case there is something inside that wants to gnaw on them. ]

You're pretty strong for your age.

[itsnotaonesie]

[Peter just shakes his head because NOPE, THEY SURE WON'T. Thankfully, the ghost thing had only happened once. Maybe it'll never happen again??? It is a mystery.

Oh cool, so more aliens, that's fun. He's about to ask this pointy dude to elaborate on the Asari a little more, but this whole thing about a collective AI that can make it's own zombie army is kind of a lot more interesting. It kind of sounds like a thing he'd had to deal with in the last place he'd been stuck (minus the zombie army, but still) and boy howdy he really hopes it's not the same thing maaaan.]

So, um. These Reapers. Collective AI, you're talking like several individual AI like, units all networked together, right? Did they have like, bodies for themselves? What would those have been like?

[He's just going to continue running his mouth while he flips down off the top of the truck and into the trailer behind Garrus. That's how we do.]

I-- true. I didn't realize the door was that heavy.

[dispenserofjustice]

[ Sure is a set of skeletons in here. Garrus takes his rifle and pokes at them a little. Of course it makes the head snap off of the spine and go rolling around on the floor of the truck. ]

For a human your size it should be. You're still on the younger side of things, right?

[ Well it doesn't look like there's anything dangerous in here. But hey! Weapons and ammo. Isn't it just his lucky day! ]

Individual units are about oh... Two-thousand meters? Give or take, of course. Their smaller destroyer class units are about a hundred and sixty meters. They look like giant cephalopods. Considering what their creators looked like I'm not really surprised.

A

[braidmage]

[ Not only has Reynir never seen an alien in real life before, but he also has never seen one in movies or on television, either. Since he's never seen TV or movies. In fact, just the information that there are other planets in the universe would probably be enough to blow his mind. He comes from a world where electricity is fancy, okay, he's doing his best.

But he is walking on the upper levels, near to where the decontamination lets out into the main area of the Anchor, when Garrus emerges, looking the way Garrus looks. The first thing that catches Reynir's eyes is what he's wearing - his own outfit is fairly old-fashioned. Once he catches sight of Garrus himself, however, his eyes go round with shock.

And he does the only completely logical thing to do when seeing a being that he's never seen before. He walks closer, scooping up the little orange and white kitty that had been padding along at his heels and holds her out in Garrus's direction at arm's length, waiting to see if her fur will puff up in fear or if she will start hissing. She doesn't, which is a very good sign.

Belatedly, and very tentatively, he says: ]

Hello?

[dispenserofjustice]

[ Look, to each their own. The style of dress - old fashioned or otherwise - isn't going to be something that catches his interest overly much. Well not more than anything other than a clue as to what kind of world a stranger could come from at any rate. Just because Garrus prefers armor - just about at all times - doesn't mean that others do.

If that message he had listened to is correct, he really should expect to see races or individuals that come from places very far removed from the galaxy that he's come to know in his last few years of traversing across it.

Now what does catch Garrus' attention is the little furry creature that's practically being shoved in his direction. He pauses from what he's doing because he has no idea what the creature is. Er... Well Garrus knows enough to recognize it as a pet humans tend to have but more than that? ]

Is holding out a mammal some sort of greeting where you come from? Because if that's the case, then I don't really have anything to hold out to you.

[ He's teasing. Garrus knows that's probably not the case, but! ]

[braidmage]

[ Reynir at least has the social graces to feel a little bit awkward, once the stranger begins to speak to him, wondering if this is some form of traditional greeting. He hadn't known whether Garrus would be capable of understanding him, or speaking to him. But he talks just like a regular person and now this is just embarrassing.

He pulls Kisa back towards him, hauling her up to cradle against his chest, more for comfort than anything else, now. There's just no honest and non-rude way to explain. Oh well. ]

Uh, I- I wasn't sure if I should be running away, so I was seeing how Kisa would react to you. She isn't hissing at all, so you're not dangerous.

[ Should he explain he would have done the same thing when running into a random human? No. No that would just make things way worse. Reynir never stops to consider that there are other kinds of dangerous that Garrus might be, other than infected with the illness that had ravaged his own world - the one that felines were immune to but almost all adept at spotting. ]

Sorry. I had to check.

[ That is definitely not sufficient, but it's the best he can think of, for now. He gives a tiny shrug and an apologetic little smile. ]

[dispenserofjustice]

[ It's kind of obvious that he is the first Turian to find himself here. The reactions that he seems to be getting kind of spells all that out. Now Garrus doesn't really mind. It's awfully awkward and makes him a touch fidgety, but really? What else can be expected? He'd probably be a little hostile to an alien race he hadn't come across. Hell, Garrus can be hostile towards people if he gets the wrong impression from them. ]

Just because it doesn't think to hiss at me doesn't mean that I'm not dangerous you know. True, I don't mean you any harm unless you come at me first, but I wouldn't suggest it.

[ Even though Garrus prefers to use guns and especially picking off his enemy at a distance he is more than proficient at close combat. ]

How long have you been here if you're still spooked by people arriving?

[braidmage]

[ Reynir just blinks a moment like Garrus is actually blowing his mind here, suggesting he could be dangerous in ways undetectable by a small, fluffy kitty cat. The young man allows the now wriggling cat to climb her way up to settle on his shoulder, where it seems she is well-accustomed to sitting. ]

I guess that is true, huh?

[ And then, because he's feeling a little embarrassed over the misunderstanding, and he wants to reassure Garrus he's not going to 'come at him' or anything like that: ]

I didn't mean that kind of dangerous, actually. I meant, like. Contagious.

[ Then, only just then realizing that that itself might seem even more rude, Reynir adds: ]

Old habits, sorry. Disease... is a much bigger deal where I come from than the places other people here are from, I guess. I know everyone who arrives comes through decontamination but there's no quarantine at all, not even for a few days! Freaks me out.

[ Which perhaps will go some way to explaining why each new arrival, even the ones that don't look as unusual as Garrus, seem like potential threats to Reynir. ]

Almost three weeks, now.

[ Then, because he knows his curiosity must be clear and there's really no way to know without asking: ]

Are you a spirit?

[dispenserofjustice]

A spirit? Oh no. No no no. And the next time you come across a Turian I wouldn't suggest asking that.

[ Garrus knows what he means, of course. Spirit as in like a ghost or something intangible that will bring someone harm or misfortune. There's no way this guy can know that, to his people, spirits are usually things that you pray to. Or ask for blessings.

So moving on from that topic, he can kind of understand. Contagions are a serious affair, especially on space stations or outposts. If one person brings a deadly disease back, it could wipe out the entire populace. ]

Look, I'm not going to say that disease isn't a big deal. Even where I'm from a plague could mean the death of an entire settlement. Decontamination procedures can only do so much. Maybe there should be a quarantine for a day or two.

[braidmage]

Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to be offensive.

[ Why would anyone be offended that someone thought they were a spirit, Reynir wonders. It isn't as if spirits are uncommon or inherently malevolent. Sure, some of them are bad news but others are just fine. Then again... cultural norms sure are arbitrary sometimes! ]

So you're a Turian? I've never heard of that country before, I'm sorry.

[ He really assumes that this creature is from a place on Earth called Turia or some equivalent. Like calling someone from Finland a Finn or from Sweden a Swede. He's gonna need some more ground work done before he can wrap his brain around ALIENS.

And yet despite his odd appearance, this guy? This guy GETS it. Finally, someone apart from Onni and Reynir who believes there ought to be measures in place to make sure the next new arrival doesn't bring about the death and ruin of everyone living here. ]

I guess instead of worrying about it and complaining... maybe some of us should try setting one up.

[ He sounds unsure; Reynir wants to be useful and he really does know that quarantines are essential to survival, but he's not really big into leadership, and he's never really... set something up, before. How would you even start? ]

But there isn't, like. A military here or anything to make sure people actually wait it out.

[dispenserofjustice]

Oh I'm not offended. You've never met anyone like me before so it shouldn't be expected. Offering prayers to spirits is about as close as my kind get to being religious. Which is to say we're not really from a country. Try another planet altogether.

[ He's probably breaking some rules about first contact and all that but honestly Garrus can't be too bothered about that at this point. Besides it shouldn't be too hard understand. Isn't the guy on a brand new planet himself? ]

Now as for setting one up? Shouldn't be difficult even without a military. You just need to set up a place that would work for a small quarantine zone and the ability to block the door from opening. At least on one side.

A

[livingdeadgirl]

[ Mr. Fell may have mysteriously disappeared, but that hasn't stopped Ami from doing what she can, every so often, to spruce up the arrival room. Today, in fact, she's found a handsome potted flower somewhere (though she's not sure what kind it is), and she's headed upstairs with that and a little trowel to transplant it.

But somewhere en route, she finds something strange. Or someone, rather. Someone who is A) definitely not human, and B) holding what appears to be a real big gun.

She freezes, understandably intimidated. This is the first actual alien(?) she's seen on this alien planet, and she hasn't got a dang clue what a turian is. What are you supposed to do in these "first contact" scenarios? Do you wave? Say hi? Or just stand around staring at him like a dumbass?

... Yeah it definitely appears she's going with that third option. It's a bold strategy, Cotton, let's see if it pays off for her. ]

[dispenserofjustice]

I know the scars are pretty nasty to look at, but I assure you that the guy that gave them to me is much worse off.

[ Garrus doesn't know what to do either. So he falls into one of his habits: deflecting the situation with a bit of humor. Being stared at for so long is kind of unnerving in its own right.

If the girl has never seen a Turian ( or any alien for that matter ) it really does make sense. But Garrus? Well he's still a person and staring is a little rude. ]

[livingdeadgirl]

[ Ami jumps, her shoulders tensing. ] Eep! Sorry!

[ Would you believe she hadn't even noticed the scars? But now that he's drawn her attention to them, wow, yeah, that whole side of his face is decidedly more fucked up than the other half. It takes a second longer before she finally makes the connection that, alien or not, it's super rude to gawk at someone's facial scars!

She quickly looks away from his face, but now she isn't sure what to do with her eyes, and they start darting around the vicinity. Sci-fi armor? Big-ass gun? Three fingers? His face again? WAIT NO. ]

I-it's not the scars! I just... don't really know what you are? [ quickly ] Wait, that sounded really bad. What species you are! That's the thing I don't know!

... And also, hello! I probably should have started with that!

[ NAILED IT, A+ RECOVERY ]

[dispenserofjustice]

[ Okay so obviously she feels bad and awkward about the entire thing. It's probably for that very reason that Garrus just ends up laughing, his own tension and awkwardness retreating for the time being. Oh they will likely rear their ugly heads again, but not for now. ]

I kind of figured you probably haven't met someone like me before. Don't mistake me as being some sort of paragon for Turians, though. Most of us don't have stellar personalities. I mean I do, but that goes without saying.

[ Again. Humor with a thinly veiled truth. He is not a very good Turian and no one should ever think that his race is anything like him. ]

So yeah. Hello.

[ HE'S NOT GOOD WITH THESE THINGS OKAY? ]

[livingdeadgirl]

[ ... Okay! So that means he's cool with it? Yeah, he's cool with it. It's a huge relief that he's got a sense of humor about her dumb antics. She relaxes somewhat and laughs, too, albeit still a little nervously. He's a "Turian," then? She'll do her best to remember that. ]

Hi! Haha. [ She'd wave, but her hands are full of plant. ]

So, uh, am I right to guess you're already familiar with humans? [ He didn't seem as surprised at her as she was at him, but then again she has absolutely no idea how to read his expressions. ]

[dispenserofjustice]

[ She has her hands full of plant and Garrus with his gun. He's only got a few more pieces to inspect before he can free up his hands. The over all air between them has shifted and that's more than okay with him. Humans, though... After they hit a certain point it's really hard for him to gauge their age. She seems kind of young though... ]

Yeah, that's right. I have a few human friends. The person I'd probably consider to be my best friend is human. You guys aren't too bad, I suppose.

[ As far as reading his expressions go? Well spend enough time around Garrus and it will probably become obvious. Like right now he's smiling a little. It's more evident in his eyes and with how his mandibles flare just a touch. ]

Garrus Vakarian.

[livingdeadgirl]

[ Apparently sarcasm transcends interstellar boundaries, because that puts her much more at ease. Her smile broadens, and she even approaches to a more conversational distance. Still, it takes her a second to realize he's introducing himself, and not just saying something in Turian (or whatever their language is called). ]

Oh! I'm Ami Aihara. Welcome to Anchor!

[ He's gotta be new, of course, or this whole interaction would have happened already. ]

I've been here for a couple of months now, so I could probably answer some of your questions?

[dispenserofjustice]

[ Thank goodness for translators right? No one actually wants to hear his native language. Besides himself, that is. Every now and then a translation does come up funny, but Garrus is usually quick to look up some sort of definition that matches context. ]

Not much of a welcome party, but it's better than standing here awkwardly hoping that someone will notice, right?

[ He says that, then places the last few pieces of his rifle together before returning it to his back. While being somewhere completely different without quite knowing what's going on does sort of put him on edge, he'd rather take a friendly greeting at face value. For now. There's still a chance that this girl could have something hidden, right? ]

A couple of months, huh? So... I guess my first question is this: What happened here?