test drive meme: december 2019

[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. santapocalypse.

As the suns set over the unforgiving landscape around Anchor, a bright light flares in the sky, streaking low and fast across the horizon, throwing off flares of green, white, and red.

The impact...is not explosive. Just another flare of light, and then smoke to mark where the object went down. Whatever it was, it didn't come from the redshift. It came from within the planet's atmosphere, such as it is, and landed barely a few steps outside the city.

Characters who choose to investigate will find something strange at the bottom of the pillar of smoke. They'll find a small ship, one that seems to have been cobbled together with pieces of a dozen different ships from a dozen different universes. The cockpit is busted wide open, a red jacket caught on a piece of glass, with no other sign of the pilot. Except for, y'know, the red ringing the broken glass, but we'll just ignore that, shall we?

Scattered all around the vehicle, some of them scorched on the outside but otherwise unharmed, are boxes, boxes, boxes. None are bigger than a shoebox, and all wrapped beautifully with bows on top. Characters who start opening them will find box after box containing nonsense items that might be valuable to someone, but maybe not anyone here. But if they open enough, eventually they'll find something inside that could only be intended for them, it’s so specific, odd, or precious. Any other box they open after that will be empty.

Those that dare enter will find the ship appears larger on the inside. And it also seems to be mostly made of hallways. Hallways that lead nowhere, hallways that, from time to time, are filled with an ominous...jingling.

The source of that jingling is the reindire.

Twisted, monstrous creatures with talons in place of hooves, they will hunt whoever enters the ship through its halls and even back across the wasteland should characters attempt to run. Most of them can be calmed, even tamed. Eaten, if hunting for venison is your character's jam (have at, SSSSs).

Only one cannot be reasoned with, or easily defeated.

The largest of all the reindire, one with fangs and wings and a lust for blood. And a big red nose that shoots lasers. You wouldn't want it following you back to Anchor, would you? Best to defeat it out in the sands, where it can't do any real harm.

b. keep calm & carry on.

As characters have worked on improving the city, they've knocked a few loose screws back into place and rewired a few polarities that needed reversing and now, a new area has opened up. It announces itself with a loud screech as the bulkheads that kept it blocked off open up. The new space is huge, at first seemingly empty.

This space does what the VR rooms can't. It reads minds.

It won't show scenes from home, no, but it will create a facsimile of a place that your character would find most relaxing. And this isn't the simple visual experience of the VR rooms. This is full-sensory immersion. Characters will see, yes, but also be able to touch, smell, even taste what's on the air in their surroundings. If there is fruit, they can pick and eat it - it won't satisfy them, but they'll be able to taste what's there. If there's water, they'll be able to swim it in, and will even feel wet until they climb back onto the shore or out of the pool.

Some lucky souls will even get Anchor's therapy AI chiming in to their scenes, with suggestions like, "Talk to your anxiety the way you would to a friend. Ask it where it comes from, see what it’s doing for you, and redirect it into healthy self-expression." Or, "Have you tried yoga?" or, occasionally, "I think you really really need a nap."

The focus of the room is to help characters relax. Those rolling blackouts that have been happening around Anchor ever since the room opened up? They’re probably nothing to worry about. Right?

c. the network.

Need to get hold of someone, call for help, ask the city at large a question? Need to ask a friend to back you up on the reindire hunt? Maybe you need to hold your sat phone up to whatever crazy thing you're seeing and send out a recording to double-check if your eyes are deceiving you and what you're looking at is real?

Whatever the reason, the network is going strong, so feel free to include a post to it in your top-levels.

Navigation.

Comments

[nockturnal]

"Then run."

He's already drawing another arrow, bowstring taut as he turns to angle the shot. Slow. Breathe out. Focus. The head of the arrow rotates again, and this time when he lets it fly, it shatters upon impact.

And several smaller projectiles ricochet off the walls, bouncing and disappearing around that corner, followed by a noise of pained fury. Clearly, they'd found their mark. Hanzo takes another step back, lowering himself to one knee and taking aim once more, waiting for the creature to emerge into line of sight.

He's not going anywhere.

[nothinglikefather]

Jacob curses. He's not about to run and leave someone else here to deal with it by themselves. He doesn't know if this man can deal with the monster himself or not, he seems to think he can, but that's neither here nor there. You don't leave people to fight on their own.

He moves into the darkness of the alcove, crouched behind the man and risks undoing the suit he was issued to explore beyond the colony. Hopefully this ship will shield him from some of the toxins as he pulls out the sheath of throwing knives.

And then closes the suit up again before his akin melts or whatever else it might do. At least he's armed now.

And just in time, because suddenly the clatter of talons and the roar of the enraged reindire is in top of them, and the creature stares at them with mad, rolling eyes.

[nockturnal]

Another arrow looses, and then a second. And then a third. A fourth. Faster than should be possible, in the space of time it takes the creature to charge forward, and though all find their mark in the meaty chest of the beast still it heaves itself forward and bellows in anger.

Then those talons come surging forward, and it's only by the barest of margins that Hanzo leaps to one side, feet pattering up along the wall, only to push off halfway and leap over the creature instead. Landing at its back, he wastes no time in drawing another arrow, though this time his eyes flicker towards Jacob where he's ducked down.

Had he been holding those knives before?

[nothinglikefather]

Jacob moves too, although not with quite the same acrobatics as the Robin Hood figure. But he dances away from the monster with no small amount of grace and agility before one of the knives is thrown and sinks into the animal's neck.

Not ask deep as those arrows, but perhaps enough to distract the reindire long enough for the other man to send a few more arrows into the thing. What unnatural powers he has Jacob doesn't know, but he's sure that no normal person can fire arrows like that.

Then again, aside from Charles and Connor, who else has he even known to talk about bows as viable weapons?

[nockturnal]

As the knives sink deep, the reindire rears up, talons flashing. Jacob has made himself the new target clearly enough. But rising up like that leaves the back of its skull exposed. A moment later and there's a 'thump' and its head jerks. The hellish light leaves its eyes, and it topples forward, a final arrow embedded into its neck severing the spine.

Hanzo rises, reaching to dust off his shoulder, before moving closer to the creature. Kneeling at its side he takes a measured look at the strange feet, the horns, the build of the creature itself before starting to pluck the arrows free. The knives as well, though those he is willing to hand back to Jacob.

They will need to recover what they can, always. There is no guarantee of getting more.

[nothinglikefather]

He's joined by the assassin a second later, who crouches down by the animal and rather than pull out arrows, he lets his fingers stroke over the fur. He half expects it to be coarse and sharp, but it's oddly soft.

"I don't understand why it went for me. What's in this place it was trying to protect? None of these boxes have anything precious in them."

[nockturnal]

The reverence shown to the fallen animal is noted. Odd, but noted. Hanzo's eyes flicker towards the movement before darting away again, a small thoughtful noise following before he reaches for a rope on the belt of the suit.

"I doubt it could have told us, whatever it was."

[nothinglikefather]

Jacob hasn't always had such a respect for animals. He's never been one to pet them or coo over them but knowing a man that can turn into a wolf and a woman who becomes something similar to these reindire... puts things into a different perspective.

"No. And likely as not it didn't know anyway. Trained to attack strangers it such like."

Or protect the pilot, whose remains are scattered outside. Its unpleasant, but that's the reality they have to deal with.

"Thank you for the assistance. I haven't seen shooting like that before."

[nockturnal]

That earns him an odd look, and Hanzo stills a moment, considering Jacob with scrutiny for a moment. Then he returns to his task, binding the rope around the animal and securing it with knots as he goes.

"...you are welcome."

He could have said that he hadn't done it for him, but. There's no real call to unleash his venom on a man who'd done nothing to deserve it thus far. Instead he focuses on the animal, and once he's bound it up sufficiently he hoists the rope onto his shoulder.

Fully intending on dragging it back to Anchor himself.

[nothinglikefather]

Jacob stands, as it becomes clear what the man intends to do.

"Might be easier to carry it, between the two of us." He says. "If you drag it back to the colony it's going to get damaged."

He can only assume its wanted for studying. Something like that can't possibly be good to eat.

[nockturnal]

Sometimes, you can't be all that picky. A deer is a deer, no?

Huffing, he glances down at the beast before eyeballing Jacob. Only a few inches shorter than him -- strange, for an Englishman, which he can only assume from his accent -- it would not be so difficult to share the load.

"If you wish." He nods towards the hind end of the animal, before reaching his fingers through the rope and beginning to hoist the front end up, slinging the legs and head over one shoulder.

[nothinglikefather]

Jacob couldn't say, venison isn't exactly a common meat outside of the aristocracy. He's more used to mutton and pork, but he can't imagine deer tastes much like sheep or pigs.

He takes the back legs quickly, rather than force the other man to support the whole thing by himself for long. Its not that heavy between them, but they do need to cross some unpleasant terrain before getting back to the colony.

"Wild animals like this turn up often?" He asks, to make conversation more than out of genuine curiosity. He can't imagine they get into the compound, but even so, it would be useful to know.

[nockturnal]

Wonderful. Still he feels the need to talk. Hanzo refrains from rolling his eyes but only just. "I do not know. I have not been here for long enough to say with any certainty."

All the better then to make use of the opportunity while it is here, not knowing if they will have another.

[nothinglikefather]

"Oh." A beat, "How long have you been here?"

Hopefully, a little while. He can at least assume from that if this place is a little more peaceful than London or the City, in which new horrors seemed to turn up with terrifying reality.

[nockturnal]

"A few weeks time. No more."

Hopefully that satisfies him, as he adjusts his grip on the great beast on his shoulders.

"The last creatures that appeared were smaller. Dragons, of a sort. They seemed mischievous but did no harm. These are the first of this sort that I have seen."

[nothinglikefather]

"Dragons."

Jacob repeats it with a disbelieving tone, but then seems to accept the possibility as he walks along behind the other man.

"Not like the one tattooed on your arm then? I've always thought those Eastern dragons were massive things." If they were real, which of course they aren't. Probably.

[nockturnal]

So you say, Jacob. So you say.

"They are. The creatures I speak with are Western. Smaller. Likely not true dragons at all, but some animal that resembles such," he replies dismissively. "Else they are quite young, and may grow to something more impressive."

Which wouldn't take much. They're kind of useless as they are, right now.

[nothinglikefather]

"Right. Clearly just overgrown newts."

He supposes there is something less... sausage-like about the way they portray dragons. But that still doesn't make the idea of dragons any easier to swallow.

"Are they native to this place? I thought these deer had brought brought here in this contraption. Not actually of this planet. Place."

He's still not actually sure what this place is, exactly. Or where.

[nockturnal]

"I would suspect they are like us. Brought here through unknown methods to unknown purpose." And like all other things that arrive here, their place has yet to be determined.

This creature? It was clearly a threat. But perhaps its arrival might prove of some use, either as food or research for those so inclined to such things. Hanzo himself was not of such a mind. His skills remained that of a killer, and not much beyond that.

[nothinglikefather]

That's interesting. The City only brought people in, creatures who sinned and it could feed from. Clearly this place has a different purpose. And no, Jacob doesn't think this is coincidence.

"Do they do anything? Breathe fire? Read minds?"

Maybe that is what makes them worth having. Otherwise? Perhaps its just a mistake, caused by brining someone else in.

[nockturnal]

Hanzo just gives him a look, one that needs no words to expression how utterly ridiculous all of that sounds. When it doesn't appear that Jacob has any shame for his idiotic questions, the only response is a shake of his head and a grunt, as they near the entrance to the complex that both of them now reside within.

Mind-reading deer. Really?

It's not as though the deer possess the mental capacity to do anything with whatever they might glean. Imagine one listening in to whatever is rattling around in Jacob's head, for example.

[nothinglikefather]

It sounds bloody stupid, but Jacob wouldn't put it past places like this. Anything that seems unremarkable is probably biding its time and waiting for the right moment to kill you.

Or at least, Jacob hopes that it is. That makes things more interesting for him.

He won't say anything more about it, the guy up front seems to have gone full grump again, and he's not going to bend over backwards trying to be friendly.