a storm approaches.This log is for everyone who signed up for The Storm investigation. Feel free to use the here to plot further on how you plan on approaching The Storm, and the issue. The mod questions thread is also open, if you have anything you would like to run by us.
the investigation.It takes a day of preparation, and a day of discussion, before you are led further down into the tunnels. It's pitch black, but one of the BGs who you have become familiar enough with turns on a low light and continues further. You walk for ten, fifteen, twenty minutes, and then turn a corner into a large, open cavern. The BG explains that at one time, this had been an underground transportation system - old and unused for centuries, now, but still in working order.
They file each of you onto a single car - it seems to be large enough to fit nearly a hundred, possibly more, bodies - so everyone has a space. The BG explains that they have already input the coordinates into the system, and that once they close the door, you will be transported to the last known location. The car will be programmed to wait for 72 hours, and then will return to this location. There is food and water supplied, and already packed, in the car. If you are not back in the car by that time, it will leave you behind. They then give their farewells, thank you for your help and readiness, and step away from the door - letting it close behind them. The car travels down a pitch black tunnel, and while the inside is dimly lit enough for the Circle Members to see each other and move around without hinderance, you can see nothing through the windows. It continues for a few hours at this rate - nothing to see, no idea where you are going. That is, until it seems to break through the surface, the track running through buildings and another, unknown area of the city.
The streets and buildings are abandoned, the tech old and outdated, windows broken out and dust filling the street. The sky, like back in the city you knew before, is cloudy and grey. But these clouds are different - these clouds are dark in a way you haven't seen before. You travel for another half hour above ground before the cart comes to a stop, and during this time it happens twice. A low rumble, seeming to come from everywhere at once, and then a few heartbeats after, a disasterous flash of lighting - miles away, yes, but threatening and gigantic, brighter and more violent than you've ever seen lightning before. The crash shakes the ground under you, and the damage is immense.
But the buildings are abandoned, the streets empty save for crates, old mechanical bits, dusty remnants of a society long forgotten by the Struxta you came from just a couple of days prior.
This is The Storm you've been warned about. the storm.You have been asked to find out information that will help the BG's, and Struxta, to stop The Storm.
From what you can gather, it does seem to be a naturally occurring weather phenomenon, as far as weather systems seem to work on this planet. However, rather than scattered thunder and lightning strikes, it seems to almost recharge and strike with epic proportions. It can damage, or destroy, buildings. It shorts out any and all items (and people) who depend on electricity in any form to function (Sorry Daylight and Conner, sorry to anyone who brought along technology) within a three mile radius.
The 'darkness' the BGs were talking about does follow this storm, but they seem to have been referring to this electrical shortage that comes from the storm and it's strikes. If this storm does reach any of the still-occupied areas of the city, it will shut down the entire grid, as well as any of the robots, androids, or electrically based figures that exist there - essentially ending the life of every Struxta citizen that is effected.
Plot, plan, theorize, and see if you can find a way to stop The Storm. If not, be back on the train car in 72 hours time, to return to the BGs and report what you have found.PROMPT IDEAS
1.) Discussions on the train - do you have any ideas for what to prepare? Any discussions you may want to have? You and your fellow Circle Members are caught here together for a few hours, driving into a situation you know very little about. What do you want to make sure you're prepared to handle?
2.) Scouting missions - the heart of The Storm is very much in the distance, and it is not moving quickly, giving Circle Members plenty of time to set out and check out the surrounding city. What you will find won't be much - this is a robotic ghost town in every turn of the phrase. Buildings have been abandoned for hundreds of years, covered in dust and left entirely undisturbed, except for the breeze that now seems to flit through this entire area. There are stores, warehouses, apartments, and buildings you can't even tell what they were used for, cleared out. Whenever, or whoever, lived in this part of Struxta had evacuated, quickly but efficiently.
3.) The Storm - The Storm is still a distance away from where the cart has dropped you off, enough that when your 72 hours are up, the heart of the storm and the lightning strikes shouldn't reach the car, or the track. This does mean that to do any closer investigation, you will need to go to The Storm itself. But be careful - the electrical output from these lightning strikes are dangerous, and can have all sorts of effects on both natural and mechanical beings. The wind, the closer you get to The Storm, will also pick up - making any kind of flying or air travel impossible.
4.) Planning - the car leaves everyone off at an old train station, which a large room attached. This room can be used as a kind of home base, as well as a meeting location. What do you plan on doing? Simply taking down information, or trying to take the storm head on? How do you plan on doing that? Will your abilities help? This room attached onto the train station is a safe location - no effects of The Storm will make it inside. Use as you would like! |
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acatalepsy_logs2018-07-29 11:52 pm
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Oh. Um. No? [ he shakes his helm, more out of habit than anything. all the while his armour is starting to slick down, clamp down on his frame. an instinctual urge to protect himself from trouble. ] No. I can't think of anyone else besides Lady Astoria.
[ and despite his better judgement, day tries to find something positive in their situation. he feels like he has to find something positive. ]
That means we've got to work harder together, right? Gotta make sure we do this well, odds or not! There's a lot's at stake and, um, stuff.
[ stuff. yes. ]
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Yeah. [...] I guess.
[A longer pause.]
You're a machine, right?
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daylight’s winglets peek out from behind his back now, piqued by the question. his smile is back. kind of? at least he doesn't look as uncertain as he had mere seconds before. ]
Yeah! I’m a machine. [ a beat. as if he has to really consider this. ] Kind of? I guess it's more appropriate and accurate for me to say that I’m a ‘hybrid’ but…
[ he wrinkles his nose, sticking the tip of his tongue out like the word itself has left a bad taste on his tongue. ] Yuck. One of these days, I've gotta find a better word than 'hybrid' for me.
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Well, bad. So she hones in on the second part of his confirmation instead, tries to do this instead of focusing on escape routes, on the fact that she is sitting across from a machine and is vulnerable as a result.]
"Hybrid?"
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[ hm. this part of the explanation never stops being awkward for him to, well, explain.
but he feels like he needs to explain it to her. he owes it to her that much, for putting up with his incessant chatter for so long. plus it is a weird thing to bring up during a talk and not explain. (has he said 'explain' too much in this thought process of his? maybe.) ] My dad is why I'm part-machine. He was a Galateion; dad was part of a mecahnoid race from where I am.
And, uhhh, my mom was is why I'm human. [ er... ] Technically, she could be categorised as technorganic, due to stuff in her past, but she is considered human most of the time. So. Yeah.
[ yeah.
where'sdialupwhenyouneedherohmygosh. ]
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Like androids, fashioned in humanity's image, but always inferior. She stares at this machine-hybrid, baffled and uncomprehending, her expression blank, but right before she says something really bad, like how repulsive and alien she finds the notion of his birth, Pod gratefully speaks up nearby.]
Query: Is your birthplace located on the planet Earth?
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this is an oddly familiar feeling. one he hoped he could have avoid experiencing again, all things considered.
daylight can't help but respond to the staring by flashing a nervous smile her way, his winglets flickering in part anxiety and part i-am-harmless-and-mean-no-harm-i-swear-y. he's not quite sure if he wants to ask if something's wrong because what if she does have an answer and it happens to be-
thankfully, that never has to happen. someone else asks a question and daylight only realises now that someone is with them. his winglets' flick up in interest at the sightof pod, his optics brightening in excitement. oh man- where's meddy when you need them to meet a new potential friend? ]
It's kinda complicated? It says so on my documents. [ there's a 'but' somewhere ]. But! I was really born on Galateion, my dad’s planet, but, um, politics made it impossible for mom to say that's where I lived. So Earth and dad's starship it is.
I was raised on Earth for most of my childhood. Auntie Laura and Uncle Leeds and Auntie Chris and everyone raised me. I lived in Dust Tumbles. It's a really nice town to visit. Lots of sun and friendly folks.
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Her hands clench against her knees. If she were any less emotionally deadened, she'd be trembling. Pod, though incapable of expressing emotion as A2 does, has insight on her vitals, her black box temperature and physical signs of her distress, what created strain on her tenuous mental state, and its processors whir as it compiles an acceptable response.]
Query: Are you aware of the 14th Machine War, currently ongoing on the planet Earth?
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freeze frame. ]
... The 14th Machine War?
[ oh. ]
Oh.
[ the question manages to knock whatever cheer and bubbliness daylight had in that moment. the feelings he feels now are mostly shock and mortification, zipping through his cables with an unpleasant jolt that leave him feeling raw and exposed.
he struggles to find his voice, his vocoder struggling to reset to point where he can speak without static or glitches getting in the way. its difficult. its really, really difficult and he tries all the same because-
(because what? he isn't sure. he tries all the same, regardless.) ]
I’m- I’m not aware of it. I'm not- I'm not from that Earth. We, um, never had anything like that back home.
[ daylight's processor is swimming and it's no longer from his glitches thanks to his earlier attempts to connect with the mass subconscious too. he's trying to comprehend of the idea of a machine war, and a fourteenth one at that. what that must mean for humans. what the must mean for mechanoids and those similar to them. what the earth must be like to go through such an event, seemingly over and over and over again.
some part of him wants to talk about the legacy war. some part of him wants to ask if she and her friend here were okay back at their world, but even daylight knows that's asking for trouble.
the most he can say now is a quiet, ] I’m sorry.
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[Pod doesn't seem bothered, but it takes A2 a little longer to calm down, as it were. She looks up at Daylight, cold and suspicious still, but speaks to Pod.]
Like Pascal.
Affirmative.
Mm. [She looks back out the window for a time, quiet, then speaks up again.]
Don't apologize. It won't change anything.
[It's the only way she can convey "it's not really your fault" without actually saying it. She won't ever comfort a machine, no matter where that machine originated. Or so she believes.]
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at this point, there are several ways for this to go:
most individuals would allow the silence to take over and allow all parties to escape. some, perhaps, attempt to continue the conversation but veer the conversation to something more neutral, less likely to reveal something about the other party.
but this is daylight and daylight has always been a curious bot.
he raises a hand up in the air, a little hesitant but he raises it all the same. (at this point, meddy notices what's going on at long last and begins to zip back to daylight's side. ]
Can I ask a question? [ er... ] Another question after this question, I mean?
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Why is he raising his hand? Whatever. It was probably some machine thing.]
What is it?
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he happens to also very, very chatty. have they noticed that bit yet? ]
I was wondering about- You don't have to answer the question if you don't wanna! I totally understand wanting to keep some thing private and stuff but- I just- Um! Your friend mentioned something and-
[ meddy, who is now nestled in the crook of daylight's neck since they're tiny enough to hide there, taps his cheek with a fin of theirs.
it's enough to get day's attention and he coughs, embarrassed. his hand is still in the air. ]
Oh? Right. Sorry about that. [ to meddy and a2. ]
Ummm... Who's Pascal?
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...
[She should probably say something before Pod butts in, like the pain in the ass it was.]
A machine. He cut himself off from the network.
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that's a good sign in daylight's opinion. given how this could have gone, ranging from silence to possible fight? definitely a good sign. it's enough to keep him asking, clearly interested with how his winglets wiggle and flit about from piqued curiosity. ]
Are you two- [ hmm. what's a good word for this conversation, this situation? ] -amiable with each other? Work together?
[ let's go with that, day. ]
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He hadn't even fought the machines attacking him.]
I suppose.
[...] He doesn't like to fight.
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that’s what daylight thinks at first, but then he remembers the machine war. how this is the fourteenth for them in their world. ]
Yeah. I-I can get that. [ he rubs the back of his neck, realising the telltale signs of him about to babble someone's ear off but- but, for some reason, he feels like this needs to be said.
why? he isn't sure. maybe future daylight, when his processors aren't scrambled, will realise it. ] It's not easy. Fighting things. Fighting others.
It's... hard. Looking them in the eye. Looking at them and seeing their entire being and having to think, 'Either them or me' and it's, ah, overwhelming to think like that. You gotta- You gotta be made of stern stuff. Like iron will and steely determination and, um, other things to do be able to do that. Again and again and again.
[ ... ]
Do you fight?
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Did she fight, he was asking. The damage her body's in should make that obvious, she thinks, wanting to snap at him but not having the energy to do it, it seemed. Did she fight? She was designed to fight, born a guinea pig to be killed off for the next set of fighters to be rolled out, all better than her. And when they came for her, she killed them too.
All she knew how to do was fight. There was no room in her world for anything else.]
...Yeah.
[Again and again and again.] I was created for it.
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pede meets mouth. mouth says dumb stuff. mouth tastes regrets.
lots of regrets. ]
I-I see.
[ what can he say in the face of this?
not a lot, really.
his winglets droop down low, way low, in an instinctive attempt to hide his shame. it's amazing how, in his attempt to try and connect with her over something, daylight is left with a suspicious feeling that he had probably poked hard at an old wound that shouldn't have been poked at. and he has a feeling she would not take kindly to any of his attempts to make physical contact with her to show he's sorry. she seems like the type who likes her personal space. (plus she's scary. like super scary.) ]
Sorry. [ he thinks he can start by saying it aloud, at the very least. ] For not being, um, smart with my words.
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She doesn't allow herself to feel even a little empathy.]
I told you not to apologize. It doesn't do anything. It's just irritating.
Proposal: [Pod begins.]
Don't start with me —
As this machine lifeform is non-hostile, cooperation is suggested. Unit A2 would benefit from giving a basic introduction. [Without waiting for her, it continues.] Statement: This android's designation is YoRHa Unit A, Number 2, colloquially known as A2. This Pod's designation is Pod 042, a Tactical Support Unit assigned to Unit A2. Request: your name and designation.
[A2 rolls her eyes so hard it's a miracle it can't be heard. To Pod:] I hate you so much.
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the real mvp of this conversation. thank u, pod. ]
Um- I'm Daylight. Daylight vis Lornlit. [ he's about to say something else, but he stops himself. mouth twisting like he's tasting something that he's unsure of in terms of taste. ] Do you need the full name or will that be enough for now? Because, um, the name is like way too long im my opinion.
[ bweeeeeep. ]
Oh! [ perking up at the little sound that rings out suddenly, daylight turns around and his winglets begin to wiggle in joy now. seeing his little - with strong emphasis on little, given meddy's height being only three feet tall - companion float behind him, daylight feels a bit more confident (and safe) with them around. ] And this is Meddy. Meddy is, like, basically my guardian these days. Say hi, Meddy!
[ meddy peeks out from where they're hovering behind daylight's shoulder, curious by the exchange but, at the same time, very cautious by the turn of the talk.
the most they do is wave a fin and give a little shake. they don't seem too... enthused, truth be told. ]
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[Said immediately. She's gotten the gist of the name, which is all she needs to ignore it five seconds later and give him a slightly disparaging nickname in the future.
Pod is gratefully silent, but A2 watches the weird not-Pod emerge from behind the giant machine-man's back. She stares, eyes narrowed suspiciously, about as enthused as Meddy is, all things considered.]
You need a guardian? You're big. Can't you take care of yourself?
[Said like she doesn't demand an answer for a question from Pod like, every ten minutes.]
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there's the option to lie and, for a brief tempting second, he does consider it - but then he remembers meddy is here. they'll probably whap him across the helm for trying to tell a fib about them and try to answer a2 and pod themselves, not being understood in the process but trying their best all the same.
his processor already aches at the thought of being smacked so the truth it is. ]
I'm... [ he sighs while folding his arms behind his back, trying to scuff the floor with his foot. not easy, considering the lack of space for him. ] Um... I'm technically still a teenager? Kind of?
I'm a hundred and eighteen but I'm, ah, considered eighteen at best? Nineteen? We never got the exact match of my aging cycle down so it's often 'late teens' or 'old enough' if I'm asked.
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...So you're a child.
[She knows two human development stages: Adult and Child.]
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especially if one is judging by the way daylight's winglets flare out in irritation, batting against his back in a state of (barely) controlled annoyance. he tries to keep himself from frowning - only ending up looking like he was pouting, as a result.
(also judging by the smug 'bweeeep!' that comes from meddy, they seem to be in the same opinion as a2. what a multiverse they live in.) ]
I'm old enough. [ that's his rebuttal and he's sticking to it, darn it. ] I'm here with you guys, aren't I? If I was too young, I wouldn't be part of the Circle in the first place!
[ because he's sure lady astoria doesn't just pluck individuals and slap them in the temple. he's sure of it. ]
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