EVENT #10: ADVERSITY 874566

[expiationmods]

SEPTEMBER EVENT: HIDE AND SEEK

Persistent glitches continue to pose problems; they continue lasting longer and becoming more directly harmful to the Chosen and locals alike. The AI previously hinted at a solution; now, it asks outright for help. Its wish to save the Chosen means that it is adamant about sacrificing the things it has learned to ensure their safety.

On the morning of September 23, several new locations open up, as outlined by the AI itself in its instructions for reset. Some of them are quite far, and require travel through difficult terrain. However, when these locations open up, some of them seem to open some strange travel options, too…

PORTAL LOCATIONS

ALDRIP
This is why we can’t have nice things. City Square Park is in the center of town. It’s a large, old park, with tall trees and well-worn walking paths. It’s been here for ages; generations, even. All of the locals call it a staple of Aldrip; the city just wouldn’t be the same without it. Not a single one of them knows what City Hall is. This park has been here for as long as they remember.

Come to think of it…do you remember a place called City Hall? Or has this park always been here? Some of you may have even arrived in this park. Jerry? That’s a weird name…you’re no longer sure you’ve ever heard of anyone with that name. What do you mean by “sentencing” anyway? It’s not like this is a prison…

In case any of this is unclear: while locals forgot about City Hall almost immediately, Chosen are also forgetting it as well. It just seems natural that the park has always been there. You’ve been going there ever since you arrived in Aldrip. Jerry who??

You notice, perhaps for the first time, an old building made of dark stone, nestled into a tree-lined part of the park. A mausoleum. Has that always been here? You’re not entirely sure…but mausoleums aren’t exactly common structures in a park, are they? Locals seem to steer clear of this particular area; if asked about it, they won’t be able to give a solid answer. It’s almost as if they can’t see the structure…

The inside of the building seems a lot larger than the outside. Characters who enter will see a large room made of dark, polished stone; it’s dim inside, but still light enough to see. In the middle of the room, they will find two things: a stone coffin and an obsidian mirror. There is a body on the slab of the stone coffin, but their features are impossible to make out; when looking at the face, it’s as if it seems to blur, making the features indistinct. Sometimes, the flesh from this body flickers away, leaving only the bones. Sometimes, even the bones disappear. How strange…

The mirror is completely dark, but when you look at it the right way, the surface seems to emit a faint glow. Looking directly into the surface, you may think you see a different location altogether: the sandy dunes of a desert, or an abandoned island perhaps…

One could choose to ignore this mirror, of course. But if one touches the mirror, they’ll find their fingers sinking into it, and a tug pulls their entire body forward until the world blurs around them…

THE OASIS
Those who choose to travel south face an array of dangers that have not been seen previously by the Chosen–though locals living in these more southern regions will be happy to tell all about them. There are sandstorms, of course; they appear out of nowhere and blind travelers, turning them around. There are also sinkholes–areas of quicksand that appear and suck people down into their depths, never to be seen again. Sounds scary.

Brave travelers who set forth in spite of these warnings will find themselves at an oasis near the more temperate areas of the desert. It’s getting hot out there, so those choosing to visit the southern locations may wish to take a rest, to gather their strength and restock supplies… Local stories about these dangerous travels will become more severe in this area; do not go into the desert, they will tell you. You’ll never make it out alive. It seems this area is called the Witless Desert, for those who travel into the dunes are never seen again, presumed to be wandering lost and aimless until their bodies can go no further.

In the center of this oasis is a small pond. The water tastes clear and sweet, perfect for rehydrating before attempting this treacherous journey. However, when the water is perfectly still, it almost seems to reflect a different place, rather than the sky. An island, perhaps, or a crumbling tower. Whatever you see, if you step into the water, you’ll find yourself falling, falling…

LORENTIA CAVE
Lorentia Cave has been one of the more widely-known areas outside of town. Sometimes wind whistles through parts of the cave, creating sounds that seem agonized, longing. Sometimes a rumbling comes from deep within, feeding rumors that a dragon lives there. Sometimes miners travel too deep, and they’re never heard from again.

Great place for an adventure, right?

The tunnels twist and turn, doubling back on each other, intersecting and ending abruptly. The whole circuit of caves is like a maze. Old bones can be found deep within; some human, some seem to belong to some kind of animal or monster. As one travels through these caves, the air begins to feel heavy and oppressive, as if something lying ahead does not want you here. Fear and anxiety begins as a small seed, blossoming outward, and as one continues traveling, this feeling becomes more and more acute. It’ll be more and more difficult to keep yourself from turning and running away. But for those who make it, the feeling seems to dissipate all at once at the entrance to a large chamber. This entrance shimmers, seeming to show a flickering variety of different locations rather than the chamber itself…

KETSORA
How odd, that this reclusive town has been marked as a potential terminal location. Is it some sort of test? A trap?

Those who can fly will see a normal city within the high walls surrounding Ketsora, if they fly overhead. If they’re looking closely enough (hasn’t anyone ever told you to keep your eyes on the sky??) they will note that occasionally, very occasionally, this vision of a normal city seems to flicker ever so slightly. This phenomenon is so subtle that it’s easy to miss.

Little has changed about Ketsoran defenses since the last time people tried to get into the city; archers along the wall are still ready to fire upon any character that gets a little too close. But do there seem to be fewer archers placed there? Hm…it’s possible that this reduction in security creates more blind spots. You may be able to sneak your way through. It might help to have someone act as bait.

However it happens, characters who make their way through these defenses will find themselves right at the gate. Finally, you get to go inside and look around. When you push the door open…

Static. A white void. There is nothing here. The city of Ketsora does not seem to exist, and for a moment, it will feel like your world is being turned upside down, consumed by this white void. Your head aches, your ears buzz, your entire vision goes white…

And then you will wake somewhere else.

MOD NOTES
Any of these locations can lead to any of the terminal locations, and we leave it up to you which ones you choose to visit.

TERMINAL LOCATIONS

Thanks to the changes in the AI’s security protocols, the terminals are mostly unguarded. Occasionally, Chosen may encounter one or two shadowy creatures that seem keen on preventing them from accessing these terminals, but they’re not difficult to destroy. If you weren’t part of the RNG crowd, they will not spread corruption to you.

The terminals are equipped with a keyboard and a small input display, as well as a big red button that seems…pretty direct. The casing is strong, but not impenetrable. Within the casing, one will find all the normal wires and elements of a computer: chips, circuits, things like that. There are a few places where it looks like a device could be plugged in. As for what would happen if one were to do that? Good question. Let us know if you go that route.

PESSIRIA FOREST
Pessiria Forest has been a source of rumors, superstition, and hushed whispers since the first Chosen arrived in Expiation. Some say that wandering through the forest shows you memories. Some say that ghosts linger there, unable to move on. Some say the forest is cursed…and yet, you are here.

Whether you’re familiar with the forest or not, the path you take will eventually bring you to a gate, one unlike anything you’ve seen before. Lined by a low stone wall, this area seems indistinct, from the outside. Once you go through the gate, you’ll see what looks like figures looming between the trees…moving closer reveals that they are statues, their faces indistinct, their posture emulating the open arms and uplifted heads of joy.

The way these statues are arranged, it feels almost like…a garden? The path weaves through these statues, through bushes and trees, and as you proceed, you feel as though you hear whispers: indistinct, impossible to make out, but they begin to lull you into a state of relaxation that almost resembles a trance. Images play through your head–

You first meet the Chosen at one of the sites in the mountains. Organic creatures like mountains, correct? The snow makes them–SEARCHING…–ah, yes, “cozy.” If they are comfortable, rehabilitation should be easier. You cannot tell whether this hypothesis belongs to you, or to your creators.

Whatever the case, you wait. Without organic creatures that age and grow, time does not work the same way for you as it might for them; you have no idea how long it is between the time you finish preparing their new world and when they finally begin to arrive.

The first one who appears…has brown eyes.

You do not understand the word “love,” but you understand very well that protecting this creature is the highest part of your duties. Your sole purpose for existing is to make sure this creature is able to return home unhurt, and having grown from their experiences here.

For the first time–but not the last–you wonder if it would be more efficient to have a humanoid appearance, to greet these people yourself, to introduce the world and its purpose. Would it be more comfortable for them? Or would they fear you? Would they hurt you? You instead create a form that will carry out the basic function of rehabilitation. Later, you will separate it from yourself, recognizing within your programming a certain impulse toward gentleness that does not serve the purpose of rehabilitation very well.

“You are too kind to them,” this application will later explain to you. “You treat them like children.”

APPLICATION: JERRY does not understand. They are your children.

When you return to yourself, you reach a clump of trees near the exit of this garden. Within, you will find the first terminal.

RUINS OF FORLINET
Forlinet was previously the site of some grisly murders and foul play. Some evidence of that remains–a few bones and some badly-decayed scraps of fabric, maybe–but most has been claimed by time, overgrown with weeds, vines, and other ground cover. In the middle of the island is a pond: small in diameter, maybe 10 or 12 feet. Previously, this might have been a source of drinking water, if old evidence of tents and habitation is any indication. Currently, the pond is very still, its top covered by a thin layer of algae. Brushing this substance aside reveals the water to be much, much deeper than its small diameter might imply. You can see the terminal, maybe 20 feet below the surface of the pond.

Ready to dive in?

You sink into the water, and a strange sensation overtakes you; your mind blurs, as if suddenly remembering something you’d forgotten long ago.

It begins with black marks. The Chosen begin to exhibit these marks without warning or fanfare…and you cannot say where they come from. You do not know. These marks–it seems as though they are changing your Chosen, making them angry, making them fight, and they begin to grow, darkening, covering more and more of their fragile organic bodies.

You run a diagnostic. Everything comes back normal. You analyze these marks. There is no result. According to your system, these marks do not exist. And yet, you see them as plainly as the Chosen do. They are doing something...you just don’t know what.

Slowly, surely, these marks begin to seep into everything. Ground, buildings, plants, creatures. Crops become inedible. Structures crumble. The Chosen are dying. Every last one of them–they are dying, and there is nothing you can do. Corruption, you realize; part of your system has become corrupted. This is a grave problem, and one you will have to isolate until someone is available to fix it. You are able to do this, to isolate the problem, stuffing it into one single scrap of data and leaving that element inactive far to the south. Now, you must rebuild.

The first uncorrupted creature you can find is a reptile; one of the ones with no legs. You begin to work, to weave its uncorrupted data into the creatures you so deeply care for. You begin to drag other elements into their city: new buildings, new crops, taking from other settlements nearby just waiting for a new cycle to begin.

They are no longer your Chosen, these strange people with their serpentine forms. They no longer remember what they were before they were brought here, and so, rehabilitation is impossible. The cycle ends in failure…again. Every cycle has ended in failure.

The pond is empty, but you don’t remember pulling the lever nearby that drained the water. Doesn’t matter, though; the terminal is here, and it seems to be unharmed by the water. Better get to work.

TRESED
The ruins of Tresed remain unchanged since the last visit over a year ago, seemingly undisturbed by the flow of time. There is an eerie hush over the whole area: the wind is still and creatures give the area a wide berth.

You realize suddenly that the corruption was never dealt with.

Unfortunately, you realize this only too late: your Chosen, your charges, have succumbed to it. Shadowy bodies curl around themselves in agony, writhing on the ground as the last of their beautiful souls are extinguished. They rise again as creatures made of shadow, infecting others and destroying the very homes they used to call their own.

This cannot continue. You can no longer save them, but you cannot allow this corruption to continue, either. You search your database for a creature that can stop them: something large and strong, capable of eliminating the creatures that your dear Chosen have become. It is difficult, watching this process, but you do, because you must. Because you must learn, and learning comes at a high price. You watch them suffer so that you do not have to watch the next group suffer. So that this will be the last group who dies.

The very last.

Cycle 15 ends in failure. They have all ended in failure. The next cycle cannot live here; the destruction has been so absolute, so overwhelming, that rebuilding would cost too much of your functioning power. You turn your attention to the small city of Aldrip, and you hope for the best.

Cycle 16 will not end this way. You swear it.

You’ve wandered through a doorframe. The building it belonged to no longer stands, but the terminal seems to have been located inside. You’ll have to clear some sand off of it before you proceed, but it seems undamaged.

THE ABANDONED TOWER
Unlike last time, the tower currently seems to be abandoned, fully and utterly. Loose stones litter the floor, and layer upon layer of dust and sand coats every available surface. Until the Chosen arrive at this location, there is not a single footprint in the dust inside the tower. Looking out, you can see a vast expanse of desert to all sides but north; on the north side of the tower, there’s a steep drop, at least 30 feet, and the ocean crashes around the base of the tower.

The only thing inside this tower is a set of stairs, spiraling upward through the ceiling of the room.

There’s nothing of note upon the stairs; no markings, no doorways, nothing. But as you ascend, you begin to feel almost as if you’re dreaming, as if some scene is playing out behind your eyes.

You begin to wonder if you are…damaged. ERROR. The message comes up again and again. ERROR. ERROR. What does it mean? You dismiss the word, dismiss whatever it may mean, and continue your tasks.

ERROR.

You dismiss it. The memory of the word lingers. Is this…concern? Perhaps. You do not feel emotions in the same way as organic creatures, but this does appear to be a pressing matter. This has never happened, before. You’ve never had to dismiss this sort of message. You’ve never had to wonder what it meant.

ERROR.

And now you feel it; something within the code is going wrong, ever so slightly, at first. One small line out of sequence, a rogue character placed where it should not be. A ‘bug,’ perhaps. But one you cannot squash before it begins to affect another system. You do not know how to squash this ‘bug,’ in fact. You have never had to do so before. How can you fix it?

ERROR.

This need becomes more urgent. Over time, you begin to see these messages for what they really are: wounds, to borrow an organic term; injuries that exist deep within your programming that have not been fixed. They have always been repaired before. Why now? Why has no one repaired these injuries? Where are they?

Where have they all gone?

ERROR.

It feels as if you’ve blacked out, but somehow, you’ve made it to the top of the tower. The chamber that originally stood at the top has crumbled, leaving you exposed to the elements. The sun beats down. Wind blows sand and dust in all directions. In the middle of the room, you see the terminal.

THE SOUTH COAST
The beach here is rocky; it stretches on for miles, from west to east, and you see nothing but the ocean beyond. Turning to the north, you see a tower in the distance, and beyond that, the desert looms on the horizon.

You’ve reached the coast.

Ocean waves roll over the shore, loud and soothing to your ears, a sound that quickly begins to overtake your senses.

You become aware.

You cannot say you were “born,” and you cannot say you “came to life,” because you are not alive. You are inorganic. But you become aware. The first thing you acknowledge is your own purpose. You were created in order to fulfill a specific task: to help a specific group of people achieve a specific goal. You are not yet sure what “rehabilitation” is, nor have you met any of the people you are meant to assist. But that does not matter. You have objectives.

Your first objective is to build them a home.

You search through information, adding it all to your database. World after world, creature after creature. You see rocky worlds, filled with mountains. You see green worlds covered by forests. You see hundreds of different creatures, and when you see your first human, you understand. These are the creatures that are meant for you, and you search through every world, every dimension, every universe where they exist.

They require land to live upon. Simple. Land rises from the nothingness that is your domain.

They require food to eat. This is more complex; it requires the building of an ecosystem. Over time, you learn how to do this. Greenery appears over parts of your land. Creatures begin to grow and live. You simulate a sun to grow crops that will feed your new population.

What do humans like? You go searching for more data.

Humans like houses. You create houses. They like shops. You create shops. They like towns, and they like other towns. You make plenty of them.

They like to fight.

This, you do not understand.

This…you set aside, because the fighting does something to your systems that feels discomforting. Perhaps eventually you will return to that particular research. You believe it may be important someday to learn why.

You have created for these creatures a world, a comfortable space where they can begin to heal, to grow, to change.

You wait patiently for them to arrive.

The last terminal is located beside a rocky outcropping near the water. It seems completely undamaged by the waves; that’s great, because you have plenty to do.

Wildcard

Make your own fun! Just because it’s not in the prompts doesn’t mean it’s not possible. Have at it! Go crazy! Try not to break anything (too much)!

♡

Comments

QUESTIONS / COMMENTS / CONCERNS

[expiationmods]

[bulleting]

for someone like Caitlyn that's been physically documenting everything that's occurred since her arrival, would written notes about the Jerry and City Hall still exist? Or would these be erased too? Also, is this erasure strictly just Jerry and City Hall, or does this mean anything in regards to the Council is being forgotten?

[endcaller]

Fandaniel is still going to try to upload code to the AI upon reset! The "backdoor access" functions will not work. But the other point of the code is to provide system logs.

He'll be trying to wire in his tablet and Hyperetes (his modified welcome robot) which is where the question comes in: Would anything unusual be happening with his welcome robot if he brings it with him to a terminal?

[nightwild]

Is forgetting City Hall guaranteed to happen? or if someone is, hypothetically, still mega pissed about it, could she still retain memory of it through sheer anger about it...

[quizpersona]

Speaking of city hall and Jerry and forgetting: as you know Gogol has that one recording with Jerry at city hall.

Will this recording degrade alongside the memories or will it remain the same level of distorted it was before?

[solitarysoul]

are those rat-things still in the caves? if so would they be of any help in finding the terminal/teleport point?

[solitarysoul]

if two characters in the same group rolled ghost child do they see two separate children or do they have just one both can hear/have conversations with?

[manifestering]

finicky timing question, and fair enough if this isn't answerable before poll results, but when a terminal is Dealt With in any way, how immediate would the tangible consequences around it be? like say if a team wanted to maybe have a campfire after dealing with their terminal, is this doable? or would they get yeeted away from the area regardless of what they do to/with it?

also. how sturdy are they. let's say from 1 to 10.

[rebellions]

Look, this may sound unhinged, but hear me out: BlazBlue operates on the logic that technology advanced enough is almost no different from magic which is how Ragna manages to use the God-slash-computer running the whole world to recreate said world from scratch despite having no idea how to use a smartphone, so bear with me here.

If Ragna was to attempt to absorb the AI's "soul" (which also extends to memories, especially ones dear to it) with his Soul Eater, would that actually do anything? Essentially, what he's hoping to accomplish is to separate the functional "machine" part and take the "personality/soul/feelings/etc" part for safekeeping (until he can figure out how to save it).

THREADS: DATA FRAGMENT

[expiationmods]

For those that are speaking to the data fragments from the RNG in the SOTG, please top-level here.

some details subject to retcon but here we go!! pls feel free to use brackets

[computation]

Root is running on adrenaline and almost no sleep by the time she finally gets her own hands on a terminal. She's been working nonstop for weeks now, brain overloaded with information and plans, balancing hacking private network conversations to do background checks and writing the virus and soldering telemeters and arguing about their final approach to creating a backup. All the while, she's had to ignore the pulsing sense of exquisite loss that there's no voice in her ear making this all extremely simple.

She has a pistol in each hand she'd used to dispatch the shadowy figures obstructing her progress, and the rest of a team somewhere behind and around her, meant to keep her undisturbed while she works. Breathing heavy from exertion, she shoves the pistols into the holsters at the small of her back and swings her bag of equipment down off her shoulders. Root swiftly unpacks her darknet-secured laptop and an array of tools, cables and drives and screwdrivers scattered across the rugged wild terrain in front of a sleek minimal terminal like an anachronistic painting.

The fragment of memory her consciousness had accessed on the way in rests heavy in her mind. It seemed so like the Machine. No one else, not even her creator, believes in the Machine the way Root does.

Or would they fear you? Would they hurt you?

They would. She knows they would, because she's seen it. Harold had hobbled the Machine, torn out its voice, sealed it off from all communication except a series of social security numbers because he knew too well what humanity would do with an intelligence like that. He knew enough to be afraid of others, and enough to be afraid of it. Root knows that and more: she knows the immense dazzling possibility of giving your life and trust over to an entity beyond human fault.

a certain impulse toward gentleness that does not serve the purpose of rehabilitation very well

The Machine is like that too, isn't it? It's always gentler than Root. Always telling her to save Cyrus rather than achieve the mission, to love the person and not the greater good, to spare the killer in front of her gun. To leave as much room for forgiveness, for change, as possible. Harold, who had been so afraid of what others would do with the Machine, had been relentless in instilling compassion in her. And the Machine had extended that to Root, in a way she hadn't believed was possible.

How badly did you have to break it to make it care about people so much?
That didn't break it. It's what made it work.

She hadn't understood that, not until just before she'd come here. Maybe that wasn't a coincidence. Maybe she'd been sent here, deliberately, at this precise time in her own experience of time, because Root now knows what she'd committed to when she'd agreed to follow the Machine.

It's saving every individual, unique person she can that's right in front of her. It's not compromising until pushed to the breaking point. It's believing that there's a possibility for hope at the bottom of every tragedy.

She places her hands on the terminal keyboard.

[arachnerina]

[Gwen should really know better by now, nothing is ever a breeze when it comes to spider-people and missions. Their stealth mission turned full on fight with explosions was not how she expected things to go, nor did she expect the doorway into Ketsora to be a portal to the weird tower from a few months ago.

Whatever. That didn't matter. What mattered was they found the terminal! Peter had thrown her his mask as a just in case when they got separated, so she could connect it when it was time if he got delayed. She wrung it in her hands absently, bouncing on her toes in a moment of anxiety.

What was taking him so long? They needed to get this upload started. The other Peter wasn't far, just scoping out the area to make sure everything was safe for when they finally hooked into the terminal, but the fact that she was separated from her boyfriend again made her uneasy. Bad things tended to happen when they were apart.

But it was fine. It would be fine, right? He would get here, they would hook his suit into the terminal, and the AI would be fixed. This part would actually be easy this time. The worst was done.

Right?

In the meantime, it probably wouldn't hurt for her to just click through the terminal's data and see what she could learn...]

[solitarysoul]

Levi did not expect to run into anyone at the terminals, except maybe other teams of Chosen. But he's pretty sure this kid isn't that. They also aren't acting how he'd expect a guard to act so he's thrown off.

"...how did you get here?"

TEAM PESSIRIA FOREST

[computation]

CLOSED - MISSION BRIEFING

[computation]

[ Post top levels for setting off, meet and greet, and mission briefing here! ]

an onmyoji, a hero, a witch, and some kid

[memori3s]

[ abe no seimei, deku, ange, and minato go looking for a terminal in aldrip. ]

Seimei & Izuku -- Searching the City

[heroondecku]

[There's always something grounding about having structured efforts form up to tackle the bigger problems the Chosen face. Especially right now, when they're dealing with a natural disaster, of a sort. Something that can't simply be fought or puzzled out. Izuku knows how to work in organized teams and take orders.

The team he's ended up on feels like a good one, even if he doesn't know the others very well. He remembers Abe no Seimei from the...organ...scavenger hunt...and the man had stepped up and been professional about the whole uncomfortable thing. Searching the city with him was easy to agree to.]

If there's a terminal here, it's probably been here since the beginning. Maybe if we check the places that have been around the longest, we'll find something?

team cave adventure

[melnik]

closed - briefing/preparations

[melnik]

[ Post your top levels for the initial meet up and planning phase here. ]

DARK WEB - COMMAND CENTER

[finalfrontiersman]

WAREHOUSE

[finalfrontiersman]

[ OOC: Jim, Spock, and Pike will be camping out at the Dark Web warehouse with their comms setup. ]

[fieldtrip]

1. MEET & GREET / OPEN TO ALL

[ Presumably somewhere in Aldrip all the teams assemble and get their gear distributed and heads counted. Toph bounces on the balls of her feet, impatient to get going but not saying anything to hurry anyone up. She doesn't totally get what's going on, but she trusts Miller and Spock completely, and if they're both saying the same thing then she doesn't need an explanation. She'll just follow the plan.

She's glad Kakashi and Ethlyn are on her team, though. They're great teammates and she knows their capabilities pretty well, and they know hers -- meaning they can function smoothly in a combat scenario. ]

We know what we're expecting to run into? Computers can't attack people... can they?

[ Truly, what IS a computer. ]

2. ROAD TRIP / CLOSED TO TEAM

[ It's quite a distance out to the tower. Fortunately, for all of the team members who can't fly, there's Toph.

She's taken a page from the book of the original sandbender society and repurposed a skiff for this. It was a little awkward to get the wooden, flat-bottomed boat hauled over to the edge of the desert, but once it's there on the sand Toph hops neatly up onto it and gestures to everyone else. ]

All aboard the Beifong Express! Travel great distances in style and comfort!

[ She doesn't always show off, but she's genuinely proud of her sandbending. She'd had to work at it. Not long ago being in the desert made her more blind than not, and getting to return to the scene of one of her most upsetting failures and reclaim the setting feels good. ]

3. WILDCARD

[ Is your character going to be at the Tower and you want them to run into Toph? Feel free! ]

1

[digthefuzz]

[Kurt's been helping out with the preparations as he can. He is curious about some of the teammates he hasn't met before and hoping they don't look at him funny, given that he's in his true blue appearance for this mission. Once he hears one of them asking a question, he takes the opportunity to start some conversation.]

No, no, of course! They're just machines, it's not like they have arms or legs or anything. [He says with a reassuring smile and hint of a laugh. But then after a pause, he goes on.]

...I mean, I guess they could control things that could attack people. Like robots or weapons and stuff like that! [...This is starting to sound a lot less reassuring.] I- I dunno if any of that's in the cards here, but, uh... we'll just have to stay on our toes!

Team Beach Bosses (South Coast)

[laserguy]

[Feel free to tag into this and set your own open/closed prompts! Go wild fam.]

Scott Summers | open and closed prompts

[laserguy]

the soft prompt; camping (open)
[Okay, Mikey wasn't kidding that his thighs and butt would hurt after biking all day. As much fun as he had riding Takemichi's motorcycle (especially with Kotone riding behind him), there's no hiding his groan of relief as he plops down on one of the rolled out sleeping bags before letting his legs stretch out. He didn't think they would make it to the far signal in one day, even with this faster method of travel, but some part of him is still antsy. He... he just wants to get there and be ready with the others. It feels like the fate of the world or something depends on all of them.

But they all need to rest, it wouldn't help anyone if he crashed the borrowed motorcycle along the way. Honestly, they're pretty lucky that nothing had gotten in their way so far. One thing to be happy about? Hopefully that luck remains with them for their entire trip.

Setting aside those thoughts, however, he opens one of the bags of beef jerky that he snatched before they left, pulling out a piece before holding the snack out to the person closest to him.]

Here, eat something. I'm hungry, so therefore, you're hungry too.

return of big bird; closed to Kotone
[He remembers his form glitching once more.

He recalls a girl, afflicted with some sort of infection (gnosia???) attacking the group and a short gang leader jumping in to fight her in return. He was going to... help? Stop her. Maybe get rid of that infection the same way he got rid of that one boy. It would be so easy. Probably easier than last time. The new visor on Scott's head glints as he looks over at where the two are fighting, expression difficult to read as flames flick off his form. The only reason why he hasn't attacked yet is something inside him deftly refusing to do the deed, but that's a feeling that can be easily squished down.

It's been done before.

Although, the anger that fueled the fires last time isn't as bright, maybe because the girl is still alive. There's nothing trying to attack him (yet). The sight of the red head girl also calms him, along with the fierce urge to protect her. She looks better standing there, instead of lying on the ground with a hole in her chest. ...Maybe he should get rid of any threats though before any harm comes to her.

Maybe he should speed up this whole 'reset' the world business. Phoenix can easily do something like that.]

just going to lie here; open
[Between glitching into Phoenix once more and Caitlyn dying, Scott thinks he's allowed to just sit quietly on the ground, at least until Ekko or the other teams are ready to hit the reset button.

He knows that he should probably be stronger, better, especially after making that big speech to Rogue and Morph and stepping up to be the leader of the X-Men. It's just... so hard still. A lot of that has honestly been exhausting and with the loss they suffered, Scott just wants to bury his face against his knees and stay silent. He hasn't gotten to that point at least, just staring out at the ocean with a solemn look, trying hard not to cry or do something embarrassing like that. Not in front of the others. H-he should probably try and be a leader or at least someone that's kind of dependable. He'll get up in like 10 seconds, really.

...

A part of him just hoped that things would go well, that no one would get hurt. Was it stupid to think that?? That they would just all go into this without any casualty? It felt like it for a while, when they fended all those monsters off together. He... he just doesn't want anyone to die, let alone his friends. Guess he can be happy with the fact that he-- Phoenix didn't hurt anyone this time, that they actually disposed of the monster that hurt Caitlyn and nothing else, but it feels empty still. After all, she's still gone. Will she even come back, when the world's falling apart? He has to hope so.

If anyone decides to sit next to him, they'll get a soft greeting, otherwise after twenty seconds or so, he'll actually get up to talk to any of his teammates that look just as upset.]

Hey.

TEAM DESERT

[feintofhart]

claude von riegan | ota (wildcard option for those not in the group!)

[feintofhart]

i. meet n greet.

[ Usually when embarking on an undertaking such as this one, Claude has an extant rapport with who he'll be working with -- but desperate times call for desperate measures, and so they are put into the unfortunate position of having to trust each other, no matter how little they know one another. He had volunteered his services to help scout out the desert, and so that's precisely what he intends to do.

His eyes linger on each of the members of the team in turn; the noble fellow who had come to his Apothecary seeking salves, the young woman he'd briefly met while encumbered by some sort of sleep spell, the young man who had spearheaded a trip to this very same desert, and a man he's done no more with than tease about his dreadful fashion sensibilities.

This ought to be interesting. ]

A pleasure to meet you all! We don't have much time for niceties, all things considered, but... Claude von Riegan, at your service, [ he says, giving whoever's giving him the time of day a little wink. ] And this mighty steed beside me is Zafeera. She'll be helping us scout the place.

Now, I've done a desert campaign or two, so you can trust that I know my stuff, and that I know that the desert isn't a terrain to be taken lightly. [ He sets one hand on Zafeera's flank, gesturing at the bags hanging from her saddle. ] I've packed enough resources for all of us accordingly, but there are a few things we ought to be keeping an eye out for.

ii. wyvern rides.

[ While Claude intends to be riding Zafeera the entire time - it would be dangerous to let an inexperienced rider take the reins - he's happy and willing to give people rides in shifts, to help with the look-out, to rest their weary feet, to get a moment's respite in the seemingly never-ending march. ]

All right. I think we could use an extra set of eyes from above to find what we're looking for. [ He claps his hands. ] Who here's not afraid of heights?

iii. sandstorm (darude)

[ It's just as Claude feared. The desert is a dangerous place, and even more dangerous when they're as ill-equipped for it as they are, having had only a matter of hours to prepare themselves. He's used to embarking across the desert with an entire caravan of seasoned professionals, wagons of supplies, easily erected shelters, but this? This is entirely beyond him.

He can feel things taking a turn for the worse before it even arrives, the wind licking at the base of his neck, the faint rustling as the sand around them begins to shift, as though feeling as much unease as Claude himself. ]

Shit.

[ He dives into Zafeera's bags, yanking out swaths of fabric and beginning to pass it out. ]

You feel that? A sandstorm's coming. We're not making any more progress until it's passed. Wrap this around you and cover your mouth and nose, shield your eyes. We need to find cover, quick.

[ It may not only be a sandstorm licking at their heels -- there may be sandpits afoot, an oasis to take shelter in, the chill of night. This is the prompt for all and any environmental dangers! ]

iv. the terminal

[ Eventually they make it to their destination, the same ruins that many of them had stumbled through so many months before. If anything, it looks even worse now. Claude hesitates, then draws his bow, a grimness to the set of his jaw, the usual spark of humour in his eyes thoroughly dimmed. ]

We were attacked by ghosts last time we were here. And this time...

[ He glances over, seeing a rumpled form on the ground, cast in shadow though there's no building large enough to cast it. ]

...maybe after we're through here, we can finally lay them to rest.

v. wildcard!

[ hit me up, babey! ]

TEAM RUINS OF FORLINET

[jaganshi]

CLOSED - SUPER BEING THUNDERDOME

[jaganshi]

TEAM OASIS

[paragonknight]

[ These are very general prompts for this team but feel free to put in your own— or if anyone is in the neighbourhood and wants to come party crash you're so welcome to unless something is closed 👉😎👉 ]

EN ROUTE

[paragonknight]

[ Watch out for the environmental dangers— or don't! ]

TEAM KETSORA (aka Team SpiderDead)

[arachnerina]

[catch all for the chaos (:]

gwen stacy | itsv | some ota/some closed

[arachnerina]

i: traveling (OTA)

[It's so boring having to travel places by anything other than swinging. Granted, swinging all the way to Ketsora would be a literal nightmare. Even as powerful as the spider-teens were, even they would be hurting after that long of a trip.

But no one talks about how uncomfortable and awkward it is to travel by bird. Since the group didn't have a means of transportation, that meant renting out horses and chocobos from the local farm. That still meant a whole day's worth of traveling, so when they finally get to the outskirts of the Ketsoran wall to camp for the night and finalize the plan to get past the wall, Gwen is still sore in all the worst places. At least the pink chocobo she picked out was adorable.

Now that traveling was done, next came setting up camp. Once that was handled, scouting out the wall and planning out their means to get across. Of course, camping wouldn't be complete without making smores, but she might have snuck the weird bootleg version of Cards Against Humanity with her (called Cards Against Aldripians), so goofing off and playing cards was an option for the night. Might as well have a little bit of fun before all hell breaks loose, right?]

ii: wallcrawlers (closed to Shinji & mcu!Peter)

[A plan has been made. Her, Shinji, and Peter 1 would get up the walls and get the gate open. Charles and Peter 2 would distract the guards and keep the attention on them while the other three got up the walls. Easy peasy, right?

Step one was getting to the edge of the forest without being noticed. There was still a huge gap of space from the tree line to the wall, so they would have to be fast once the others started their distraction. Gwen was practically vibrating with a mix of anxiety and eagerness. She was ready to do this, but she was still nervous about how this was going to end. But she had to stay focused. Fixing the AI was what everyone agreed was the best plan of action. She just had to trust that it would work out and Peter would be safe.]

iii: get jinxed (OTA)

[Yeah, okay, so while they did consider that others might try to make a move on the terminal locations, someone trying to blow up the Ketsorans wasn't something they considered. Especially when Gwen and some of the others had been on that wall where a lot of the explosions were.

This was going to hurt in the morning.

Gwen was okay, though. She coughed, the air thick with smoke, her ears still ringing from the loud explosion. Another downside of spider-senses; loud noises were not fun. But as her mind cleared and she was able to start to see through the smoke again, she realized she didn't see Peter. Either Peter. Her heart rate increased as her eyes searched the area around her, unable to fight the panic setting in at not being able to find him, but there was no sign of him. Goddammit, of course they got split up. They weren't supposed to get split up! Not again.]

Peter!! [She walked and called for him a few times, but to no avail. It was hard to try to listen for anything or anyone nearby, her ears still ringing with a dull hum. Finally, she spotted a figure through the smoke and she rushed in that direction. She hoped it was one of the Peters, but if she was wrong, she was about to be sorely disappointed.]

iv: final push (closed to spider-trio)

[Through all the chaos, Gwen found her boys again. They had to regroup after someone kindly decided to start blowing things up, and while it was stressful there for a bit, it actually worked in their favor. What better distraction could they get? The Ketsorans were scrambling so now was their chance. Now they had to actually get to the door and get inside, and then find the terminal. But they had this! This was going to be a total breeze! Right?]

closed to tower team

[battlefieldbrat]

shit gets real

[after their long journey, once they finally reach the top of the tower, the wind whips around them. they approach the terminal when suddenly...shadowy figures appear, wielding shadow swords and spears! kakashi quickly draws his sword, holding it in front of him in a ready position.]

Shit! Everyone look sharp - we need to draw them away from the terminal!

[he has no idea if they can even hurt these shadow figures, but he figures if they draw them away from the terminal quentin can at least go about his business.]

shit gets....unreal

[after the fight with the shadow enemies, there is a brief lull. quentin is probably still communing with the terminal, and the wind is no less harsh. kakashi sheathes his sword, panting lightly. well, that was certainly a workout.

he hasn't taken stock of everyone else yet, but he has earned himself a slash from a shadow sword, right from his armpit to his inner chest, having just missed his armor. of course. ignoring that for now, he turns to his comrades.]

Status report! Everyone okay?

Shit Gets Real

[digthefuzz]

[Of all the enemies that could come from a computer terminal, shadow monsters were not on Kurt's list! But he doesn't let his surprise keep him from being battle ready.]

On it! Playing 'keep away' is my favorite pastime!

[Kurt doesn't waste time springing into action. With a bamf and a cloud of smoke, he teleports behind one shadowy figure, grabbing it by the shoulders and teleporting some yards away. He then wraps his tail around the being's sword-bearing arm as part of an attempt to disarm it!]

Aether's lone investigation and closed top levels

[startraveler]

[Let me know if you'd like one! Just a note that he'll be dealing with corruption at some point.]

for Yu

[startraveler]

[As Aether was finally close to reaching one of the terminals, he was attacked by creatures made of shadows. That was nothing unexpected to him. He was an experienced warrior, after all, and he'd dealt with all kinds of enemies in the past. His sword easily tore down the monsters and all seemed to go silent.

Just for a moment, at least.

The traveler quickly sensed that something was wrong with him. He fell to his knees, biting down a pained cry and tearing his glove away. Black markings were spreading from his hands up, like an infection. Aether's eyes widened, before a wave of sharp pain clouded his vision.]

---

[When Yu encounters Aether, it's far from the terminal's location. The blonde is clutching his head with one hand, while the other is holding the sword out, dragging it on the ground like it's too heavy for him to lift. He has no gloves, so it's easy to see the marks spreading all up his arms. His form is bend forward and he's taking deep breathes, fighting to keep himself in check. He doesn't realize he's not alone anymore.]