Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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redmarsshit2019-07-19 09:07 pm
modblob) wrote in redmarsshit2019-07-19 09:07 pm
redshift: tdm #2
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.
▶ 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. smoke and generators.
It's early morning, and if any of Anchor's residents thought that taking a vacation in an abandoned hellscape would at least be relaxing enough to sleep in, they're about to find out they were wrong.
It's about 5:30 AM when a loud screeching noise of metal scraping against metal rings out and echoes through the entirety of Anchor, quickly followed by a plume of smoke coming from the topmost levels, near the Research & Development area and a loud series of catastrophic banging noises that simply refuse to let up. Once residents converge on the area, they'll discover a previously closed and completely impenetrable metal door that had comprised most of the back wall of a room full of burn damaged and broken down generators slamming open and shut, shrieking on unoiled hinges and sliders, and emitting plumes of smoke with every slam. A bit of technical finagling with the control pad (or a well-placed blow with a hard object or shot from a gun) will make the door creak to a stop at the top of its usual arc, exposing an enticing scene.
A pristine room sits behind a thick pane of violence-proof glass, decorated starkly with the walls white and white LEDs shining coldly on the scene, it's spartan except for a display of about 5 generators in perfect working condition, complete with pulsing blue-glowing power indicators. Sweet. Those would definitely come in handy for rebooting a few of the city's amenities and life support systems, with the main power grid offline as it is. The only trouble is getting inside. A bit of research would find a few ways:
There are a few options for getting into the room: through the air vents around the door, by hacking the door locking mechanism, by blowing through the door in some way. Each has its drawbacks (the vents are full of large mutated and possibly radioactive vermin such as rats and scorpions; hacking the door is incredibly technologically advanced and difficult to do; blowing up the door comes with a risk of any damage reflecting off the door and back at the people trying to blow it up, or damaging the generators inside, or the structural integrity of the area) and its advantages.
Whether residents want to try one of these options, or think of something on their own (feel free to pitch your ideas in the mod questions thread!), this treasure is definitely worth trying to get hold of.
It's about 5:30 AM when a loud screeching noise of metal scraping against metal rings out and echoes through the entirety of Anchor, quickly followed by a plume of smoke coming from the topmost levels, near the Research & Development area and a loud series of catastrophic banging noises that simply refuse to let up. Once residents converge on the area, they'll discover a previously closed and completely impenetrable metal door that had comprised most of the back wall of a room full of burn damaged and broken down generators slamming open and shut, shrieking on unoiled hinges and sliders, and emitting plumes of smoke with every slam. A bit of technical finagling with the control pad (or a well-placed blow with a hard object or shot from a gun) will make the door creak to a stop at the top of its usual arc, exposing an enticing scene.
A pristine room sits behind a thick pane of violence-proof glass, decorated starkly with the walls white and white LEDs shining coldly on the scene, it's spartan except for a display of about 5 generators in perfect working condition, complete with pulsing blue-glowing power indicators. Sweet. Those would definitely come in handy for rebooting a few of the city's amenities and life support systems, with the main power grid offline as it is. The only trouble is getting inside. A bit of research would find a few ways:There are a few options for getting into the room: through the air vents around the door, by hacking the door locking mechanism, by blowing through the door in some way. Each has its drawbacks (the vents are full of large mutated and possibly radioactive vermin such as rats and scorpions; hacking the door is incredibly technologically advanced and difficult to do; blowing up the door comes with a risk of any damage reflecting off the door and back at the people trying to blow it up, or damaging the generators inside, or the structural integrity of the area) and its advantages.
Whether residents want to try one of these options, or think of something on their own (feel free to pitch your ideas in the mod questions thread!), this treasure is definitely worth trying to get hold of.
b. it's all fun and games...
Getting the generators out of the hidden room was a trial, but finding places to hook them up is a snap - the only real problem is that there's way more spots to hook up to than there are generators. It's completely up to the residents where said generators get hooked up, but no matter what they choose, one room will power up. The VR Room.
Considered necessary rather than just an amenity by the previous residents of Anchor, the VR Room is a necessary outlet allowing the opportunity to relax and unwind for residents. And it's set up to divert some power from the system no matter where the generators were set up. When the room powers up, an automated message is sent out to all functional sat phones - a pretty little series of bells, and an audio announcement that the VR and Games Room is open and available for use, with an attached GPS map showing the room's location in the city.
Any resident who goes to the indicated place will find the VR Room open and powered up. Everything is dusty, but there are couches to lounge on, vending machines with snacks - some of which are decades past their expiry date and some of which are preserved or shelf-stable enough to still be edible - and a little coffee bar. The most important part, though, is the VR and the games.
One area of the room is set up with various interactive video games that two or more people can play together. They run the gamut from dancing games, racing games, first person shooters, and even some simple sports games and childrens' games. It's like a mini digital arcade and anyone is free to play. Some games function with the use of a handheld sensor, or sensors attached to feet or other body parts; some function via camera to track player movements; some have unique functions specific to the game style (players can use their imaginations for this one).
The VR area is a little more complicated. "VR Room" is something of a misnomer - there's one large room to the left, with a hallway sporting more, smaller rooms off to the right. The large room is an environmental simulation room with artificial sunlight and a default oceanscape that can be programmed to resemble a person's own world. There's a certain degree of automatic cerebral interfacing to make sure it gets the details just right. The smaller rooms have access to a library of VR games, some of which work and some of which will insult you in various languages before crashing. People can meet and socialize in the environmental simulation room, or in any of the smaller rooms through virtual reality. Additionally, there is a completely digital "shared world" that any character accessing the VR Room can enter, which represents the city at its peak of functionality and beauty - this VR shared world is the first place that some new arrivals manifest, as ghosts in the machine that can interact via VR before waking up physically in the arrival room.
Anyone accessing virtual reality will receive a warning spiel before entering their chosen program that states that excessive or long-term use of the VR services can cause users to experience mental and/or physical damage.
As long as it's been since the VR rooms were used, however, there's bound to be some glitches, and a few of the programs seem to load up fine only to glitch out partway into the scenario - whether it's an escape room, an in-depth virtual reality murder mystery, a dance party, visual novel, or any other program, there's a chance it might stall, freeze, glitch, and trap players inside until they can figure out how to unfreeze the program, or until they're rescued by someone on the outside recognizing their plight. Good luck!
Considered necessary rather than just an amenity by the previous residents of Anchor, the VR Room is a necessary outlet allowing the opportunity to relax and unwind for residents. And it's set up to divert some power from the system no matter where the generators were set up. When the room powers up, an automated message is sent out to all functional sat phones - a pretty little series of bells, and an audio announcement that the VR and Games Room is open and available for use, with an attached GPS map showing the room's location in the city.
Any resident who goes to the indicated place will find the VR Room open and powered up. Everything is dusty, but there are couches to lounge on, vending machines with snacks - some of which are decades past their expiry date and some of which are preserved or shelf-stable enough to still be edible - and a little coffee bar. The most important part, though, is the VR and the games.
One area of the room is set up with various interactive video games that two or more people can play together. They run the gamut from dancing games, racing games, first person shooters, and even some simple sports games and childrens' games. It's like a mini digital arcade and anyone is free to play. Some games function with the use of a handheld sensor, or sensors attached to feet or other body parts; some function via camera to track player movements; some have unique functions specific to the game style (players can use their imaginations for this one).
The VR area is a little more complicated. "VR Room" is something of a misnomer - there's one large room to the left, with a hallway sporting more, smaller rooms off to the right. The large room is an environmental simulation room with artificial sunlight and a default oceanscape that can be programmed to resemble a person's own world. There's a certain degree of automatic cerebral interfacing to make sure it gets the details just right. The smaller rooms have access to a library of VR games, some of which work and some of which will insult you in various languages before crashing. People can meet and socialize in the environmental simulation room, or in any of the smaller rooms through virtual reality. Additionally, there is a completely digital "shared world" that any character accessing the VR Room can enter, which represents the city at its peak of functionality and beauty - this VR shared world is the first place that some new arrivals manifest, as ghosts in the machine that can interact via VR before waking up physically in the arrival room.Anyone accessing virtual reality will receive a warning spiel before entering their chosen program that states that excessive or long-term use of the VR services can cause users to experience mental and/or physical damage.
As long as it's been since the VR rooms were used, however, there's bound to be some glitches, and a few of the programs seem to load up fine only to glitch out partway into the scenario - whether it's an escape room, an in-depth virtual reality murder mystery, a dance party, visual novel, or any other program, there's a chance it might stall, freeze, glitch, and trap players inside until they can figure out how to unfreeze the program, or until they're rescued by someone on the outside recognizing their plight. Good luck!
c. the crash.
A few days after the Generator Room opening up, residents of Anchor will experience another rude awakening, this time in the middle of the night. While they were sleeping, a red shift has occurred outside the city, and while they were shielded from the radiation and the chaos that comes with it, there are things outside the city that are affected.
Just after midnight, there is an extremely loud noise - it starts as ground-shaking crash, like something massive has hit the ground a few miles outside the city, and is followed by an ominous rumbling. Residents will feel the ground shaking, enough that items may fall off tables, anyone walking might lose their balance, and people might even fall out of bed. After a few minutes, however, it will die down and after a short, almost deafening silence, wind will start to whistle around the dome protecting Anchor from the outside elements. The impact of...whatever crashed in the wastelands...has triggered a massive dust storm.
Anyone who makes it up to the Observation Room near the Decontamination area and look out the wide glass windows (treated carefully to withstand the elements) over the desert will see the vague outline of a massive hulking form in the desert. With some observation, before the dust piles up too high outside the windows, they will get the impression that it's something artificial, created by people and not a natural formation or monster, though any details will be hard to make out. It could be anything from a building to a ship to something else completely alien.
As the day carries on, the dust storm rages outside the city with no signs of letting up, and with every passing hour more red sand builds up against the Observation Room's windows...and on top of the dome. By evening, what should've been a bright sunset is filtered through a layer of red dust thick enough to tint what little light makes it through a vibrant red, painting the city in psychologically jarring shades of crimson.
Just after midnight, there is an extremely loud noise - it starts as ground-shaking crash, like something massive has hit the ground a few miles outside the city, and is followed by an ominous rumbling. Residents will feel the ground shaking, enough that items may fall off tables, anyone walking might lose their balance, and people might even fall out of bed. After a few minutes, however, it will die down and after a short, almost deafening silence, wind will start to whistle around the dome protecting Anchor from the outside elements. The impact of...whatever crashed in the wastelands...has triggered a massive dust storm.
Anyone who makes it up to the Observation Room near the Decontamination area and look out the wide glass windows (treated carefully to withstand the elements) over the desert will see the vague outline of a massive hulking form in the desert. With some observation, before the dust piles up too high outside the windows, they will get the impression that it's something artificial, created by people and not a natural formation or monster, though any details will be hard to make out. It could be anything from a building to a ship to something else completely alien.As the day carries on, the dust storm rages outside the city with no signs of letting up, and with every passing hour more red sand builds up against the Observation Room's windows...and on top of the dome. By evening, what should've been a bright sunset is filtered through a layer of red dust thick enough to tint what little light makes it through a vibrant red, painting the city in psychologically jarring shades of crimson.
d. red-out (& network prompt).
The lack of light isn't the only problem going on in the city because of the dust storm - there are consequences much worse than a lack of Vitamin D for residents. Dust storms were a common problem when the city was created and inhabited by its previous residents, and there are failsafes in effect. As the dust clogs up the power generation apparatuses on the exterior of the city, power starts to fade. By the early afternoon, the backup generators kick in, but the power from the backup generators only lasts a few hours before technical problems from decades without maintenance cause them to power down almost completely, leaving the city dark and cloaked in red.
Good thing those generators showed up, huh?
During the red-out, power will be completely diverted to life support, and the Exit Area will be completely locked down, preventing anyone from leaving the city or re-entering it, apart from new arrivals. All amenities, entertainment, and anything non-essential has been completely shut down. This may result in residents stranded in strange places with or without company, and many other awkward situations, at least until someone can jury-rig the new generators into place to make the not-necessary-but-super-convenient parts of the city work.
The one thing that's completely unaffected is the network, and the city's failsafe includes another way of trying to keep residents from going insane during the red-out: a network game.
Every device in the city will pop up with an prompt:
Please input two truths and one lie about yourself. These will be posted to the network so other residents can guess which is the lie!
Well. It's. Something alright.
Good thing those generators showed up, huh?
During the red-out, power will be completely diverted to life support, and the Exit Area will be completely locked down, preventing anyone from leaving the city or re-entering it, apart from new arrivals. All amenities, entertainment, and anything non-essential has been completely shut down. This may result in residents stranded in strange places with or without company, and many other awkward situations, at least until someone can jury-rig the new generators into place to make the not-necessary-but-super-convenient parts of the city work.
The one thing that's completely unaffected is the network, and the city's failsafe includes another way of trying to keep residents from going insane during the red-out: a network game.
Every device in the city will pop up with an prompt:
Please input two truths and one lie about yourself. These will be posted to the network so other residents can guess which is the lie!
Well. It's. Something alright.
Mod Note: This red-out is set to last from July 22nd until August 1st, when the intro log goes up at the start of the app cycle.
no subject
[All of those busy thoughts buzzing inside of his head are outside of this moment, here and now, where the person he's been talking to this whole time actually looks like the kid she is.]
[Kieran never got the chance to be a big brother--his parents died before he ever could--but he could try to act the part, even if just for a few minutes. Least he could do, right? So he sits upright again, resting his elbows against the bar, and cranes his neck so he can better catch Ami's eye.]
Hey, uh...
[He pauses, searching for the right words, and then clears his throat. He's never been one for big speeches, but he's heard plenty, and that's how they always seem to start.]
...for what it's worth? Even if you ain't got a clue about how any of this stuff works, that don't mean you can't do nothin' about it.
A-And I mean it! From what I heard, everyone's gotta pull together whatever they know and work as a team to make it here. So, uh, d-don't sell yourself short, alright? You know more than you think you know.
1/2
As she listens, Ami gradually stops fiddling with the umbrella, and eventually taps it on the bar a couple times and folds it up. ]
It's... nice of you to say so.
2/2
[ She straightens up and laughs a little nervously. ] What I mean is, I really appreciate it. And you know, worst case scenario - we can always learn, right? Nobody's useless if they're willing to learn.
no subject
[He's just happy that he's done some kind of good.]
Yeah! Exactly!
Plus you got that future brain going for ya. I bet yer gonna learn real quick.
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Hey now, don't count out your past brain, either! Past brains laid the foundations for future brains to build upon!
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Naw... I mean... n-not this brain at least.
[Kieran kind of shrugs and--he doesn't exactly hide his face, but he does turn it aside as he rubs at the nape of his neck.]
It's full of nonsense like horses and fish and, I dunno, food and booze probably.
no subject
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You've never gone fishin' before?
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... which are, uh - I'll explain video games later, actually, that's a whole other can of worms. I have not gone fishing in real life. My dad's more of a "double feature B-movies at the dollar theater" kind of guy.
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I-If there's a fishin' spot around here, I can teach ya!
[His face lights up as he offers. Finally! Something his silly anachronistic ass can be useful for!]
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Could you? That's a really good idea! There's that little lake at the bottom of the hole - I think I've seen some fish splashing around in there.
[ She holds up her index finger - ] And in return, since fishing is not exactly a high stress high octane activity, we can pass the time by telling you more about future stuff! How's that sound?
no subject
[He's so excited!]
[He'll get to share something he truly loves with a new cool friend, and that same cool new friend will get to talk about all the nifty things that are going to happen in the future!]
[Everybody wins!]
[Kieran holds out a hand so they can shake on it. Like official business and everything.]
no subject
But, you know, what are a few blisters? If that's all it takes to pull her own weight, then it'll be more than worth it. ]
It's a deal, pardner!
no subject
[He pulls his hand away and wraps it around his tequila sunrise once more, trying to give it something to do while a lull builds in their conversation. He swirls the glass, momentarily enamored with the colors... and then realization hits!]
We never got you that juice!
the daring tale of an elaborate heist: "OJ's Eleven"
[ She'd forgotten all about it! She looks up at the robot, who's been merrily polishing the same glass for the past five minutes. Well, clearly asking is pointless. But the orange juice is there, sitting inside the glass door of the fridge right behind him, label facing outward.
By the way, how come those labels always feature an orange with a straw jammed into it? That's not how you make orange juice.
Ami could really go for an orange with a straw jammed into it.
She leans in and waves Kieran a little closer, lowering her voice. C O N S P I R E ]
I have an idea. If you can distract Ol' Wonky there [ gesturing with her thumb at the robot ], I'll sneak behind him and grab the OJ.
starring Brad Pith
[He obediently follows Ami’s directly and scooches closer, lowering his stupidly tall torso so he’s level with her.]
[Kieran nods at all of the appropriate moments, no stranger to half-assed plans and the execution thereof. Sure, there are words and sounds in Ami’s directions that are difficult to understand (when you don’t know your letters, ‘OJ’ is tough to figure out), but he does know how cause a distraction. Sometimes on purpose, even.]
You got it, little miss.
[Kieran straightens up and faces his target before downing the rest of his drink and picking up another.]
So, uh, mister. Can ya tell me a bit more about this place? What’s it like in, I dunno, winter?
[WINTER DOESN’T EXIST IN SPACE, KIERAN.]
god damn
"Certainly! Anchor is grea-grea-great in ERROR, no results found for search term! Please contact your network adminis-inistrator for a tasty tequila sunrise!"
[ That said, he doesn't seem to be leaving his spot in front of the fridge, either. ]
call the police and the fireman
[Kieran's all out of ideas.]
[So, he panics and does the first thing that comes to mind.]
[Which... happens to be knocking over a glass with a quick swipe of a hand. There's tequila sunrise everywhere, all over the bar.]
[A moment of silence to pay respects for the liquor loss.]
[...]
[F
[...]
[Okay, we shall proceed.]]
Ah... ah dang it. I'm so sorry, friend. Think I'm a gettin' a bit top-heavy here.
[Kieran stands up and wobbles a bit like a pro, making it look like he's getting ready to clean up his mess.]
G-got a rag or somethin'?
no subject
Instantly, the robot zeroes in on the cocktail puddle, its cleaning subroutines taking top priority. It straight up drops the glass it's polishing (which doesn't break, somehow, but rolls under the sink, never to be seen again) and zips over to wipe up the mess with the same rag. Doesn't put sanitizer on it or anything. Come to think of it, maybe we should conduct a health inspection on this place. ]
"Of course! I exist to serve, meatbag!" [ - it exclaims in that same peppy customer service voice. ]
[ But now's Ami's chance! She hustles behind the counter, opens the fridge as quietly as she can, and removes the orange juice. GET!
Unfortunately, she's not quite fast enough at it. Just as she's closing the door, the robot finishes cleaning and turns back, catching her red-handed. There's an awkward pause while it processes this information. ]
"Hey there, kid! Sorry, but I'm gonna need to see some ID for that!"
[ Ami slumps, curling her lip in disbelief. ] Oh, now you want to card me?
no subject
[Kieran's not sure what the heck ID or asking for a card is, but it doesn't sound good. Or, at the very least, it sounds incredibly inconvenient.]
[We won't address the unfortunate connotations of 'meatbag' just yet. One anxiety-inducing implication at a time.]
[Okay, let's think. There has to be a way out of this mess...]
[...maybe.]
[Kieran hurries behind the bar, arms up in that universal gesture for 'let's all stay calm, fam'.]
Ami? Is that where you went? I swear, I can't take you anywhere.
[He turns to the robot, moving slightly in front of Ami to block its view of her. He tries for an allaying grin as he folds his arms behind his back as he ducks his head and shoulders in a gesture that would normally show some sort of graciousness.]
That girl's got less sense than God gave geese, sometimes!
[Meanwhile, he motions with his hands for Ami to tuck the juice in his palms.]
no subject
Sorry, Mr. Robot! I'll put it back right away.
[ She steps over to the fridge, opens it up, mimes placing an invisible jug back inside, and closes the door, grinning really wide the whole time. ]
no subject
[He starts to walk--backwards--away from Mr. Robot, taking slow, deliberate, and totally inconspicuous steps as he keeps a firm hold on their prize. The scowl on Kieran's face isn't quite as animated as Ami's grin, but he's trying his best to act like a disappointed big brother.]
That's a good girl, Ami.
Now, let's get you on outta here so you can think about what you've done.
no subject
[ THEY'RE THE BEST AT LIES. For her part, Ami skips away in the most childish fashion imaginable. Just gonna make our way to the door here...
The robot, having no idea how to handle this particular event, just watches them until they do something it does have a subroutine for - in this case, exiting the establishment. At that point it straightens up and waves one of its spindly metal arms. ]
"Thank you! Come back again! -bzzt- Or don't!"
no subject
Oh, I'm sure we will, Mr. Robot! Thanks fer yer time, friend.
[With that, he places his hat back on his head and once he makes it to the door with Ami, short-tosses her the bottle.]
C'mon, let's get outta here before that thing figures out what we did.
no subject
(Absolutely nothing is chasing them.) ]
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