august 2020. welcome to the void.

[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. tombstorm.

A few days after the end of July, early in the morning, everyone in Anchor will be able to feel a deep rumbling moving through the city, will hear a rush of rocket fuel, and anyone who goes out to see the source of the sounds and vibrations will be able to watch the alien cruise ship carefully detaching from Anchor's exit, detaching their radiation bubble from Anchor's, making sure to never break the city's dome before flying off into the vibrantly red sky.

The departure of the aliens leaves an unmistakable mark on the landscape. The rumble of their takeoff, the intense roar of their ship's thrusters, blasts a hole in the sand that uncovers a part of Anchor long-buried outside of the dome. An area the length and breadth of two football fields put side by side, with tidy rows of...tombstones? Are those tombstones? They have lettering on them that glows faintly blue, getting slowly brighter as anyone approaches them. When someone gets close enough, a bright beam shoots from the top of the definitely-not-a-tombstone, scanning the person in front of it, and the marks on the metal tablets reorient into a readable language.

They're names. Names with a string of numbers underneath, and nonsense dates below that. Sometimes several nonsense dates are listed in a row down the front of each stone. Oftentimes, the names belong to strangers. Sometimes, though, they're familiar. Names of people who have come and gone in Anchor, sometimes listed on multiple different stones, each with a unique number underneath. Sometimes names of people that the Anchorites might know. May Parker, Jacob Seed, Samsara, Liara T'Soni, Perry Kelvin - the lists of the familiar go on. Sometimes, the names of current residents themselves are the names that appear on the tombstones.

b. arachnophobia!

Of course, it's not as simple as just walking out to the cleared area in a hazmat suit. That would be too easy. The noise of the alien ship's departure also woke something else up. Or perhaps more accurately, activated it.

A massive robotic spider, glowing with threads of the same light that illuminates the broad valley of marked stones, circles the space endlessly. The lucky can get to the stones without facing it, if they wait until it's on the farthest edge away, but the thing is fast and unfriendly and won't hesitate to attack someone careless. Or someone curious, even. And its legs conceal a variety of blasting weaponry that can do a whole lot of damage on their own. Even worse, when the eight glowing eyes all align on one spot, get the hell out of the way, or be caught in an incinerating green beam. Also, it...really likes stomping on things.

It can be defeated, if its carapace can be broken into and its insides destroyed, but you'd probably have to blind it first. Might be worth it, though. Those explosives in the legs might just come in real handy, and the parts inside the spider could be analyzed to reveal characteristics very similar to that weird humming orb thing buried in those caves - they even have their own faint hum.

c. ⱠɆ₮'₴ ₲Ɇ₮ ₱ⱧɎ₴ł₵₳Ⱡ.

Existential dread and monster battles not your thing? The bots have you covered. It is, after all, Physical Evaluation Day! Yay!

The medibots have set up an elaborate obstacle course in the park, one designed to test the speed, strength, and stamina of participants. It's a fairly standard military-style obstacle course, with climbing walls, mud pits to crawl through, ropes to climb, and huge monkey-bar sets with a potential drop into multicolored dye that just will not come off if you fall in. Y'know. Standard stuff.

There’s also...laser tag? If you want to add a little extra challenge to your obstacle course, sign up for a "combat sim" and face down fellow Anchorites and specially-programmed bots as you run the length of the obstacle course and try to stay "alive."

If you don't complete the obstacle course within a specific time designated by the medibots and arbitrarily changed every fifteen minutes or so, your reward is a full exam in the medical bay! Yay! You also get a half a gold star that says "effort" on it, but that's less exciting.

Fight all you want, but they will get that urine sample one way or another.

If you complete the obstacle course in the allotted time, you get a little metal star badge that says "I DID GOOD!" with a little etching of a cheering medibot underneath. Also you're gonna get showered with celebratory glitter.

Maybe the medical bay would have been better.

d. the network.

Need to get hold of someone, call for help, ask the city at large a question? Need to ask a friend to forge a doctor's note to get out of the obstacle course? 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

QUESTIONS.

[modblob]

Any mod questions can go here!

[abheirrant]

Okay, so the obvious questions: are there graves accompanying the tombstones, and are there bodies in them? Or anything that would animate if some guy with necrotic powers wandered out there?

[modblob]

Thanks for your question! Normally we would give an open yes to this kind of question, but since the graves have names of canon characters closely related to characters in game and may have names of dropped characters, it would be a little more complicated. If you would like to make up original characters that don't fit the criteria above and have him raise some of them, that's totally fine, but any fictional character existing now would probably be cremated and/or otherwise un-raiseable.

ETA: Let us know if you choose to have Carlisle raise any original NPC type characters, and we might be able to work out some meta or plot stuff they could tell him!

Re: QUESTIONS.

[numerouno]

How big is the robotic spider, approximately? :|a

[modblob]

The robotic spider is approximately twice the size of the spider from Wild Wild West.

[superposition]

OKAY SO since y'all included Samsara in the graveyard, I assume you know about his whole regenerative immortality thing? With that in mind, is he actually in that grave, and if so, what state is he in?

[modblob]

Sorry for the delay! In this case, the grave can either be empty or contain Samsara's body, completely and without question dead. If someone digs him up and finds the body, that body can be in whatever state the player wishes, but it will be dead. Have fun figuring that one out!

[arcadedragon]

Since Genji died I want to give him a tombstone, but important question: if he digs it up... is he.. in there????

[modblob]

Sorry for the delay! You are free to give Genji a headstone, and whether or not he's in there is completely up to you and what you'd enjoy playing.

Re: QUESTIONS.

[vosseeker]

Soooo Starscream really doesn't like the little medibots, how... many of them is he allowed to step on before there's some sort of retaliation.....

I'm so sorry he's a terrible shithead

Hayato Gokudera | Katekyou Hitman Reborn! | In-game

[bakudan_bambino]

A. Tombstones

It’s Gokudera’s first time outside of the Dome. He wasn’t so keen on exploring a giant hole in the ground brought on by the quake. The structures revealed after the ship’s departure look mostly harmless.

He’s already texted Takeshi to let him know where he’s going, and is putting on his hazmat suit and heading out, a disc levitating off the floor next to him and following at his ankles.

Inspecting the tombstones, he pauses and looks at a familiar name with a heavy frown. Is that... his name? Maybe just a family member of his?


B. Robo-arachnid

Halfway through his exploration of the tombstones, where he’s silently paying his respects, taking time to read most, and finding himself lost in somber thought, he hears some thudding footsteps. Looking up, his jaw drops.

That... is not Starscream.

C. WILDCARD!

Tombstones into Arachnid because let's be real he needs to be a dumbass here, sorry Hayato.

[tsuyoi_ame]

When he gets the text, he sends one back, letting Hayato know he'll meet him out there. He finishes up in the AZ, cleans up, he'll worry about an actual shower later. Decontamination has to happen anyway. The suit is old hand after his last trip out, so it does not take him long. He of course keeps Shigure Kintoki outside of his suit, his box weapon inside he already had Jiro hand over his three short swords, he won't risk the pup or swallow to the radiation but he wants to be armed.

When he sees the blue light as he approaches, Yamamoto takes off at a run. Coming up behind Hayato just in time to see the name on the tombstone it sends a chill down his spine before he emits a laugh, it's okay, that's not real, it's okay, it's not real he tells himself.

"That's creepy." Then he steps in front of one himself, it scans, and he pulls back when the name begins to come in his eyes go wide, that's his old man, why is his old man's name there. "Really creepy...."

A

[screwsnutsnlolipops]

[Tinkering with a small robot he found he messes with it mumbling to himself. The fact he's been thrown onto an alien planet really doesn't seem to be bothering him. He does want to look at the transporter but right now this robot was broken and he could fix it. Tools in one hand and robot in the other he doesn't really pay mind to a lot of things around him.

No surprise he ends up bumping into Gokudera before looking up and around.

Ah...a graveyard?]

Hmm...ah, guess people die here too.

A

[writtendestiny]

She doesn't much like it out here. Graveyards are creepy, and nothing that has ever happened to her has made her think anything otherwise. Still, she's nothing if not curious, and she had crept her way out here with a very simple goal in mind.

Poison, as ever, wants to see what's going on.

It doesn't surprise her that she isn't alone, but she doesn't seek to bother the young man sharing the space with her. She moves between the tombstones, finding unfamiliar name after unfamiliar name--

Until she stops at one, and draws in a sharp breath between her teeth.

"That's not possible."

C

[half_wolf]

[All of this is foreign for her...yet also similar to home. There was a lack of life in so many places at home to the point that when she first arrived she wondered if they were that different. Regardless, she doesn't want to walk around in her human form. It would probably be easier to move in her wolf form, she was more comfortable that way.

Especially after dealing with tombstones and a spider as a human.

Walking around Gokudera catches her eye...wasn't he near the spider too. For now she stares at him trying to figure that out.]

Spanner | Katekyou Hitman REBORN!

[screwsnutsnlolipops]

B

[Giant robot spider, hell yeah.

Most get away from or out of the way of the giant beast but then there's Spanner. Sitting on the ground near the Spider with laptop on his lap he seems to be vibrating with excitement. With every step it takes he types faster on his computer. It was just a data keeping laptop but this was super important data.

Lollipop hanging from his mouth he seems to be mumbling to himself as he studies the robot.]

How does it work....what is is made out of...if I can get some pieces...

[Excited he keeps reaches for the tools beside him before click on the keyboard again. This was incredible. Although he might be a bit too close to it.]

C

[Not at all interested in the course he is next to the medibots looking them over.]

How intelligent are they?

[Looking around them as the medibots try to get him to move, instead he takes a seat finding paper and trying to write down anything.]

B: Because he has to hit things with his sword. You are glorious for this FYI~

[tsuyoi_ame]

[By now Yamamoto and Hayato are aware of this beast, that does not mean they can be on all sides of it at one time. It's too damn big for that; thankfully, he knows Genji, Peter, and many of the others will be out here. It may take all of Anchor, but they can get this thing down.

For now, he has fired what he can of his dying will flame from the suit and into his swords. It lessens his effectiveness, but it's that or risk exposure because he needs every ounce of his will for the beast.

Then there is a guy sitting there and wait; he knows that guy.]

"Look out!!"

[It's the robot guy who helped them in the future, crap, he's going to get crushed. Okay, Spanner grab ahold of your laptop and get ready, Yamamoto is not missing a beat as he dodges one robotic leg, attaching flames from Shigure Kintoki while using his three short swords to propel himself. He'll attempt to grab the other and get him out of the way or tackle him, or miss; all depends on what Spanner does with a fast-moving Yamamoto trying to beat the spider to the mechanic.]

C

[writtendestiny]

Hard to tell.

[Poison is also steadfastly ignoring any attempts to get her to actually run the course in favour of taking the opportunity to look a few of the bots over.]

How much they are able to do seems to depend on their original purpose, and how much their coding has degraded. [She glances up, flashing a quick smile.] The one tending the bar isn't in good shape.

[uptogood]

A. Ethereal beings don't get tombstones

[ There is almost constantly a tug-o-war between several different parts of Aziraphale. There is the side that always wants to try to do good things and do what's right. There's another that thinks he should stay away because, as an angel, it isn't actually his job to solve humanity's problems so much as encourage them to do so. Then, there's a third that is simple curious. A new strange place, with completely different happenings from the City. When something is suddenly uncovered from beneath the sands, he finds himself drawn to the tombstones out of pure curiosity.

When he finds one that has his own name on it, however ... Well, it doesn't exactly bring about any kind of existential crisis. Instead, he scoffs and shakes his head, instantly dismissing the tombstones as utter nonsense. ]

Please. Now they're being silly.

B. What's a check-up?

[ When the obstacle course first appeared, it didn't cross Aziraphale's mind at all to care about it. There are rather more important things to be worried about anyway. The robots, however, don't agree with this assessment, and when some time has passed and he has yet to show up, they swarm him when he passes by, trying to urge him towards the obstacle course. ]

No, I don't think you understand. I don't need a physical evaluation because I'm not-- My body can't detoriate!

[ That said, his body is not in great shape and he wouldn't be able to clear the obstacle course, which is also a reason he's trying to get out of it. It also ultimately doesn't matter, because he's an angel, and that makes the whole matter a lot more complicated. ]

C. Wildcard

B

[half_wolf]

[Ah, the robots seem to have grabbed the man to run this course. They had tried to grab Blue as well but she took the chance to change and run off from them. At a decent distance she watches the man as he seems to be struggling to get them to stop. She's debating if she should help...]

A

[bakudan_bambino]

[Gokudera had seen his own family name on a tombstone, and he approaches this guy, hazmat suit uncomfortable and feeling like a nuisance. He’s not met many people, not been interested enough to do so, but you can learn a lot about who people knew if you meet them in a cemetery. He’s hoping for maybe a bit of that “oh hey small world” realization when he approaches.]

Why’s that?

B

[tsuyoi_ame]

[Yamamoto is not here for a check up, not that he needs one he stays in top physical condition when he is not getting injured doing dumb things. Lucky for him his boyfriend has some healing powers so he survives here on Anchor pretty well, back home he had good medical care.]

Yo! [The young man steps in between the man and the robots with ease, doing a slight turn he takes him by the shoulder and does his best to usher them out of the fold here.]

Persistent aren't they? I'm Yamamoto, nice to meet you!

A

[saunteredvaguelydownwards]

You're right, but it's still creepy.

[Crowley would never tell Aziraphale that he shouldn't indulge a healthy curiosity, but he also knows that the angel has this habit of getting himself into tricky situations. That is no small part of the reason he's out here too, and he rests his chin on Aziraphale's shoulder from behind as he looks down at the tombstone.

Mm. No. Don't like that.

He came far too close to losing Aziraphale, once.]

I didn't take you for the meandering-about-the-gravestones type.

Carlisle Longinmouth | Original | in-game

[abheirrant]

[late-august; closed to Kabal]

As much as Carlisle had never again wanted to don one of the radiation suits, he finds himself unable to fully ignore the unearthed graveyard. While he'd taken little interest in the ship itself, the tombstone-like structures uncovered by its departure gnaw at his curiosity the moment he spots them beyond the relative safety of the dome. Thankfully, he manages to stave off that nagging curiosity for a number of days; this is mostly on account of the fact that looming on the horizon is an enormous, spider-like monstrosity that seems to be equal parts mechanical and dangerous, and he's not fond of either of those aspects.

But when the spider seems to be missing and the field of tombstones remains, Carlisle finds that curiosity quickly becoming an obsession. As a man who cannot sleep, he has more than enough hours in the day to think about the graveyard, his mind turning over and over again as it comes up with endless questions about its existence. Who would be buried out there? Are they the previous residents of the colony? If so, why are they outside the dome, buried in such a horrible place rather than within? Were they put out there because they often reanimate, like those in Bear Den? Were those undead that used to inhabit the buildings outside former residents? Are there other sources of necrotic energy in the colony aside from himself? There must be, but where did they come from?

Apprehensive as he is of the thought that just walking through the graveyard cause problems, at least any undeads would be beyond the dome, not within. He's not going to get any answers if he doesn't investigate, and he'll go mad if he doesn't get answers soon. And so, cursing his undead nature and his inability to find respite from his overbearing thoughts, he pulls on the heavy suit over his many layers and heads out, steeling his nerves as he treks into the wastes. He must keep his energies under control, lest he raise the whole area. It'll be a good exercise, he's sure — a testament to what progress he's made to that end while living at the barn.

It doesn't take long for Carlisle to discover the structures are not quite the tombstones he thought they were, the light scanning him before the letters rearrange themselves into something readable. There are names he doesn't recognize, but among them is one he does:

Kevin Longinmouth

It takes him by surprise, and for a moment, he considers if his father's body is really there, buried beneath the sands; however, Carlisle stifles that thought, and admittedly finds comfort in his ability to do so. He buried his father years ago, and even if he had been here... he's clearly gone now, and as loath as he may be at times to admit it aloud, it's better that way. Still, he feels he should say something, just in case. Kneeling before the stone, he murmurs a traditional eulogy aloud:

"They cannot hear you.
Now they sleep;
Within her maw
Their souls she'll keep.

And may they not
Rise from their death.
Rest now; release
Thy final breath."

Re: Carlisle Longinmouth | Original | in-game

[kaballin]

Shunk.

Carlisle's touching eulogy is carried away by the fierce winds and unpredictable sandstorms that spring up this distance from the dome. There's the constant strange humming out here, maybe from the mechanical spider or the tombstones, not to mention the howl of wind and grating of sand against stones. But there's another sound that can be heard over all of that which seems out of place even in an area so new and strange.

Shinnnnk.

Someone else is in the graveyard, a short distance away, somewhat hidden by a towering monolith with nonsense runes on it. They're wearing a radiation suit so from behind it's any guess who this might be, but there's really only a few people quite this tall and broad in Anchor. And the fact this person is digging up a grave narrows it down even further.

Kabal has a shovel stolen from the agriculture level and he's about a foot down in front of a grave simply inscribed with the word: Rain.

Chnnnch.

Oh. Sounds like he hit something.