SEPTEMBER EVENT

[monstertruckers]

code

Beyond the mountains stretch red rocks, canyons, and deserts. The Badlands reach out for miles, with barely any vegetation to be seen. The road winds between rock formations, into canyons, and across long barren stretches. Ruins of the old world sometimes grow out of the rocks in place of trees. Husks are somewhat less common here, though there’s still a thriving monster population. And no shortage of dangers and complications.

01: STORM RIDER

A storm shows up clear against the red rocks, all dark shades and lit up by flashes of lightning. The storm itself twists about, sometimes looking like clouds, other times looking like a massive beast with a thunderous roar to match. There’s a charge in the air, that almost makes the blood thrum faster… And it’s a charge that can be utilized. The Convoy screens blink an alert:

“Caution, supercharged storm ahead. Be advised, harnessed lightning can power convoy and vehicles, but must be gathered with care.” Along the road are ruined vehicles with what looks suspiciously like lightning rods attached to them. Those rods can be removed and grafted onto other cars.

01-A: STORM HARVEST

When the storm sweeps over the still-moving Convoy, the lightning is wild and erratic, and barely deflected by the shield. The shield can be strengthened with jolts of lightning, which jump from vehicle lightning rod storage to the Convoy generators.

Fast cars have the easiest time of this, capable of keeping pace with the storm. But Tough cars are better at grounding the electric currents without getting fried. Because of this, it’s advised to work in pairs of cars; one to race ahead and catch the lightning and one for the lightning to bounce back and store it. Alternately, it’s advised to be supernaturally affiliated with lightning to withstand the shocks.

Harnessed lightning is capable of souping up the Convoy; the batteries are fully charged, and the Convoy no longer needs to power down electronics at 11 PM. Meanwhile, any cars that hang onto the lightning gain the Fast quality for the month. Or if they already have that quality, gain the temporary ability to Warp to any prior location and then back to the Convoy.

Those who fail to work in pairs or ward themselves against lightning receive no benefits, and find themselves especially susceptible to Event 4.

02: LIBRARY

There’s more to this biome than just sand and rocks. Buildings are half melted into the landscape, all with regal looking architecture; the sort that suggests archives and massive libraries. And perhaps a cool interior, with some relief from the oppressive heat.

Stepping inside, it becomes clear that books of all sorts are stored here, along with scrolls, and even electric tablets that still hold a charge and data. Stories of all sorts are stored here… Including tales from Drifter’s home worlds, oddly enough. Alongside the fiction are guides that can impart knowledge, and additional effects:

02-A: HISTORY LESSON

There are accounts of monsters stored here; everything from Angels to Zoanthropes, all relating to various myths… And what looks like more detailed accounts relating to speed, strength, ferocity, even weak points. It quickly becomes clear that these are hunting logs. There’s also a post-script to each entry: “May the Wardens guard the true and pure humans against corruption, as long as the moon hangs in the sky.”

Then there are the books written in more archaic script, speaking about a lost spark of divinity, taken by the moon and sealed up inside. And there are other, similar praises and prayers to the moon. Spoken aloud, they offer Drifters a vision of the moon, and a massive form stirring inside it. Drifters may realize it matches the vague shape seen inside the tunnels.

What’s more, the spells can also grant Drifters a brief clarifying touch. This bit of contact cannot reverse monster changes… But can stabilize emotions, and restore a Drifter’s mind if they’ve gone feral.

02-B: MECHANICS LESSON

Drifters may also find more recent manuscripts regarding car maintenance… And what appears to be schematics to the Convoy! Armed with this knowledge, a Drifter can make changes to the Convoy, such as adding an entirely new trailer with locations inside, or overhauling a room to their liking.
There is also a log passage relating to the Convoy. The most legible section reads:

“Wardens of Nirvana argue over this, say we can’t risk the last stronghold. But we can’t wait to persuade them; the Convoy must still be finished and sent out. Only way to save ourselves is stop the Silver Tears rituals, and get the outlanders before the cult. The Moon is already hungry, and so are the pawns of the God, they are already reaching out across worlds. At least this will safeguard those who arrive. Give them some control over their changes. And draw them back to us.”

02-C: HUNTING LESSON

The library isn’t without its hazards. A swarm of malformed creatures called Sucklers has made their home inside the library, hiding in the dark sections of the shelves. And they are very hungry; the Sucklers are ambush predators who try to mob Drifters and drain them. Sometimes one of the swarm will sacrifice themselves by exploding their head and sending shards of skull into the target, to weaken the prey for the rest of the swarm.

And to add to that, there is a complication for anyone who reads the books; the pages will burn the hands of the Drifters, and turn them monstrous if they are not already changed. (If they already are, it advances the change along a Drifter’s limbs.)

Alternately or additionally, the books change a Drifter’s eyes as they read, making them inhuman and altering their vision. Drifters will become sensitive to bright lights, but have excellent night vision.
A Drifter may begin to change into a Sphinx or Manticore while reading the books. (See Event 3!)

03: MOON WARP

A Moon Warp begins on the second week of wasteland exploration, after the storm and as the Convoy makes camp in a canyon. The broken moon gives an eerie glow overhead, before shards begin to burn through the night sky. The canyon walls and arches help to shield the convoy, but only so much. Shards of rock and moon alike rain down on the vehicles, crashing off the newly energized shield; those who stay in the Convoy should be safe enough.

By the end of the moon shower, the Warp has sunk deep into the canyon itself. Drifters who explore beyond the shield are caught up in the Warp, and feel new changes taking root in themselves. Those changes can easily be accelerated into new monster forms, which are detailed below.

03: MONSTER SHIFT, SPHINX

This month's monster is the Sphinx, a human-lion hybrid that may also have bird-like wings. It’s up to the player on just how leonine their facial features and bodies are. Alongside all sphinx species traits, the following also happens:
+Fluctuating Voice: voice can easily shift into a growl or a roar if emotions grow heated. This roar can also cause damage if loud enough.
+Clawing Pains: Can grow retractable claws, which may provide intense pain or discomfort. Healing magics can help alleviate this pain... Or sharpening their budding claws on just about anything, including stone.
+Compelled to speak in riddles or outright lying, which can make it very difficult to convey any information found in the libraries.
+Compelled to guard either people or a location. This can be beneficial for other Drifters if the Sphinx decides to protect them/the Convoy… But it could also be negative, if a Sphinx decides to guard the ruins, and other Drifters are intruders.
+An obsession with riddles and puzzles. The twisting passages and mazes of the library may become a fascinating subject to explore and map, not to mention any questions intriguing behavior posed by the other Drifters.
+Ambush Predator: Gains an affinity for stalking amongst the ruins, and using them to advantage when hunting other monsters. Running from or turning one's back on a Sphinx is not advised, lest it trigger the hunting instinct.

03: MONSTER SHIFT, MANTICORE

Alongside Sphinx, is the Manticore. A second human-lion hybrid, with rows of razor teeth, batlike wings, and poisonous quills/barbs on their tails. Manticores can access all Sphinx and Drakonis traits, and also gain:
+Voracious Appetite: Need to consume a large amount of meat. Husk monsters are around to feed on, otherwise may be compelled to raid the Convoy for food.
+Truth Compulsion: Manticores gain a loud, almost trumpet quality to their voice, and a need to announce truths instead of riddles. Qith so many books in the library, there’s lots of truth to announce.
+Guardian Compulsion: like the Sphinx, Manticores can be guards. Generally Manticores tend to be much more territorial, opting for a location and driving all intruders all of it… Or opting for one person and turning savagely protective.
+Instinct Shift: Low control of Protean form, but can subconsciously shift limbs back and forth.
+Toothing Pains: Gains rows of shark-like teeth that can chew through metal. Growing these may result in pain, and pain easily leads to berserk frenzy.
+Poison Sting: While growing the poison quills, the process can be unstable and cause manticores to shoot or shed their spines at inopportune times. The poison is still developing and cannot kill, but can cause paralysis, pain, or hallucinations.

04: SINGING ROCKS

The red rocks rise up in wave-like formations, or form arches, needles, and other strange shapes. There is also one other strange quality… The rocks sing. Or perhaps it is that they reflect any sound, whether that is thunder, engine noise, or car horns, and somehow twist it into a song.

The song manifests as something Drifters either desperately wants to hear, or fears hearing. It can also amplify the Haunting Echo from last month’s event, allowing Drifters to breathe the associated element (Fire for passion, Electricity for fear or excitement, Ice for sorrow) and also have it manifest on their hands/claws, similar to an Elemental’s abilities.

Though these echoes can easily mask the approach of savage, dinosaur esque wyverns that clamber along the surfaces. The fiery tigers that prowl the chasms are slightly more obvious.

04-A: DARK ECHO

This time, the song has a darker side to it. While it may renew the Haunted Echo (and the dragon effects!), it also causes any Drifter who listens too closely to forget themselves. This leads to two different results:
Reset: Drifters have their memories wiped back to their initial canon point where they were first pulled from, and have no recall of any of the game events or why they are now monsters. Players may opt for them to hear a radio transmission explaining that they need to reach Nirvana, or give them a very quick recap of the game premise if they wish to skip that step of RP.
Blank Slate: Drifters believe that they’ve ALWAYS been a monster, and their traits have always been with them. (Or are manifesting as a natural part of their lifespan.) On top of that, they may also believe that they’ve always been a denizen of this world, and act accordingly; wary of Steel Wardens as hunters, cagey of zealot Silver Tears, and other monstrous Drifters as packmates.

This effect can be undone by a few means: either a counter spell found in the libraries, powerful healing or cleansing magic, or through the passage of time… Though in this instance, the uncured effects will last until the end of October’s events, and the creepy carnival to follow.

05: RESTORATION SPRING

At the very bottom of the badlands is a spring and a broad river. It runs through the canyons, bubbles up between rock formations, forms oasis patches, and is the only large body of water for miles around.

Approaching it after the storm event is dangerous, due to the risk of flash flooding. It takes time and care to get a vehicle or Drifter to the bottom of the canyon… But well worth the effort. Not only does the spring contain drinkable water (and may well be a haven for those with mermaid transformations) but there’s plenty of discarded cans and tanks to fill and take back to the Convoy. The water itself has healing properties, and can restore memories.

But it’s advised to fill up quickly, or submerge into the water fast. There’s an odd rustling when anyone gets close to the spring, and it doesn’t take long to find the source. A swarm of cactaurs guards the area, and don’t take kindly to intruders. Only Fast vehicles have a hope of out pacing the cactaurs before they can shred Drifters and vehicles alike with their needles. And only Tough vehicles have a hope of standing against such an assault. Fighting a tide of angry cactus monsters isn’t advised, unless the Drifters have numbers, agility, and powerful magics on their side.

MICRO ENCOUNTERS:

PLEASE NOTE! These are small bits of set dressing for players to include in threads if they wish, rather than full fledged prompts or events. You may handwave your exploration of these areas, or thread them out.

Arid Land: As the Convoy progresses, water becomes harder to come by. The heat begins to spike. Cars without air conditioning have a hard time of it… And even the Convoy begins to take long breaks at the hottest parts of the day. Often sheltering in canyons, or under the shadows of the library ruins that dot the badlands. Between sun and parched conditions, it can be a battle to stay cool, and result in some odd solutions, depending on the Drifter.

Ancient Guardians: Dotting the ruins and badlands are statues that look uncomfortably familiar. Lion monsters stand guard over entrances, and sometimes even at a rare oasis. But many of them have seen better days; someone has defaced them, sometimes even decapitated them or amputated limbs and wings, carving the moon piercing sword on their stone forms. Cracked offering bowls lay at their paws, empty of everything except for sand… But those who make an offering might catch a whisper on the wind, hinting at what lays ahead.

Crumbling Tomes: One last quirk of the libraries is how the melding has gone; sometimes the shelves bleed between wood and rock. And this can even extend to the books themselves, partially petrified. And ready to fall off the shelves with a heavy impact; dodging those and deciphering stone pages can be a challenge!

Check Out: It is of course possible for Drifters to take books with them out of the library. But without a library card (curiously, off world library cards count) the defenses of the library activate. The books may ignite into flames, or become too heavy to carry.

IN ADDITION we have two extra prompts for Manticore and Sphinx monsters this month! These are detailed below:

Library binding. The library itself seems to recognize the value of these monsters as protectors, and seeks to keep them there. Various restraints try to chain sphinxes and manticores in place. Manticores have a slightly easier time biting through their restraints, but still might need help being freed, if they are collared in a way their teeth can’t reach.

Gnoll attack! On top of the Sucklers taking up residence in the library, there’s a collection of Gnolls. The hyena hybrids are slowly destroying the books, using them as kindling, or feeding for their venomous Gorger-worm pets. The gnolls also want any materials the Drifters have. If they can kill and eat any Drifters along the way, all the better. They are berserk creatures ruled by hunger, but with just enough intelligence left to use basic tools and weapons. Any interloping lion monsters are seen as pressing threats that need to be killed.

NAVIGATION

Comments

blake belladonna | rwby

[andnevermore]

[ ooc: sorry to everybody whose threads I had to drop (or replies to my toplevel I couldn't answer) last month! I wound up needing to take a hiatus. I'll make it up to you this month 💜 ]

✘ ⸻ library / history lesson

[ There's nothing quite like a library in a desert to put Blake Belladonna in a good mood.

Though, in fairness, her mood was already pretty good. She's largely got her monster stuff under control -- the hunger for blood is consistently terrible but she's found a rhythm for managing it, and the shadow that sometimes flares around her fingertips isn't doing any harm -- and she's got a girlfriend, so. The only problems that remain are: everybody else from her world vanished (and hopefully went back home), they're still stuck in this world, they're still being hunted, and she really misses being able to eat proper food and being able to be out in the sunlight. Other than that, though. Things are fine!

Things are especially fine now that they've found a library!

For anybody exploring it, they may quickly come across a table that Blake has set up with a stack of books, Warden's logs, and flickering tablets. For the moment, however, she's nowhere to be seen--

Except for when a shocked, awestruck, excited gasp comes from behind one of the stacks, and Blake emerges holding a book. The title of which is briefly visible -- Ninjas of Love 6 -- before she flushes bright red and hides it inside her coat, feline ears flat in embarrassment at being seen. ]

There's logs from the Steel Wardens! [ She blurts it out, hoping to distract. ] And, um, lots of information about various monster types. Have you looked up your own type? I'm trying to find their entries on vampires, it might be really useful.

[ Please just ignore the book-shaped lump she's smuggling in her jacket. ]

✘ ⸻ singing rocks

[ The next time night strikes, Blake sets out to explore some of the local landmarks.

She's never seen geography like this in person before. She grew up on a tropical island, and has spent most of her teens on a continent full of forests and grassland. These red canyons are fascinating to her, the likes of which she's only ever seen photos of before. Their shapes are bizarres, rocks likes waves or spikes, and she can only begin to guess at what kind of natural phenomena might have shaped the canyons like this.

The hum seems to build slowly, like distant music to her ears. At first, Blake doesn't point it out to the person she's walking with, thinking that she's just hearing something from the convoy, someone playing music or testing out their engines.

But then-- laughter.

Laughter so familiar it has her whipping her sword out from its sheath and spinning on the spot to brandish it, gaze desperately roving over every nook and cranny in the rocks. A sound like a sword flicking off blood. Laughter, again. Footsteps. No-- not now, not when she's finally found happiness again-- ]

Get behind me. There's someone here, and he's dangerous.

[ She snaps at the person with her, angling herself to protect them. When she forces out a hard breath, lightning spits from between her teeth and hits the ground, and though that's-- bizarre-- Blake's focus doesn't break. He'll reveal himself eventually. ]

✘ ⸻ restoration spring

[ Water, as far as Blake has learned, seems to generally be a good thing in this place. Springs, at least. A river a while back turned her briefly into a mermaid, which had been inconvenient, but her experience with springs has so far been positive. It had taken a lot of maneuvering and grumbling to get her campervan down here, but it had been worth it.

Of course, as soon as she'd approached the springs, cactus monsters had rushed her. Because of course they had. It had taken some real finesse to beat them, and in the end, she'd managed to just barely lose most of them in the canyon, and impale the most tenacious one with her sword.

So, here she is, with a campfire set up next to her van not far away from a spring, with cactaur limbs slowly roasting on a metal skewer. The external shell seems inedible, but Blake had discovered that its insides look and smell like tofu, of all things, so why not offer some to people who need it? And because she loves tofu, Blake can't resist a small bite of her own -- even if food mostly just tastes like cardboard to her now.

And that was a mistake. Upon first bite, she finds herself springing up and contorting into the cactaur pose.

This is mortifying. ]

Please just ignore this.

[ Her greeting is wry as someone else approaches. ]

And... maybe don't eat any of the tofu stuff inside the cactaur. Unless you want to pose, too.

singing rocks

[soldiernoclass]

[ It feels perfectly natural to Zack to accompany anyone wandering out beyond the safer bounds of the Convoy, day or night, regardless of how well acquainted they might (or might not) be. Safer to travel with someone watching your back, after all - especially in a place like this. As fascinating as the shapes the rocks make are, they're also perfect places for monsters or not-so-friendly strangers to take up hiding.

So an ambush feels almost like the natural next step, when his current company stops and pivots back sharply to stand between him and whoever it is, out there.

He reaches for his own sword, eyes glowing brightly blue in the dark as he scans their rocky surroundings. That sounds like a challenge, but it also sounds bad. ]

Hey, I can hold my own. What are we dealing with?

Library

[fists_of_funny]

"Yeah. I've found a few." Yang is carrying a stack of books in her arms, ready to add them to Blake's pile. "I found a book on vampires, I'll trade you for any werewolf books if you've got 'em."

She puts the books down and glances at the lump Blake is awkwardly trying to hide as though Yang didn't get a full view of the cover. "You know you don't have to hide that from me, right? I know how much you love that series."

Blake had done her best to keep her love of the smutty girl's love ninja series to herself, but sometimes you do find stuff when you live with three other people. And honestly...Yang might have thumbed through a couple of the volumes and she kind of got the appeal. Enough to go looking for some fanfic...

Library

[undyingcrow]

[Akechi snaps a book shut, ears folded back in irritation.]

Hunting logs, and they have the audacity to act as though they're guardians of "purity."

[His lip curls back to reveal his pointed teeth. Clearly, he's unhappy with whatt he's found.]

I won't deny that there is some semblance of useful information here, but we must tread cautiously, given the deep biases of the Wardens.

[He sees that lump, though, and his eyes briefly wander to it. Interesting...]

library/history lesson

[bufudine]

[Serph has never set eyes on a library before. Even the concept of a book is a fairly novel to him; reports and journals? Sure. But books? When he flips open one, he's not even sure what he's reading. It seems to be a strangely specific account of conversations and actions between people. It doesn't make a lot of sense to him.

(He's never heard of fiction.)

Serph puts down the book and moves on to the next one, wondering if it's as uncomprehensible.

But then he stumbles on the Steel Wardens' hunting logs and that has his rapt attention. He feels almost compelled to read it all; compiling combat information for effective hunting was so vitally important in his life before. The Convoy never stays in one place for very long, so he has his nose buried in another of the Wardens' logs when Blake comes through. His gaze very briefly flickers to the title of the book before it returns to Blake herself.]

You're a vampire?

[He wonders if Blake is anything like the vampires Faith fought in her home world. Serph thinks briefly before pointing to the bottom shelf.]

The logs for vampires are there.

[Serph's gaze returns to the current collection of hunting logs in his hands that he's reading. Without looking at her face, he asks-]

What's a ninja?

spring

[purplexing]

[Water- nice, lovely clean water, seems to be a rare thing for them to come upon, so Donnie's only too happy to investigate it. He hasn't bothered with bringing his own vehicle along. It's far easier to fly anyway.

Seeing another vehicle already parked down here draws his curiosity, more so when he sees someone well...relatively familiar. Okay, so what's really drawn him over was her unusual stance.

He spirals gracefully down, his trailing tail accentuating each loop before he flaps his wings to touch down a few feet from her, settling on all fours before he starts over closer to circle her like some feral little thing.]

Kind of hard to ignore. Are you saying you're not just doing this for funsies?

Singing Rocks

[thegoodslayer]

Like hell I will.

[She's not hiding behind anybody, okay, that is not what we're doing here. She ostentatiously cracks her knuckles.]

I don't give a damn who this guy is, if ass needs kicked, I'm down.

arcade gannon | fallout: new vegas

[taediosum]

i. crumbling tomes

[ It's hardly a Vault, but Arcade is naturally cautious when entering any cavernous, underground wreck of some positively ancient structure.

...Initially, anyway. Because shelves upon shelves of books - and many of them considerably more intact than the usual fare - were bound to loosen his grip on that habitual paranoia. Especially when some very few of those books are familiar.

The shelves are high and precarious, the ladders once attached to them for convenience now mostly broken or so brittle with age that they may as well be. But that doesn't deter him, either. He seems almost not to realize he's climbing up to reach for the hefty-looking tomes on the upper shelves, and doing so as easily as if walking on flat ground. Bracing himself on a still-solid shelf with one set of hands, he picks cautiously through the books that haven't completely melded into the stony portion of the bookcase with the other.

Just watch out for dust and loose, torn pages raining down from above. ]

ii. arid land

[ With his truck parked in the long shadow of a towering pillar of sandy stone, Arcade can be found shuffling around just behind the patchwork-covered trailer. Although the heat is relentless, he seems unbothered, only lightly sweating in that long, white coat. Rather than wear him down, though, the heat seems to have energized him, and he has leaned into the sudden burst of industriousness.

There are bottles of water lined up in front of him, rain collected from the storm in a fit of Wastelander practicality. When he picks one up, he focuses on it intently - until the water inside first frosts and then solidifies entirely into ice. The look on his face is somehow both relieved and disturbed at once, each time it works.

If he's approached in the middle of an attempt, he might startle badly enough to turn the water inside the bottle he's holding entirely into steam, instead. But if passersby are kind enough to wait until he's set it down to approach, they'll be offered one of the ice-filled bottles, instead. ]

Here. You look like you could use this.

iii. check out

[ There are more than a few books Arcade wants to pack up and bring along with. But he's managed to whittle it down to just the few most intact and most likely to be useful, arranged in a small stack on one somewhat level table near an entrance. They're too heavy to carry all at once, even with four arms (and definitely in this heat). So he grabs a couple off the top to run out to his truck—

And stops abruptly on the library's threshold, as the books burst into flame. Arcade drops them with an echoing shout, looking around sharply as if he expects someone else might be responsible (it wouldn't be the most outlandish thing).

Instead of finding a lurking assailant, though, he finds a dusty chunk of fabric, faded and firm with age, collapsed atop a squat, broken statue guarding the door. It might've been an old tapestry, once, but now it's just a convenient blanket with which to hastily put out the fire.

His scorched palms are stinging when he can finally catch his breath, the flames momentarily quashed. ]

...Dammit. What a waste of a good book.

( feel free to switch to prose or hmu to plot something different! )

iii

[purplexing]

SHHH, this is a li-

[Sorry, it's reflex. Library rules are sacred! But burning books in them? Unheard of!! At least it's clear to him that this isn't intentional on Arcade's part!

He hurries over, clutching a few books in his own arms, tail snaking after him.]

What, did it just self-combust?

... [Wait, he's forgetting something.]

-you okay?

ii

[propatriamori]

[Edward waits patiently until Arcade is done with the bottle, then accepts it gratefully. He's still wearing long sleeves and multiple layers in the desert, and he's suffering. There's already a sunburn on his nose and the tops of his cheeks.]

Thank you.

[He uses one of his second hands to hold the bottle to the back of his neck.]

I have something for you, as well.

ii

[faceguy]

[Without his memories of the convoy, everyone, whether he considered them a friend or had merely talked to them a few times, is a stranger to Leo now. And so Leo is never sure, when he approaches someone, if they're going to be expecting some kind of response out of him.

The casual offer of a frozen water bottle, though, is welcome. It's hot out here, even for Leo. He reaches out and takes the bottle in his bony fingers.

Since he's lost his cloak, his heart is on full display through the giant crack in his shell. Sorry about that!]

Oh, nice. I bet this trick makes you a hit at parties.

[So he thinks, but he's never actually been to a party.]

Edward Courtenay | Downton Abbey

[propatriamori]

Arid Land

This is definitely not English weather.

Edward is suffering in the heat. He is completely unused to a desert climate, and it shows; his skin has gone parched and flaky, he's sweating through all his clothing, his hair is hanging in stringy, sweat-sodden clumps, and any patch of skin that's been exposed to the sun is reddening with a sunburn. He's also faced with the dilemma of taking off his coat: on the one hand, it's way too hot for it, and he's overheating wearing it. On the other, he would then be exposing his bare extra arms and back to the sun, and they would crisp up immediately. At least his face and neck have seen the sun before, although not to this level, and have some experience with tanning.

He will be finding whatever shade he can, including setting up his tent as soon as the convoy stops, and hiding out in it, being miserable.

"I never thought I'd miss the rain."

Library, Part One

There are few things on earth more annoying than a library full of books that you can't read, and it's put Edward in a foul mood. There is so much here he could be learning, or even just entertaining himself, but no. Instead, he takes to crawling up and around the higher, teetering shelves, calling down to people who can't reach them as easily.

"Is there anything up here you'd like me to take?"

Please ignore the slightly put-out tone to his voice.

Library, Part Two

As the moon warp hit, it brought some new changes, causing Edward to retreat further into the towering stacks. He lurks near the entrance to the libraries now, feeling the vibrations of people coming in and out of the library. If anyone tries to leave with some books and no library card, he descends on a thread of silk and blocks the doorway.

"Are you planning on returning those?"

His human legs are gone now, replaced by a spider's abdomen and four long, gangling spider legs. If your character looks up towards the ceiling, they'll see the elaborate, complicated web he's spun up there, where he's been hiding out and observing.

Coincidentally, he does happen to have a battered Oxford library card in his wallet, but he won't be forthcoming with that information to just anyone.

arid land

[soldiernoclass]

"Oh boy, you're telling me."

Is it weird to just jump right into non-conversations someone is clearly having all by themselves? Yes? Oh, well. That's not going to stop Zack, who sounds somehow both exhausted and enthusiastic at the same time.

Since he's already stopped in passing, too, he might as well just lean right over and glance into that tent.

"Hey. You all right, in there?"

Library, Part 2

[bufudine]

Serph had been affected by the books' transformation effect, though it's not openly evident. Instead, he has another new feline-like form that dwells within him and it's just as hungry as the dragon had been in their previous location. In all other senses, he is exactly the same as before: a man with six wings that has a solid, confident stride who speaks in a quiet but even voice.

He doesn't startle when Edward blocks his exit; he recognises his fellow Drifter by sight even if he hasn't directly interacted. The carapace is new though.

Serph tilts his head, a mote of confusion leaking into his otherwise flat voice. "Why would I?"

(He has never been in a library before, nor has he ever heard of a library card.)

He had plans to bring some of the hunting logs back to Heat's RV to read. Jack probably wouldn't be comfortable with them, but knowing effectively how to kill other monsters (demons) is the sort of thing he and Heat were made for.

Donnie // Volare: Harpy

[purplexing]

I. Ride the Lightning
"Ugggh, not another one," Donnie groans, looking anxiously out the window as the Turtle Tank and the rest of the Convoy seem to be heading directly towards another growing storm. This one looks even more menacing than the one that had been tearing through the mountain forests, and there aren't any radio towers to suggest that it might be dissipated by such means, here, so far as he can see.

He looks flatly at the warning from the Convoy itself. No duh. But the potential for gathering energy...

"Well, it's may be a dated and rudimentary way to go about gathering power, but so long as it doesn't outright fry our batteries- or us in the process- it'll still be effective. Worked for Dr. Frankenstein!"

The ruined vehicles that they're starting to pass don't exactly reassure him. "Oooh...did they try to do the same thing and just...not succeed or is this some weird hobby we don't know about, out here..."

But the Convoy hasn't misdirected them yet, and Donnie is much more certain that his baby can handle some lightning. Maybe.

One stop and a lightning rod salvage later, the turtle boy's got the Turtle Tank set up and ready to drive into the storm. Don't mind the cackling, that's still pretty normal for him.


II. Library - Knowledge is Power
Any wariness the winged turtle might have had about entering the mysterious and concerningly huge doorway melts instantly once he sees what's held beyond them.

"Sweet Alexandria, it's beautiful~~~" he gasps, eyes growing wide in his awe as he turns to take everything in.

Was there a point to being here? Well, certainly there must be! Up until now he hasn't seen any books aside from some trashy, waterlogged romance novels and that's hardly to his standard!

He flits off between shelves, unsure where to even begin, there's so much!!! It should be absolutely no surprise to those who know him to find him eventually carrying a stack of tomes and tablets. Information on the Convoy? He is going to devour that like Raph devours his pizza.

He's however a little more wary of the older-looking books, and one might see him pushing up his goggles after glancing at some shelves, frowning. "Careful with those," he warns. "I'm getting some mystic readings but I'm not entirely sure what that might mean."


III. Library - Reading Break
Who knows how long Donnie's gotten preoccupied with his library research? He sure doesn't know!

He's settled quite comfortably on a precarious stack of books, his tail (huh, guess that's a recent development) swishing back and forth idly as he pores over a tome he's got settled in his lap. How he can see anything with how dark this section is, is anyone's guess.

Maybe he's too caught up in his reading to notice the movement in the shadows further down the aisle. Or is he? His tail movements become a bit slower, curling almost calculatingly if one were to notice such things.

If someone's browsing through the dimly lit section, they might find the harpy turtle suddenly perching atop the edge of the shelves then, eyes aglow as he seems fixated on something further down in the darkness.


IV. Rocks/Echo - But You're Not Here
"Huh...?"

The winged turtle's riding on top of the Turtle Tank as the Convoy threads through the canyon, head tilting in a birdlike fashion as he picks up the sounds. At least with all the tall rock formations, there's shadows aplenty. His eyes are still a bit light-sensitive ever since they'd left the library, so he's enjoying what he can of being outside before he'll have to duck back into the vehicle once they hit another bright patch of light.

Donnie frowns. Maybe he's imagining things. Or maybe he isn't, given he starts to perk again at the strains of some echoing tune.

Clambering over the taxi topping the huge vehicle, Donnie eyes the surrounding rock faces. This place is probably messing with them again, but he can't help but try to strain and hear what he'd thought he'd heard. He straightens abruptly, wings lifting behind him.

"Father..?"

V. Choose Your Own Adventure
((Wildcard me!))


((OOC: Will match tag pref. format!))

rocks

[soldiernoclass]

The echoes of passing vehicles (and the roar of his own mechanical beast's engine) are too loud for Zack to pick up on any passing, eerie sounds - but he takes notice of Donnie scrambling around on top of the Tank, as he's riding by. Pulling up closer, Zack stands up in the saddle, attempting to peer over in the same direction.

"What's up? You see something?"

Another place to stop and get out of this heat, maybe? That'd be great. Even in the shade, the sun-baked landscape is a real furnace.

Andrew Blur | Summer Sons

[hauntcursed]

[ooc: I'll gladly match format if you prefer prose!]

I. Library - History Lesson

[A library in a place like this was pretty cool, figuratively and literally. Andrew was glad to get out of the sun and leave some of that heat behind--for now. He was used to blistering summers, but that didn't mean he liked them.

He sat down for a bit once he was inside, until he felt like looking around at all the books, and there sure were a lot. They seemed like they were in decent condition, too, though he didn't immediately touch any, just looked along shelves at the various book spines.

Eventually, he gave into curiosity though, pulling a book off a shelf and looking the cover over before opening it to a random page. The book had information about...actually, he wasn't immediately sure. He had to flip back a few pages to get the context he needed to understand this was about monsters, specifically Infernals. Then he flipped back to the page he'd originally opened, skimming down it until-]

...guard the true and pure humans against corruption, as long as- oh, go fuck yourselves.

[The last part was muttered as he closed the book with a snap. It was too much to ask for information to have been gathered in a way that wasn't scummy? He started to put the book back, but then hesitated. The stuff he'd glanced at seemed legitimate, which meant there was a chance there was actually helpful information in this book or some of the others. Which meant...that he shouldn't just shelve the book again and move on.

Groaning, he thunked his head against the shelf.]

Right. Research.

[And here he was without any way to take notes.]

II. Moon Warp

[Andrew had stayed tucked safely under the Convoy's shield until shit stopped falling from the sky. When it was done, his curiosity beckoned him beyond the shield. The danger of being potentially crushed by falling rocks was over, and if there was a chance to maybe see whatever was left of those rocks--or just stretch his legs--well, he wasn't going to sit around doing nothing.

Doing nothing gave him too much time to think, and he didn't like being alone with himself lately, with no distractions. The canyon was cooler now, too, and he couldn't see a reason not to look around. Seriously; nothing looked too sketchy, he didn't see anything that made him think creatures were lurking.

So he picked his way around rocks and the kinds of hardy plants that survived in places like this, trying to find any interesting rocks, when a feeling started in his chest. It was the kind of sensation he wasn't able to put a label on at first, then a sort of itch, but not on his skin. It changed to a discomfort behind his rib cage and from there a warmth. The warmth grew, a flare of real heat.

Andrew stopped walking, pressing a hand against his chest with a grimace. He didn't know what was happening, or what this feeling was for, but he really didn't want to end up keeling over in this canyon. Just when he thought that maybe that was going to happen anyway, fuck what he did or didn't want, the heat and pressure dissipated--and a stream of fire shot out of his mouth.]

Fuck!

[He stumbled back with a yelp, landing on his ass. The impact didn't feel too great, but he hardly noticed, clapping a hand over his mouth and trying futilely to rein in his panic. His pulse had spiked and he felt a little dizzy, which seemed about right considering he'd just fucking breathed fire. He closed his eyes, tried to take a few deep breaths, then opened them again.]

This isn't-

[He'd moved his hand so he could talk, but more fire accompanied his words, and so his hand ended up over his mouth again. This was not the way he'd thought this day would go, even if it was night now. What was he supposed to do? He sure as fuck couldn't exist spitting out fire every time he tried to say something.]

III. Restoration Spring - (cw: scar description, and potential mentions of past wounds)

[The spring was gorgeous, and after so long of seeing dirt and sand and rocks, nothing was going to get between Andrew and that water. Not even that rustling he heard now and then. The water was clear and cool, and he crouched at the edge of the water to fill a bottle he had. Then, figuring he was alone anyway, he pulled his t-shirt off over his head to dunk it in the water.

Shirtless, the scar that ran the length of his back, left-middle, was visible. The skin was white and puckered, looking like someone might've tried to rip his spine out crooked. He forgot it was there most of the time, just like he tended to forget about the sigil that sat at the top of it, near his shoulder. It wasn't as clear as it could be, but it had the shape of maybe bat wings, and what seemed to be flames.

Wringing out his shirt a bit, he draped it over his head with a content sigh. Cool and damp was leaps and bounds better than hot. He knew he'd probably end up with a sunburn if he went around like this for too long, but he might've been a little sunburnt already, the tops of his arms pink. The water dripping on his arms from his shirt had him seriously debating the merits of taking off his shoes and wading into the spring. Between the general heat and the whole 'started breathing fire' thing that he'd been struggling through, he thought he deserved a chance to cool down.

He'd just made up his mind and shifted from crouching to sitting so he could start working his sneakers off when something rustled again, closer.]

...please don't be something that wants to eat me.

I

[undyingcrow]

Welcome to the hypocrisy of the Steel Wardens.

[So says the very disgruntled Akechi, leaning against a nearby bookshelf.

He may look a bit different than Andrew remembers him, as he's shifted from his chimera form into effectively an anthropomorphic mountain lion. His hair and manner of dress remains, but the cat-like snout, fur, ears, and whiskers when combined with the twin tails and pawed feet certainly highlight his continued lack of humanity.]

They say they defend "true" humans, while discarding their own humanity in their pursuit of "cleansing" this world. I'm not entirely sure how reliable these logs of theirs truly are.

Goro Akechi | Persona 5 Royal | Chimera/Nekomata

[undyingcrow]

Storm:

[With the arrival of the storm, Akechi does something rather rare. Instead of staying in his chimera form, he shifts. Light, tan fur replaces feathers. The broad muzzle of a mountain lion takes hold of his face, along with matching ears and whiskers. His thick, sharp talons recede, leaving the tips of his gloves with noticeable slits, and in place of his barbed and armored tail comes two cat-like tails.

Without horns, his helmet slides on with ease. The lack of wings feels off after so many months, but it's fine. He still yearns for shoes that can properly fit on digitigrade paws, but he's adjusted long enough as a chimera.

Drawing a breath, he mounts his motorcycle. Sparks form at his fingertips as he clutches the handlebars.]

It may be wise to work in groups. How adept is your vehicle in navigating treacherous terrain?

[They need to work smarter, not harder, especially where storms are concerned.]

Library Card:

[So many tomes of knowledge... Needless to say, Akechi was drawn to the library near instantaneously. However, for as enticing as the opportunity to absorb more knowledge is, the past few months have left him wary.

So, first order of business: Scout the area for threats or traps.

Second order of business: Assess whether or not they can take any books.

Third order of business: Read, take notes, and photograph the pages if need be. He has his smartphone. He has his laptop in his attache case. For ease of dexterity, he's shifted into his nekomata form, but he should be recognizable enough from his hair, his attire, and the way he carries himself.

In his prowling, he comes across the library desk and a blank library card. A quiet chuckle escapes him. It's almost nostalgic, reminding him of his gambit in Sae's Palace...]

A library does require us to have a library card, so perhaps...

[He fills it out, though a bit slowly; the drawback to the lack of talons here is that he'd grown used to them. Retractable claws are convenient, but less familiar after all this time.

His ears flick at the sound of nearby footsteps, and he turns to offer greetings.]

Would you care to test a hypothesis? I'm trying to gauge the workings of this library.

Seeking Wisdom (Transformation CW):

[Once he's satisfied his curiosity regarding the mechanics of the library, it's back to business. Akechi can be found perusing the various sections of the library, stopping occasionally to take pictures with his smartphone or transcribing notes on his laptop.

Sometimes, a familiar tome catches his eye, and he dashes over. Volumes of the Featherman manga... When he thinks no one is looking, he snatches them off the shelf and tucks them into his attache case.

Otherwise, he's fixated on the bigger picture, stacking piles of various books. History, hunting logs, mechanical manuscripts, and...

The log.

The log catches his eye, and he reads aloud:]

“Wardens of Nirvana argue over this, say we can’t risk the last stronghold. But we can’t wait to persuade them; the Convoy must still be finished and sent out. Only way to save ourselves is stop the Silver Tears rituals, and get the outlanders before the cult. The Moon is already hungry, and so are the pawns of the God, they are already reaching out across worlds. At least this will safeguard those who arrive. Give them some control over their changes. And draw them back to us.”

[He hisses, ears folding back and lips curling back to reveal very sharp, cat-like fangs. He throws the book down on a table, tails flicking in agitation.]

So the Tears brought us to fulfill their needs...

[He scoffs.]

Or is that merely an excuse? Who can we truly trust here?

[Can they trust anyone? Everyone has their objectives. Everyone has their "goals," none of which they agreed to...

In his anger, something snaps within him, and he bends over as a new pair of feathery wings burst from his back, crying out at the sudden pain.

It's nothing new. He's grown wings before. The difference is that unlike his chimera wings, these ones are white.]

Ancient Guardians:

[The desecration of the statues draws a growl from Akechi. He already loathed the Wardens, but to vandalize historical monuments in such a way...

Shifting back into chimera form, he has an idea. Carefully, he takes the pieces that broke off of one of the statues, trying to put them back in place...

Then breathes fire to heat the cracks in the stone until they meld back together.

Is it necessary? No, but it's an act of defiance toward a force he's come to loath. He may not value the Tears, either, but that's a matter for another time.

Once he's satisfied with his work, he decides to test the bowls. He won't offer blood. He's wary of the statues after speaking to Donatello...

But what would happen if he poured water inside? Just a little; he has to protect a precious resource...

But when he hears a whisper, his feathers fluff and his ears shoot up straight. He fumbles his water bottle, but thankfully doesn't drop it.]

...Fascinating.

Cooling Off:

[Water is a precious resource, but doubly so if you're covered in feathers and fur. Regardless of the form Akechi takes, the heat's been unbearable. So, naturally, when the chance arises, he cruises down to the spring to fill as many containers as his motorcycle can carry and to, perhaps, take a well-deserved bath in the process.

Seemingly alone, he even sheds his shirt and blazer, revealing the extensive feathery coating to his entire upper body and the scaly black skin from the elbows down. His sigil glows on his chest, and a nearby rustle has him suddenly scrambling for his clothes.

Snarling, he beats his wings to gain some distance from the cactaurs and impulsively sends out a Megidolaon to blow them back. What was a peaceful spring becomes a chaotic battleground as needles fire in retaliation.

Thankfully, the motorcycle is close by. It's also quite fast, but anyone nearby may be dismayed to find these pissed off cacti running amok.]

Wild Card:

[Feel free to hit me with other prompts, too! Can do prose or brackets.]

wisdom

[phantomshow]

[Sorry Akechi, Ren recognizes that manga from cleaning Futaba’s room, even from where he’s standing a few feet away, thumbing through the book that most recently caught his eye. But for your sake, he’ll pretend not to notice … for now.]

Hmm. “Pawns of the God” … meaning all of us?

[His expression twists into a scowl of disgust. He’s had more than enough of being a god’s pawn, thanks, and he knows Akechi has, too.

Ren doesn’t have a chance to offer his own commentary to what’s written in the log Akechi uncovered, interrupted by his sudden sprouting of wings. He gasps and drops his book, quickly closing the distance to be at Akechi’s side. How can he help?]

Leonardo | Undead (Ghost) | OTA

[faceguy]

Part 1
[[OOC: Leo will remember everything in this part.]]

A: Brace for a Storm

So the convoy wants them to catch some lightning, huh? Leo thinks that sounds kind of fun, actually. Dangerous, sure. But lots of fun things are dangerous!

Since it's dark out, he can keep the sun shield on his bike down, giving him full visibility to chase down some lightning strikes. Though it'd be useful for him to have a tougher vehicle around to bounce them to...

Driving up alongside another vehicle (or motorcycle), he whoops, pumping his fist in the air.

"Hey! Wanna team up!?"

B: Reading Rainbow

"A library. Woooow."

Leo has only ever been in one other library before, and so far both experiences seem similarly terrible. At least there's no demon bats dragging them away if they're loud here. Which means... he can do what Mikey once did.

So he gears up, cups his hands around his mouth, takes a deep breath, and cries, "ECHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

His voice certainly does bounce off the walls! A lot, actually... And what was that clattering sound? Oops.

He may have caused a small landslide somewhere.

C: Jupiter Jim Ahoy!

The library isn't all boring, though. Leo realizes this as he walks past a bookcase and zeroes in on the thinner bound books lining these particular shelves.

"Whoa, is that..."

He reaches out and pulls the book from the shelf, lighting up when he sees what it is.

"Yes, they have comics here!" His smile turns to a frown as he examines the title. "Never heard of this one, though... The Blades? Hmm..."

He holds on to it as he rustles through the shelves. "Wonder if there's any JJ in here..."

Part 2 (cw: violence)
[[OOC: After this, Leo will not remember.]]

Leo did his best to avoid the strange radio transmissions that plagued the convoy last month. Unfortunately, he is not so lucky this month. Not that he was expecting the strange wind howling through the rocks to be dangerous.

And at first he doesn't even notice anything out of the ordinary. Sometimes wind just sounds like that, right? A rumble. A roar. A whistle. A scream.

A voice-

You've... ruined... EVERYTHING!

And Leo feels... something... slip...

Blood in his mouth, from a split lip, maybe lost teeth. The thud and snap as an armored fist collides with his cheek, his whole brain rattling when his head connects with the rock wall behind him. Over and over and over and Leo thinks distantly that this is how a maraca might feel.

Then the fists rise, far above him, and come down with all the force of a sledgehammer against an anvil. Straight into his chest.

There's a thunderous crack, and Leo isn't sure if it came from his bones or his shell or the rock underneath him. Maybe all three; the pain is so intense it steals his breath as the ground gives way and sends him spinning out into low gravity.

The photo. He still has it, clutched in his hand.

As the Krang bears down on him, Leo curls in on himself. With the last of his strength, he draws his arms against his chest and holds the picture tight there. If he's going to save someone then let it be them. Let it be-

A: Waking Up

Tears are still streaming down his face when he comes to in a place he doesn't recognize.

It's not New York. But it's not the Prison Dimension, either - the rocks are too red, the gravity too strong. The vertigo of going from floating to standing leaves Leo dizzy, and he reaches out a hand to catch himself against a nearby rock face.

That's when he notices his fingers... or what's left of them. Bones, exposed and held together by thin threads of sinew. The skin near his wrists ripped and ragged, like he's been de-gloved.

Leo's breath catches and he looks down at the rest of his body.

It's covered by a cloak that he's never seen before. He makes quick work of jerking it up and over his head, exposing his shell. Or what's left of it.

He feels around the jagged edges of the hole over his heart, where the Krang pounded down as he sent Leo crashing through the rock. Trailing up, he gulps hard as he encounters the crevice in the top of his shell where it peeks over his shoulder.

Finally, tentatively, he wraps his arms around to his back, as far as he can reach. Though he doesn't have to strain that hard to find the edge.

Most of his back shell is just... gone.

Stunned, Leo returns his bony fingers to his front. Out of some sense of morbid curiosity, he reaches through the hole and gently pokes his own heart.

It isn't beating.

He gasps and falls to his knees, wrapping his arms over his head.

"No no no no no no-"

He knew he was going to die. He knew that.

He was just hoping for something a little kinder when he came through to the other side.

B: Moving On

So by now, someone has filled Leo in on the basics. Apparently he isn't actually dead (well, maybe), just turning into some kind of weird zombie monster. He's been here for months, over half a year in fact, but just doesn't remember. One of his brothers is here, and... potentially another? Another turtle, at the very least. And they have to get to some place called Nirvana.

Sure. Okay.

Leo sits in the dining car of the convoy, because apparently another fun thing about his current condition is that he can't be out in the sun. If any of this felt real yet, Leo would think it sounds like a pretty sad existence he's going to have to be living. He can't even sit in the sun and warm his face.

He has to stay in the dark, and the dark...

He can't keep thinking like this. He has to pull himself together. It's been months (even if it only feels like hours). That's plenty of time to get over it!

Yeah, just... give him a minute. Maybe if he puts his arms on the table and buries his face in them for a half hour, everything will stop spinning. Yeah. Great plan.

[[OOC: I'll match format if you prefer brackets! Wow this got long lol sorry.]]

2A

[purplexing]

This place just continues to taunt and torment them. Donnie keeps finding new reasons to hate it. He's also a bit mad at himself for trying so hard to seek out the source of the voice he knew couldn't be there. Had he wanted his dad that badly? ...stupid question.

Dad's not here, but he has a brother who is. He just has to find him. ...and where the Convoy's gone, but he suspects that shouldn't be too difficult. Surely he can't have flown off that far.

At the very least, the sun's well on its way to setting, making it so much easier to see. He really wishes he'd thought to get some sunglasses while he was raiding old stores back in the city! Hopefully this case of light sensitivity goes away. It's hard to tell what will stick and what won't. But at least for now, he doesn't have to worry about keeping to the shadows of the rock formations around him, but he still stays low as he flies, trying to retrace his route. He doesn't spy the Convoy, but he does eventually see a familiar shape of green.

"Leo!" Donnie calls happily as he swoops down, too relieved to see his brother to worry about why he's out here by himself.

Serph | Digital Devil Saga

[bufudine]

Singing rocks
In a section of wave-like formations within the canyons, the echo of a teenage girl's voice bounces off the walls of the rock.

"I'll find you..." over and over and over again.

Following the echo leads to a manticore the size of a horse -- six wings on his body and another pair folded over the end of his tail -- in a stand-off against a significantly larger dinosaur-like wyvern with tiger stripes: a tigrex.

It would be easy to mistake Serph for one of the wild husk monsters while he is in this feline shape. But there is a length of garishly orange fabric tied around his neck like a bandana and the orange tips of his six usual wings are more visible when he raises them, flared, as he responds to the roar of the tigrex with an uncharacteristic trumpeting bellow of his own.

"Come get me!"

The tigrex happily obliges, the huge wyvern dwarfing Serph as it leaps at him with powerful legs. As Serph nimbly jumps back, the more observant can notice the blood dripping from his mouth where extra rows of teeth have been violently growing out of his gums.

Help him?

Restoration spring
Like the dragon, the manticore requires additional hunting of monsters in addition to his demon's needs. As much he wants to stay amongst the books, he has to leave to search for monsters to hunt. And so, in that winged feline form flits towards the bottom of the Badlands, paws landing sure-footed upon rocks.

The glimmer of water in the basis draws Serph towards it; he has been coping with the arid weather well -- it's strange, he doesn't seem to be feeling the heat as intensely as the others -- but a supply of water would be deeply welcomed by all, he suspects. He fills a tank to bring back, intending to return with his vehicle to bring back more.

Would there be statues at the bottom of this one, too? He remembers quite vividly what happened last time he was near an oasis...

...

There's something about this water... does it have healing properties?

Extending a claw, Serph nicks the back of his paw with the point, blood welling up from the wound.


[ooc: I will match tag format! Feel free to have songs relevant to your character manifest in the Singing Rocks prompt! :3 ]

Singing Rocks

[electrifyking]

It might be just a little bit concerning, that Akihiko doesn't flinch from either of the monsters. He seems almost TOO calm about everything, and the changes sweeping over people. Though that doesn't change that he's fully ready to fling himself into the fight.

"Tagging in!" He shouts out as he blurs by. He's settled into a long familiar boxing stance, as he weaves between claws and wing swipes.

"You're bigger than some of the boxing opponents." He tells the dino-dragon, but still with a grin in place. "...Bigger than some Shadows, too. But I won't be losing."

His brain is already telling him that this is a regular thing. Nothing too scary. Nothing outside of his abilities...

...And he certainly knows how to use one of those abilities, as Akihiko steps forward and disappears in a flash, reappearing on the flank of the monster. He seems to have gotten a grasp on teleporting, finally.

Raphael | TMNT 2012

[saisdoesmatter]

01 - Books Galore

With the heat of the new area, the turtle's more than glad to get the hell out of it when the team finds what is determined to be buildings within the rocks, meshing well with the landscape while being that just right amount of regal to make it feel out of place. But the reprieve from the hot makes him breathe easier, enjoying the cool for a moment before starting with scouting the library. It's way bigger than expected, which makes him whistle, impressed with the discovery.

"Wow, I know like, three dudes who are going to lose their minds with glee when they get in here..." he says to anyone nearby who will listen.

Not that he won't check the tomes either - there's plenty of knowledge here, especially as it seems to document the various monsters types, as well as weaknesses and the like. He takes note of these, as it'll help against the critters that they'll face, but it seems like this place might be linked to the Wardens. That makes him scowl, especially since the last expedition nearly ended up with one of the turtle brothers ending up dead from a Warden trap.

He turns to look at the nearest Drifter, lowering the book to his right side, the open pages brushing against his leg. "Yo, I'd be careful with these - got Warden stink on them. Might be trap--"

As if on cue, the pages alight, singing his fingers and catching the skin of his right thigh, forcing him to holler and drop the damned thing as quick as he can. The fire doesn't seem to want to go out as he tries to smother it with his hands, but he drops with a scream of pain.

02 - Spring

*even with the threat of potential flooding after the storms, he's heading out to check out the canyon, because even if the food isn't the best for the Convoy - water is necessary for survival. The promise of potential CLEAN water? He's so going there to verify it*

*sure enough, there's water - LOTS of it - and while it's so tempting to just dive right into it, he forces himself to test the water with a tentative drink with a cupped hand. Definitely tastes like water. Really good water*

*and yes, he waits a few minutes before giving a thumbs up and a grin* Didn't turn into anything - must be good. I think I saw some makeshift tanks to fill too - I'll snag one so I can bring some back.

*he backtracks a bit to see if he can unearth one of the containers nearby, as he's not against being a pack mule for the team, before something shifts in his peripheral vision*

...did that cactus just move?

03 - Wildcard

[\8D/ Got an idea? Hit me up or send me a message to plot if you like.]

[OOC: I match tag format so feel free to tag with your preference ♥]

01

[purplexing]

Of course Donnie is excited that they've found what looks to be a bona fide library. Of course he'd gone and practically rubbed his face against a shelf of books in his utter glee (no one saw that). Of course he started poking through the old tomes for any sort of useful information there might be- and any information really would be useful for how much they've managed to glean for all their time here so far.

But now even the books seem ready to betray him!!

"Is nothing sacred?!"

Okay, maybe he has his priorities a liiiittle skewed given Raphael's leg's on fire, but Donnie's quick to reevaluate such things as he lands over beside him. For a moment he looks at a loss for how to help- conjuring up a fire extinguisher wouldn't work quite the right way without the suppressant. Oooh wait wait wait-

"Got it!"

Maybe with a fire going on, more light is the last thing Raph might be looking forward to, but purple lines of neon light trace out what appears to be, of all things, some kind of subwoofer? It all happens in a second, emitting low frequency tones in the next.

He'd read about it once, how a couple of university students experimented with sound to disrupt the combustion process, and thankfully this fire's not huge. Donnie figures he can supply as much power as needed to try and cut off the fire's oxygen access long enough for it to be snuffed.

Maggie Rhee | The Walking Dead: Dead City

[cantgetoverit]

1. Arid Heat

[The dry heat is a far different experience than the humidity Maggie is used to at home. It's uncomfortable, but not nearly as uncomfortable as she would have expected, and not nearly as bad as some of the other Drifters seem to find it.

When the Convoy begins to stop during the hottest part of the day, she keeps herself busy checking her water supply - which she will share with anyone in need. She can also be found sheltering under an outcropping of rock in the canyon, or if it's before the heat has reached its peak for the day, perhaps she is just sitting on the tailgate of the truck, enjoying the sun as though none of this should be particularly unusual.]

2. Library - Reading

[It's easy to get sucked into the wealth of knowledge the library offers, and she finds herself whiling away a few hours pouring over the hunting logs left behind by the Wardens. The content is clearly biased, especially with the post-script that follows each entry, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's not without value.

As far as she can tell, they at least seem accurate.

She's too focused on the passage she's reading to notice the change that starts to overtake her; the way the smell of the dust and books begin to become stronger. Nor does she notice the faint smell of burning paper as the book begins to heat up; her resistance to fire protecting her from being burned for the moment.

Unless interrupted, it escalates quickly - she moves to turn a page and as soon as her fingers touch the edge, she recoils as she is burned. Hands rapidly turn to paws as black fur sprouts forth and before Maggie has time to really process what's happening instead of a woman sitting in her chair, there is a large black dog, its head a skull, frozen in surprise as it stares down at the book on the table.]

Arid Heat

[swingandwhistle]

[ Leopards were known to be able to handle humid heats. After all, they were known to live in different areas of the world. Some of those areas being dry heat too. This heat, however, felt a bit much even for Negan. Though due to the inner cat he didn't feel the need for water. Something probably due to the fact that leopards could go ten days without and got their nutrients from prey.

None of that is what Negan is even thinking about. He does, however, take note of Maggie and where she's sitting. Where she's enjoying the sun. Much like a cat bathing in the light. ]

You almost look at peace.

Jack Russell | Werewolf By Night | Yokai

[wereperrito]

I. Lightning Rods

Jack wishes he could use his van for the lightning rods, but as soon as the storm rolls over he's stuck again in the fox form and he's completely unable to drive it.

Instead, he grabs one of the smaller lightning rods in his teeth and sets about scampering along ahead of someone else's car with it. He has lightning powers, it's totally fine. He's fine! Even if he does wind up with his fur basically standing on end and electricity crackling along his six tails, rather than his false fire, halfway through the night.


II. Moon Warp

At this point Jack is not that surprised when the moon starts pulling shards together and the wolf in him starts to resonate with it. Let's do this every month now, sure, whatever. If only it was goddamn predictable so he could take precautions, but no, tonight he's stuck in a canyon with almost nowhere to go.

He has a little more warning than last month, so he resolutely starts away from the convoy before it starts, shouldering some chains in the hopes that they'll hold him, or the rest of his weird little pack keep him away from the others.

When the warp actually hits, he's back to his two-legged werewolf form, and unless Serph, John, SecUnit, Heat, and/or Faith keep him contained, he might be a problem for anyone who wanders too far from the convoy.


III. Reset

Well, at least that's over. And there's no storm overhead, so he has hands again. And the singing rocks are kind of pretty.

Though when they stop one evening, and he climbs out of his van, looking up and around while the wind sings through the spires around them, he looks-- different. Not in his shape or in his self, but... he looks uncertain. He smiles at people, but it's not the usual warm smile, it's a slightly nervous smile.

Jack has absolutely no idea how he got here or why he's suddenly got tails and fox ears but he's trying very hard not to make a big deal out of it. No one else seems surprised to see him. He doesn't know any of their names or their scents or their faces, but they know his, so he's just. Not going to make a big deal out of it. He'll figure it out eventually.

Or maybe you can explain it to him?


IV. Library Time - Pre- or Post-Reset available

Whether or not Jack has his memories of the past nine months of living with the convoy, he understands the importance of information. Even if he, himself, is not always great at reading them for very long, someone else will be. And these structures scattered around the desert are full of books.

The heat doesn't bother him, he just leaves behind his suit jacket and tie, and lays a light, white cloth over his head to keep the sun off, and treks out into the shelves. Maybe he finds a fairy tale in Spanish from his childhood, maybe he finds a book about the repair and maintenance of his van or Heat's RV, maybe he just winds up skimming a book that looks like it might be interesting to someone else.

It all seems to be going fine until he tries to take the book back to his van, at which point it drops like a stone out of his grasp and he finds he can't pick it up again, too heavy to lift-- or it bursts into a flurry of pages like a bird's feathers and takes flight. "No, come on," he complains at it.

III. Reset

[bufudine]

When the Convoy has been on the move, Serph has as usual been away to scout the new area and retrieve what could be useful for the other Drifters. With the library and yet another transformation that is equally demanding on the need to hunt, Serph has spent many long hours poring over texts and hunting the monsters that dwell in both canyon and building.

He always returns to their mobile 'base'; the warm feeling of being closely nestled amongst comrades when resting is a luxury he hasn't yet gotten tired of. Spotting Jack, Serph approaches him out of habit. But as he draws near and observes the expression on Jack's face and body language...

There's something wrong, something strange, and Serph can't quite place what, exactly. Revan has been known to affect the mind, so there's a twinge of concern that he doesn't let leak into his outward demeanour.

"Jack," he calls for his comrade's attention. "Are you alright?"

Paladin Danse | Fallout 4 | Werewolf

[androidvictoriam]

I. Storm Rider | A Streak of Light, or Maybe a Vehicle

[ The part of Danse that reflexively yells at people not to take unnecessary risks is at war right now with the part of him that secretly loves some awesome daredevil shit. When he can justify it by telling himself the convoy needs the power, the daredevil part wins out for once. ]

Don't worry, I've got this! I'm right behind you!

[ Hair standing wildly on end as he leans out the window of his tough orange truck, he has never looked more stereotypically werewolfy than he does right now--though the punctuating thunderclap and streak of lightning behind him reads a bit more Frankenstein. ]

II. Library | Scribes Would Have a Field Day In Here

[ Danse has almost never in his life had to read an actual physical book that hasn't been digitized, and given how susceptible to environmental damage and nuclear hellfire they tend to be, he usually considers this a distinctly inferior format. But the benefit of books like these is that access to them can't be revoked once you lose your security clearance, so he'll take them without complaint now. ]

Maybe I should have paid more attention when that Miss Nanny bot tried to explain the Dewey Decimal System.

[ In spite of this wry claim to ignorance, he's gathered an armful of books big enough that even he's struggling a little, both local and Earth-native. (Biographies of prominent military figures are slightly overrepresented, and there would have been a complete works of Shakespeare in there if it hadn't made the pile too unwieldy. He's settled for a few individual paperbacks.) But surely all he needs to do is get them safely out the door and to his truck parked outside, right?

...right? ]

III. Restoration Spring | Aim For the Stinger

[ Danse has made his way down to the oasis to try and collect some water, remembering how a similar one had healed his broken wrist before and reasoning that the healing properties ought to persist through bottling. Whether he's correct about this is yet to be determined, so one hopes that it doesn't get tested for the first time in a life-and-death situation. Still, it's the thought that counts. Probably.

It's too quiet, of course. The rustling is fully expected, and his gun drawn at the first hint of it, and when he actually lays eyes on a cactuar, he's relieved it's not something actually threatening. Just some goofy-looking plant creature, of all things.

Sixty seconds later, he's frantically locking the doors of his truck, bleeding from five different puncture wounds and a slash on his already-scarred cheek, letting the hardy exterior of the vehicle weather the barrage of thorns. But his stomach sinks when he sees another hapless drifter out there, and he rolls down the window only just enough to shout as he begins to drive in their direction. ]

Get in! Now!

IV. Ancient Guardians | The Lion Was Such a Noble and Majestic Creature

[ The offering bowls are exactly the sort of thing Danse would have derided back home as "absurd superstition" at best, and "godless heathen nonsense" at worst. Even here, the last time he saw anything like this was at the top of a skyscraper made out of flesh, and he was warning people urgently away from it.

But something about these feels different somehow, as if they speak of a more hallowed ancient tradition, something he should honor rather than sneer at. He tilts his head contemplatively at one. ]

What do you think they want? What's meant to go in them?

V. Bonus | Got Cooked By Those Flames

[ If ever the convoy travels somewhere snowy, Danse will be in his element. He's spent months with a recon squad hacking it out in the wilderness of what used to be New England, he's great with a bonfire and a lumberjack axe, and his normal body hair has developed since he's been here into a lustrous black insulating pelt.

He is not built for the desert. He has no idea what to do with himself in these conditions. He has been a wilting puddle of sweaty shirtless despair ever since the temperature started to rise, and the air-warping heat now radiating from the sunny stretch of rock between himself and his truck makes him lightheaded enough to stumble. He catches himself on both hands, and regrets this decision with immediate and echoingly loud profanity.

A little help? ]

VI. Wildcard

[ Hit me up at layonmacduff or annalizabeth on Discord if you have any other ideas, or just go for it here! I had a lot of library shenanigans I wanted to mess with for this event and couldn't fit them all in, so all the other aspects of that are especially welcome. Happy to match style and switch to prose if you like. ]

Library

[facethefacts]

[Deacon has found a spinning chair behind what must have been the central desk of the library at some point, but half of it seems to be a boulder. There's a terminal screen protruding from the rock that still seems to work as he taps the keyboard, his leg pushing him back and forth to sway loosely in his seat while he tinkers with it and tries to bypass the password.

He's distracted momentarily by the sight of Danse carrying an absurd amount of books toward the exit, snickering at the mild quip the other man makes on his way, but then whistles after him before he's out of sight. ]

Hey! Just so you know... I watched a guy go through that door earlier and everything he was carrying went up in flames. You've got too much hair on you to not be flammable... HAH! [ Deacon jolts with a loud laugh as he successfully logs into the system, getting sidetracked by new information at his fingertips. ]

There's gotta be something in here about security protocols.

Vincent Valentine | Final Fantasy VII OG

[coffinturk]

[ cw: blood drinking, corpses, flesh tearing, body horror (uncanny valley)]
[ Story Log Refs here ]

I. The Price of Knowledge (Manticore)

There was a great deal of knowledge that was too priceless to pass by. But whatever else might prevent their removal from the confines of the library itself, the books themselves subjected the reader to painful transformations. So it made sense to copy what was most vital.

Whether by coordinated effort or self-imposed priority, Vincent will be among those who subject themselves to the effects so the information can be more or less safely brought back to the Convoy. He's most likely to be found concentrating his efforts on the Convoy's mechanics and maintenance, followed by hints of lore and history and myths in this world.

At least the meals come to him.

a.
In the maze of stacks, Vincent's gun might be heard cracking off to send an ambushing Suckler to their grave; particularly those who seek to sacrifice themselves explosively for the sake of the rest. The corpses can be found torn into; drained of blood or missing chunks as the instincts of a vampire and manticore war over which nourishment the former Turk wants or needs or craves.

b.
The pain of all that forces itself to grow is suffered. And sometimes the sound of fighting or quiet flip of a page is set aside to withdraw into nearby shadows and tremble with his back against the wall and his eyes fixed in a near-maddened alertness to his surroundings for signs of enemies while his form shudders in near unbearable pain.

Vincent knows this, suffered it in half remembered, often vivid streaks of nightmare about what his body went through after Hojo's failed experiments, before....

Sometimes, there is the sound of wordless roaring, of pain.

c.
Yet the more peaceful moments of Vincent's time as a scribe for the sake of his fellow Drifters is not without danger and risk in approaching. Come too close with a lamp or bright light and a tail lashes in visible, quick and angered reaction to the sudden assault to the man's senses. A light fwip of needles unleashed- though the instinct is to send one to crack the offensive source and can be surprisingly accurate for the unwary- the new appendage often triggers two or three. Fortunately, the poison won't be too severe.

Vincent might even be sorry once he recovers and realizes what happened.



II. Memories Better Forgotten or Remembered

Vincent had been outside the safety of the Convoy when the Moon Warp began.

The time in the library had left him heavily changed but largely humanoid; at least to the point he was still maintaining himself on two limbs instead of four. But the Song had caught his attention and his usually sharp and clever caution over illusions and temptations at least partially subsumed by the rising instincts of a manticore.

"Lucrecia!"

He heard a woman's voice in the songs of the canyon and with a sudden, grief stricken word that was more monstrous roar (had that even been a name at all?) had risen and launched himself from whatever perch he'd found and simply disappeared into the canyon's depths. It was time, after all, when new Drifters tended to appear. Vincent could have tried to tell himself that it was unlikely, even impossible despite the chance she would appear.

But you know, he would be sorely lying if in that moment he had a thought in his silly head other than go find her.

a.
Those who went to hunt in the canyons, whether drawn by the Song or searching for people that were lost, might come across scattered articles of clothing and equipment. The former Turk's gear is... definitely a style. Anyone who's seen him is going to recognized who it belongs to. Very little looks torn or frayed; as if some last moment's sense from the man had given him reason to discard it so it could be retrieved later.

Well, his cloak has some fraying at the edges. But it always looks a bit tattered.

Signs of his hunting for meals can also be discovered. Half eaten corpses, little blood. But as it turns out, there's another danger in wandering the canyons near the place Vincent stakes out as his territory. He's not feral. There are still pieces of himself and his identity, but it has been as warped as his body now is; a caricature of a man's face surrounded by a leonine mane of dark fur. The raven hue changes to charcoal as the mane blends into the shorter fur of the big cat body; lean and rangy and not something not-quite-right. But then few chimerical bodies would probably look normal to the senses.

"There you are." Roughly the sound of Vincent's tones, but with a hint of pleasure and enthusiasm not commonly expressed. That too is probably downright eerie to anyone who spent five minutes in the dour gunman's company. He is happy right now as he paces out of the shadows or leaps down from a cliff's ledge with a heavy thump and almost casual pace forward. He'd long since given up walking on two legs. Had he ever?

"I need you to come with me. For your safety. I can't lose you."

....Don't worry. He doesn't think you're the woman he ran off screaming the name of earlier. Probably. But what Vincent does recognize is a familiar figure. And a person whom he must protect. So they're coming with him.

Surely.

b.

....Woe to someone he doesn't recognize and gets too close to where he plans to protect his people though; for they may find themselves being stalked from the shadows; Vincent's wary and predatory gaze speculative. Those he's had almost no contact with or very limited or wouldn't recognize at all. There's already been signs of things that were unfortunate enough to challenge him by crossing a certain divide and lose.

So there might be some reasoning with whatever is in the shadows, so long as that same invisible border is not crossed. Good luck.

2a

[purplexing]

Thankfully by now whatever effects from reading in the library have faded, allowing Donnie to once again be out and about without risk of being blinded by the brightness of daylight. Which means he's free to fly, up and up, as high as he pleases.

The teen particularly likes to fly as high as he dares and then drop into a dive before eventually pulling up. He likes flying at breakneck speeds, and the canyons provide some fun twists and turns. And while he's not particularly out with the idea of going to hunt, the scent of fresh blood catches his attention.

He lands near one of the bodies, whatever's left, his tail swishing slowly behind him as he approaches it cautiously. Whoa, what had done that? And then he hears something, wings fluffing up as he jumps, on all fours as he turns to face the possible threat.

It doesn't immediately register, the face, definitely not the form, but the voice, that serves as the key that unlocks and matches other things, that finally get the harpy-turtle to relax a bit.

"I was perfectly fine," he says, pouting abruptly.