march 2020. welcome to the void.

[modblob]

Who: Everyone in Anchor.
What: Seventh Introductory Mingle
When: The Month of March 2020
Where: Around and outside the city.
Warnings: Please add any warnings in the subject lines.

Redshift: Welcome to the v͖͕̺̲̘̱̜͎o̴̦̣̠̦̘̹͞i̯̖d̛̪̬͈̱̦̝͍̕.

Click here to read what characters will experience when arriving in Anchor.

a. escape the dome.

It seems the mysterious, massive plant with its giant bud is not going anywhere. In fact, the bud is starting to bloom, which presents a problem - it's starting to press against the dome that protects Anchor. So far, no harm done, but is this really the best way to test the kind of pressure that the dome can withstand? There's got to be some way to bring the plant down without destroying chunks of Anchor in the process...

And uh, you might want to get on that. The plant has been growing, sending out thorny vines into the various levels, and the flowers growing from those vines are, shall we say, aggressive. In fact, they're liable to bite if you get too close, and these things have razor-sharp petals. More eerily, they can mimic the voices they hear, usually using those borrowed voices to beg for help at the end of long corridors or in the back rooms of abandoned shops and restaurants.

b. planetary fly traps.

Following the voices can get a body in all kinds of trouble, because, well. They want to eat you.

In those dark areas where the voices call out there are larger buds, too, ones that look similar to the one now pressing up against Anchor's dome. They're about twice the size of an average human, and they've just barely opened. The colors inside are brilliant, gorgeous, mesmerizing, kind of exhausting... Get too close, and you could find yourself being slowly dragged in through the mouth of the plant into a bath of liquid that saps your energy while also slowly (very slowly, don't worry) consuming your flesh.

Better hope you snap out of it quickly, or have some backup to get you out of there.

c. misfire mayhem.

In case that wasn't enough, there's something funny going on with the comm system again. Texts being sent to the wrong people. Simple things, small things, yes, but also some things that you might have wanted to keep private or off the network. The misfires start on the morning of the 20th with just a few texts going to the wrong recipients, but slowly amps up throughout the day until voice and video calls are connecting to the wrong people. Recordings of conversations, including the audio and video ones, getting sent to completely unrelated residents, regardless of how private the conversation was.

The reason for the malfunctions becomes... well, clear-ish when Creepy Joe appears on the network. He’s in the agricultural sector, petting a reindire and very much not in that secure quarantine where Qubit et all left him. The angle is odd--not from a communicator, but from one of the security cameras overhead. It blinks from one shot of Joe to another angle. Almost like someone is trying to keep an eye on him.

mod notes.

Misfire texts, voice, and video conversations are on an opt-in basis, it is up to each player if they want their characters tormented with their messages being sent to others or receiving misfires. Misfires can be played on this log, on the network, or in IC inboxes.

The NPC network entry will explain some details on why, but characters who were kind to Creepy Joe or who have put in a lot of effort to contribute to the community will find that their messages are getting misfired much less often and the contents are nowhere near as sensitive. Characters who were cruel to Creepy Joe or who have hurt/stolen from others will find their messages going astray more often, and with more sensitive material.

Messages received by characters can include any message posted in redshiftrp or in IC inboxes, including messages from dropped characters. Have fun with that!

Important but Unrelated: March and April have been designated as check in only for AC. If you have not yet posted your AC, feel free to just put a check-in notice under your character's AC thread. April check-ins can be posted any time on or after April 1st.

Navigation.

Comments

I

[towhatmatters]

The scene is, from Arthur's perspective, weird enough for a start. There is a woman with horns, goat legs and fur brandishing a gun, and it causes him to slow to an abrupt stop, just in time for her to start firing and the weapon to start screaming. Only that's not what he concludes, at first. The sound certainly seems to come from that direction, but that would be ridiculous, so he starts looking around for another source.

Only there is none, and he looks back at the woman with an expression of pure confusion. Really? Is this happening?

"What's wrong with this place?" he mutters to himself, and then shakes his head.

Doesn't matter. The lady's clearly on a mission, and he probably shouldn't be standing here gawking. He doesn't know what good it will do against a plant, but he'll take his revolver out and shoot anyway.

[circumspector]

Angel hears him, mutter and all, and her only response is over her shoulder as she empties round after round into the plant.

"Right now?! The plant trying to kill everyone!"

But his gun won't do anything. What is that, a Dahl?

"Take this instead." She throws him her gun, the thing that screams and shoots fire, as it stands - and reaches for her heavier weapon after giving him the pistol.

"Aim for its mouth when it's open!"

[towhatmatters]

Oh, God, that's the screaming weapon. He's not sure he wants to deal with the screaming weapon.

That said, he only looks at it uncertainly for two second or so, before he holsters his revolver, and then turns that gun towards the plant. A gun is a gun. Couldn't be too different as far as aiming goes. Just the screaming that's ... absurd.

So as soon as the mouth opens, he fires right at it.

[circumspector]

The air splits into the crackle of flames as when each bullet hits, the flames spark up the kindling and further light the plant on fire. Granted, it is still - filled with sap, so perhaps is damp is the correct word, but more aligned with still alive which means the fire doesn't hold for long and always more is needed.

And the gun crows for it. It's a robotic voice cheering out destruction and death. BURN! BURN! BURN!

And in the meantime, Angel gets the clipped jammed in while he gives her the cover fire to allow it, and soon to the tones of a rock ballad that kicks off with the first pull of the trigger, and the electricity that compliments his flames.

[towhatmatters]

At this point, Arthur has simply decided to focus on one thing: The plant, and killing it. It doesn't seem to be working very well, but luckily this gun seems to have a surprisingly large magazine.

So he'll just keep firing, and not wonder about whatever that music is. Not exactly his biggest worry right now-

[circumspector]

Killing the plant is the only thing that matters right now. Not the singing, screaming, guns and the electricity and fire show that is filling the entire wall as the plant begins to go up in flames.

"Shoot it when it's mouth is open! It looks most vulnerable when it's doing that - "

Because on cue, as it opens that cavern a woman's voice comes out.

"Angel! How could you betray me!" Jack's voice to a perfect sound. Damning and desperate, all at once. "I still love you sweetheart, you can stop this!"

[towhatmatters]

... Or does her wanting to shoot it when its mouth is open have more to do with the voice coming out? But he doesn't ask, and does as told. Is it on fire enough yet? How long can it take for this thing to die?