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Mods ([personal profile] modblob) wrote in [community profile] redshiftlogs2019-09-04 09:06 pm

september 2019. welcome to the void.

Who: Everyone in Anchor.
What: Third Introductory Mingle
When: The Month of September 2019
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. turrets.

That power surge kicked off some sh... stuff, all right. It took a while for the systems to cycle back on, but two new areas of Anchor are now accessible and usable. One of them is nice and relaxing and safe, and we'll get to that one in a minute. The other one, addressed first, is not very nice and not very relaxing and definitely not safe.

The internal defense systems on the upper levels have come to life, and have targeted anyone within their range as a hostile entity. Get ready to run the gauntlet if you want to turn them off - you'll have to dodge lasers, bullets, and aggressive defense bots (that can be rewired and/or rebooted to assist characters instead of trying to murder them). The reward? Getting to the heavily protected (think many many murderbots and lasers) security control room. If you can make it, you'll be able to reboot the internal defenses, turning off the aggressive targeting and having access for the first time to surveillance of almost all of Anchor. Those areas your characters didn't know were there? Revealed. Those dense patches of jungle-like growth in the agricultural center? You've got a spotlight into their heart.

Though, huh, not all the cameras seem to be working. What's with those screens that show up from time to time that are nothing but static?

Oh well, doesn't really matter, does it?

b. hot springs episode.

One of the areas adjacent to the bar and intimacy lounge has been sputtering on and off ever since the power surge. One evening, with a loud crack and a humming sound that slowly dissipates, the lights come on and water starts flowing down the artificial waterfall into the fountain out front. The spa is back online!

The lobby is inviting and zen, with holographic walls that depict scenic locations (some of them very unlike Earth), with fountains splashing delicately on either side of the door. The attendants are slightly malfunctioning bots, but the most harm they'll do is bring you six towels when you ask for one, or a bucket of massage oil to work on those knots in your back with.

There are three areas in the spa, each of them fully-outfitted with towels, robes of all sizes, fuzzy slippers, the works. One has all the amenities of a Turkish bath, right down to the fantastically arched roofs and mosaics of Istanbul. One is designed not unlike a Japanese hot spring, though the spring is heated artificially rather than naturally. The springs are large enough to be communal in some areas and small enough to be private in others, varying in depth from deep enough to swim on one end and shallow enough to sit on the bottom on the other. All hot springs have a stone shelf around the edges where those who don't want to swim can sit. The last area is more Western, with steam rooms, saunas, massage tables, and mud baths for the adventurous.

One thing all of these areas have in common: the settings on virtually everything can be adjusted to taste. Not in the traditional way, either. The steams and waters can be tweaked to be soporific, can serve as muscle relaxants, can ease anxiety, and can even bolster moods. None of these effects are involuntary, and none of them are brought on by drugs - it's more an advanced mix of pheromones and harmless compounds that can affect a single person or a given pool or room. Also, the baths and hot springs have adjustable bubble settings. The water colors can change, some of them even allowing characters to dye their hair the color that's been selected for the tub without staining their skin. Bubbles of all kinds can rise up out of the water, from the foamy comfort of childhood bubble baths to hovering golden bubbles that chime when you pop them. Characters can choose from a variety of bath salts, scents, and oils - the spas were designed not just for relaxation, but for pure and simple fun.


c. joe's dirt.

So you've survived the security malfunction. You've washed off the dirt and anxiety at the spa. But the newly reactivated security stations throughout Anchor have revealed something odd. There's a blip in the power systems in one area of the agricultural level, like something is siphoning off power from the main lines. Tracking down the source in the deep tangle of underbrush won't be easy, and there may be a few mutated, fanged, clawed cattle that maneuver shockingly well between the trees, but eventually you'll come to a breach in Anchor's wall. At first it just looks like a crack, but it's large enough to squeeze through and there's the darkness of an open space behind it. A tunnel, leading down into the earth outside, well below surface level and thus largely safe.
Wires run along the roof and floor, though the tunnel itself is dark. Walk long enough and you'll come to a wider space, open enough for two or three people to move around comfortably at the same time. It's still dark, lit only by screens that show the same security feeds that are available at the stations throughout the city. And others. Angles on the surface that show Anchor from a distance, and other visuals that don't show Anchor at all, trained instead on massive structures or formations or lakes out on the surface somewhere. But there's something more disturbing: there are cameras set to record some people's rooms. And the only rooms that are shown are occupied.

Someone has been here, recently enough to track where new people have moved in.

On the floor in one corner, there's a crumpled photograph of a man some might recognize as Creepy Joe, happy and whole, with a little girl sitting on his shoulder. It looks like it's been stamped into the dirt.

superposition: (And why?)

[personal profile] superposition 2019-09-06 11:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[ WOW EXCUSE YOU, HE'S SCIENCEING THEM OFF TYVM. "magicking them off" jfc never been so insulted in his life grumble grumble

Qubit keeps half an eye on Peter as he's getting into the vent - which he hadn't even noticed up there, huh. Well, good, that's him out of harm's way. It does mean Qubit's the only remaining target, of course, but by the time the turrets actually realize that, he's already knocked out all but two.

It takes some ducking and weaving to get close enough to those. Qubit has emphatically average speed and reflexes, but he's dodged a fair few lasers in his day, and makes it into range with only a few close shaves. The last two he shuts down at the same time, and then... all is quiet.

Even that brief fight took more out of him than it should have. He's too out of breath, his palms are tingling, pressure between his eyes... But that, he files away for later. For now, he's fine. After a second, he straightens up and calls to Peter - ]


All clear.

[ Granted, there's been ample time for Peter to work that out on his own. ]
Edited 2019-09-06 23:44 (UTC)
itsnotaonesie: (turned upside down)

"YOU NEEDS" what even am i typing

[personal profile] itsnotaonesie 2019-09-06 11:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Oooh buddy, Peter knows how wild it is when you first get here. He gives the guy a sympathetic smile and pulls his own communicator out to demonstrate THINGS on. He'll maybe explain the guy trapped in glass thing later, this guy didn't seem to be from a place with much by way of technology. It was probably best to introduce this stuff to him one thing at a time.

"Yeah, that's a pretty normal reaction to that guy. He's not very good at explaining how these work though, I'll try to keep it simple. Ah, I guess step one is, it helps to hold it like this."

Peter shows the guy how to hold the communicator correctly. It's not very exciting.
abheirrant: (❧ troubling times)

Excuse you, he's from New York and can legally say that.

[personal profile] abheirrant 2019-09-06 11:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Not very exciting, but extremely informative nonetheless. Carlisle turns his communicator over and holds it in a similar fashion, his grasp tentative so he can drop it at a moment's notice. He's still convinced it might explode just because it can.

"Do you come from a place where these are common?" he asks quietly. "I assume you were, ah. Brought through the portal he spoke of, as well."
dothelokimotion: (We've said so much)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2019-09-07 12:07 am (UTC)(link)
[ his nose wrinkles at that. programming. how . . . primitive. ]

I suppose you can say that.
itsnotaonesie: easycompany (:|)

[personal profile] itsnotaonesie 2019-09-07 12:25 am (UTC)(link)
[Peter drops out of his hidey hole, somehow managing to look annoyed despite having a mask on. It's all body language, man. Uuuugh he just wanted to test his suuuuit but now he has to fix laser damage AND he looked uncool in front of someone. UNACCEPTABLE.

He looks uncool in front of everyone all the time, but y'know.

He surveys the scene, nods approvingly, and leans against the wall. He is just. So exhausted.]


Thanks, man. I owe you one. That was awesome, by the way. That thing, that... [He waggles his hand vaguely, shit he can't remember words. WHATEVER.] That thing you did. God that sucked, I can't believe I beefed it like that!

[He's having a pissy teenager moment, it'll pass.]
superposition: ((you're stronger than you think))

[personal profile] superposition 2019-09-07 12:36 am (UTC)(link)
[ So. You know how Qubit is all serious business, all the time?

He's actually not. This'll be the first time Peter's seen it, but he laughs. Like, that reaction is genuinely funny to him. For one thing, all he did was unplug a few wires, which is barely even the Prestidigitation of his technomage spellbook. But more importantly - ]


Peter. You just made more headway in twenty seconds than I have in the past three hours, all right? Don't put yourself down too much.
dothelokimotion: (This is the fear that looms)

loki odinson | ota

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2019-09-07 12:40 am (UTC)(link)
( i. turrets )

[ oh no! lasers! bullets! robots! whatever will loki do? for the moment, he casts his eyes skyward as if waiting for some other higher deity to spare him from this ordeal. or maybe he's just bored. with a flick of his fingers, he sends his illusions scurrying about while he cloaks himself in invisibility, breezing through and reaching the control room.

pretentiously, he dusts his clothes. ]


Machines.

[ he turns to the control center, taking in the new areas. ]

( ii. hot springs. ) (cw: nudity, scar)

[ loki has never been a fan of heat. which, of course, made more sense as he discovered the truth. sometimes, out of a sheer perverseness to fight the blood within him, he seeks out the heat, subjects himself to it. see, he would think to himself, I'm no different from any Asgardian. from you.

now, he has a little more self-awareness. a little more . . . pride in his self. he is asgardian and chases ways to prove it no longer matter. so he slips into the water, the black wound on the center of his chest noticeable. the water goes from hot to . . . tepid, whoops.

at people glaring at him, loki shrugs, relaxed. ]


Is something the matter?

( iii. wildcard )

[ got a different prompt you’d like to do? ping me on [plurk.com profile] captainkink / pm this journal ]
itsnotaonesie: movieconnoisseur (mmm whatchu say)

I mean that's a fair point

[personal profile] itsnotaonesie 2019-09-07 12:43 am (UTC)(link)
"I do, yeah. Well, things similar to these."

He's not going to start explaining smartphones or laptops to this guy just yet. There are times and places to nerd out, and this isn't quite that time or place.

"Everybody here was brought through that portal, and I can guarantee that it was all just as confusing for us as it is for you. Oh uh, I'm Peter. Just-- before I start rambling about stuff."
itsnotaonesie: (what do they do exactly)

[personal profile] itsnotaonesie 2019-09-07 12:59 am (UTC)(link)
[Get a load of this guy over here, being all judgmental and superior. Peter rolls his eyes and turns his attention back to his work, but as much as he wants to ignore Loki and just focus on what he's doing, he's too goddamn polite for his own good.

Soooo it's time for another Awkward Peter Parker Chat. Heeeere we go.]


Well what is it, then? If it's not programming, what do you use?
dothelokimotion: (I can’t find a trace of you anywhere)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2019-09-07 01:12 am (UTC)(link)
[ loki purses his lips, mulling it over. ]

Programming limits thinking to systems, specifically electronic-based ones. Our idea of "programming" extend to the mind, the soul. We can fix ills and create wonders without needing to tap into . . . metal and wiring.

Magic, I suppose, is a form of that.
itsnotaonesie: (fuck off it was funny in my head)

[personal profile] itsnotaonesie 2019-09-07 01:29 am (UTC)(link)
[Peter has no idea what to do with this laughing. How is he supposed to react? Is he supposed to be offended? He decides he's not offended after Qubit says all that stuff, but he's still feeling huffy ok.]

I mean... okay, that's fair. I'm like way out of practice, though. Most of the problems that crop up around here aren't problems I can punch, y'know? And this damn thing--

[He starts flexing his left arm around and pauses to inspect it, the elbow area looks like it's been blown out from the inside somehow. Petey's just too strong dang]

I don't know, not all of my repairs are taking and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, and I can't exactly ask the guy that built it for advice, y'know?
superposition: (But no more apologies)

[personal profile] superposition 2019-09-07 02:10 am (UTC)(link)
Huh. Let me see.

[ Qubit brushes a stray hair out of his face and leans in for a closer look, steadying the offending arm with his hand. To his eyes, it doesn't look too bad. Some blown actuators and damaged connections, repaired in a way that might actually increase the strain on the joint - but that'd be an easy mistake to make. It's not the worst repair job he's ever seen, and certainly not unfixable.

But... there's something else. Qubit's got sort of a sixth sense for technology, which comes in absolutely critical for analyzing and prototyping on the fly, but it's difficult to put into words precisely what it is he "feels." Two suits of power armor could look identical, but feel very different, depending on differences in implementation, the underlying technology, the quirks of an individual designer...

And this suit feels oddly familiar. Not exactly the same, but similar enough to make him suspicious. As suddenly as it appeared, his lighthearted mood is gone. ]


... Who built it?
itsnotaonesie: (nice sweater dork)

[personal profile] itsnotaonesie 2019-09-07 02:20 am (UTC)(link)
[Well shit, that actually sounds super interesting. Peter stops fiddling with whatever he's fixing for a minute and turns his attention to Loki.]

Well, I'm not exactly magically inclined, so I think I'll stick to the metal and wiring. Can you explain how any of that works? Or is it just a thing you can do?
dothelokimotion: (Minutes before librarians ate him)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2019-09-07 02:24 am (UTC)(link)
I am not sure. Your vernacular may not have the vocabulary I need to explain it.

[ and he refuses to dumb it down to "magic = science", thor. loki shrugs. ]

But some magic is innate. You could say it is akin to drawing energy within yourself and then molding it to your will.
itsnotaonesie: (unexciting locker icon)

[personal profile] itsnotaonesie 2019-09-07 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
[Peter doesn't protest, even if part of him kind of wants to. Maybe it's the very very tiny rebellious teenager side of him, or some idea that he needs to fix the suit that Tony gave him by himself because it's his now and he has to be able to maintain his own goddamn equipment, but ultimately he just let's Qubit do his thing. He obviously knows his way around technology, in kind of a weirdy magic sort of way, so maybe letting him help with it would be better in the long run. He'll figure that out later.]

This guy I knew back home. Tony Stark? He used to build all kinds of stuff, hooked me up with some equipment while I was there.
itsnotaonesie: movieconnoisseur (weaving a web of bullshit)

[personal profile] itsnotaonesie 2019-09-07 02:58 am (UTC)(link)
Fair enough.

[magic = science, GOT IT]

Ah, got it. So it's not the kind of thing that can be learned. What kinda stuff can you do with that?
dothelokimotion: (Illegal to consider their existence)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2019-09-07 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
[ loki raises an eyebrow. ]

That seems like a dangerous question to answer.
itsnotaonesie: (it's fiiiiiiiiiiiiine)

[personal profile] itsnotaonesie 2019-09-07 03:16 am (UTC)(link)
Dangerous for you, or dangerous for me? I-- look, I'm not asking you for your deepest, darkest secrets, here. I'm just curious, y'know? And bored. So bored.
dothelokimotion: (This is the fear that looms)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2019-09-07 03:17 am (UTC)(link)
[ . . . you know what, it's probably fine. this is a child anyway. ]

I can create objects from magic and form illusions. Among other things.
superposition: (So what difference does it make?)

[personal profile] superposition 2019-09-07 03:26 am (UTC)(link)
[ Tony Stark.

Qubit's mouth tightens to a thin line, but he says nothing for a moment, feigning engrossment in the suit. It's not exactly a surprise, in hindsight, but what does he do with this information?

There's got to be something wrong with the suit, he decides. The Stark he knows would never just... give something like this away, no strings attached, out of the goodness of his heart. There must have been an ulterior motive. Putting Peter in his debt, maybe? Or something more direct? Monitoring his whereabouts? A framework to control him?

He's suddenly very concerned for Peter Parker. (And he has no doubt that's his full name.)

But this isn't the same Peter Parker he spoke to on Earth-β, obviously. For starters, he's significantly younger. (Alternate universe? Different point in time? He can't be sure.) He's going to have to tread carefully here. Get more information, before he goes and commits to anything.

When he finally speaks, his tone is casual - but not effortlessly so. ]


That's awfully generous of him. Something like this must have cost him a fortune.
itsnotaonesie: (i think the fuck not)

[personal profile] itsnotaonesie 2019-09-07 03:41 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, yeah?

[A child that can stop a bus with his bare hands and is also in the like top 3 smartest people on this space station, but yes. He's still a kid and he's easily amused by magic okay don't judge.

Anyway Peter leans back on the console he was working on and crosses his arms, watching Loki expectantly.]


...I am absolutely waiting for a demonstration, if that isn't obvious. Just- just sayin'.
dothelokimotion: (Something else will take its place)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2019-09-07 03:48 am (UTC)(link)
[ sure, child. with a flick of his fingers, loki conjures another double like himself, mimicking his movements. ]

itsnotaonesie: movieconnoisseur (mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmyep)

[personal profile] itsnotaonesie 2019-09-07 03:54 am (UTC)(link)
Maybe.

[Peter shrugs, but he's starting to relax. Qubit seems like such a nice guy with absolutely no ulterior motives at all!!!!

I mean, all the suits he built were probably expensive. I never had a chance to ask him about this one, and he never had a chance to tell me. I was actually stuck to the side of a space ship when he gave me this one? I was kinda suffocating to death at the time and he saved me by slapping this on me. Aaaand that's the story behind this suit, I guess.

[The whole story is much longer and involves a LOOOT of death. It's not Peter's favorite story.]
itsnotaonesie: (nice sweater dork)

[personal profile] itsnotaonesie 2019-09-07 04:05 am (UTC)(link)
[this child just got a God to do magic tricks for him, this is the coolest thing ever right now.]

Okay that is actually really cool. So that's just an illusion, right? It's not physical at all, I can't punch it?
sleepyhollowed: (:'D)

JOE'S DIRT???

[personal profile] sleepyhollowed 2019-09-07 04:38 am (UTC)(link)
[Kieran never caught the network-wide text. It's not entirely useless in his possession, but the whole 'unable to read' thing kind of gets in the way. Thankfully, we have the power of coincidence on our side, and Kieran has a tendency to hang out in the agricultural levels, even after that stint with the weird fungus. It's the only place he can safely keep his horses, after all. Thankfully, they're not here with him.]

[When Kieran spots Peter, he greets him with a friendly wave and jogs over, all smiles.]


Hey, Peter!

What're you doin' out here? Workin' on somethin'?

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