shardmods: (Default)
shardmods ([personal profile] shardmods) wrote in [community profile] shardbond2025-02-02 11:59 am

WEEK 4






You were successful in repelling the robots attacking the city, but you've been left with far too many questions. For once, Tails doesn't have any answers for you, and a gloomy uncertainty has fallen over your three allies. It probably doesn't help that everyone had a rough time of it last week. A win is a win, but it doesn't really feel like a win when you're not even sure who this unknown threat is...

Regardless, life goes on. Things are a bit different this week in Chicago, however.


THE CITY


You'll need to be careful now more than ever when heading out into the city. Though Eggman's usual robots are still present, their numbers have been cut drastically. Far fewer drones patrol the streets, with only the occasional tank or B33 to be seen. You can still find and fight them, and they will still call for backup, but it seems like you all really have destroyed a lot of them.

But there are the new additions to Eggman's forces. Unlike the white chrome versions, these are here to cause problems. You can find them patrolling sometimes... but usually you'll find them in the city proper, destroying whatever they can. Whenever they catch sight of you, they will stop at nothing to try to pursue you and destroy you.

The city itself is still undergoing changes, with more of that white chrome spreading throughout, as if infecting the structures themselves. The Badniks will still destroy even that, though; it's more like they're mindless machines than carrying out any precise orders.

But in a stroke of good luck, occasionally you'll find that some of the humans recognize the danger they're in. It's only when confronted with a robot - but you might hear a scream, or see them try to run away, and if you save them, you may even be able to get a few words in before they simply return to their monotonous lives. You won't be able to get any truly valuable information from them, but they will thank you repeatedly for helping. They don't seem to realize that they're being controlled by someone else, even if you ask them about it.

VISIONS


If you thought last week was a lot, get ready for the madness of week 4!

You may still have nightmares. You may still be pulled into each others' nightmares (same as last week, if you'd like to play out more of these). Or maybe you'll finally be able to catch a break and get some z's, but even if you are lucky enough for that, you'll still be dealing with everything else.

You may find yourself randomly teleported into the city. This happens at random, and can happen to multiple people at the same time. One minute you may be waking up, the next you'll find yourself surrounded by robots ready to kill you. And yeah, the robots are a feature, not a bug. No matter how it happens, you will always be facing down robots whenever you're brought into the city. Enjoy!

But maybe your luck holds out and you're unaffected by that. Well, there's still the visions to deal with!

There are two different kinds of visions that may happen.

The first are the more minor ones - where you may see the people closest to you (positive or negative). They will appear for others as well, and they will gladly speak with you - though they aren't exactly behaving in the way they should. They will torment you, reminding you of past failures and imperfections, and speaking as though everything is your fault. They will follow you wherever you go, and will only fade when someone else has helped you come to terms with the horrid things they're saying. These visions are a manifestation of a character's psyche and thus are based on their own perceptions of their friends/enemies and their own faults. They're incapable of interacting with the world or the characters, but they sure can insult you!

The second are much larger in scope. No matter where you were, you may find yourself pulled into friend's memory. These memories are one-for-one versions of what exactly happened, though now you're here! Are you playing the role of someone else, or are you just a bystander in all that's happening?

The character having the vision may or may not be aware of you initially, but once they're made aware of your presence, the vision will still play out as the memory would. The only way to stop it - aside from simply letting it play out in its entirety - is to drastically alter the memory in such a way that it cannot get itself back on track. Considering the trauma some of the people in this game have, it might be a good idea to help break them free of it.

Regardless of which happens to you (the nightmares, the teleportation, or the visions), your vision will turn bright red for a moment afterwards - it vanishes quickly enough, but it leaves you with the eerie feeling that you're being watched.

SHARDS


Your powers are growing, and you'll find you're able to defend yourself with your power in some way, even if yours is a power made for support. All characters are now able to fire off a blast of energy in their shard color to defend themselves - this attack will grow stronger in time, but at least everyone should be able to defend themselves (somewhat) now?

As you fight with your allies - particularly those you have a close bond with, positive or negative - you may feel the tug of something in the back of your head; it tells you that you can do more. Together, you can become more powerful. You can use your shards together. Doing so will grant you a new power, or strengthen the one you already have. The more you trust one another, the easier this power will be to use.

It might be good to experiment with these new powers; after all, you never know when you may need them.

TAILS' TASKS


Like last week, Sonic Team is still in need of rings. Rings are still annoying to get. You'll probably need help to get them, but they're worth collecting. So make sure to grab some for Tails!

You may also be tasked with tracking Chaos Energy. Like with tracking rings, Tails will give you a device that can pick up on the signature. You should be careful in approaching, especially if the signature is a large one, considering the three enemies you faced last weekend. Still, Chaos Energy may lead you to more of Eggman's fake Chaos Emeralds, which could prove useful...

Tracking the source down will lead you to one of the weekly enemies with a shard somewhere on its body. It will be much harder to kill than the regular versions of that enemy, and capable of some kind of special power (players' choice). Crushing the shard will weaken the enemy and bring it back down to its normal power level, making it fairly easy to defeat, but if you manage to defeat it without breaking the shard, you can bring it back to Tails for examination.


ENEMIES


Though you can still find the enemies from previous weeks in Chicago throughout the city, their numbers have thinned. Mostly, you'll be running into new faces - robots that don't look anything like Eggman's usuals. They are very rarely actually patrolling or idling, instead focused on destroying parts of the city or attacking any people unfortunate enough to get in their way.

Moto Bugs are... rather cute. They roll around on their singular wheel and can slash with their front claws, though primarily they deal damage by ramming into things at fairly high speeds. They're fairly weak, all things considered, especially by now. They're completely powerless when knocked over or onto their backs. Though one Moto Bug is weak, you will never find them alone - instead, you'll usually find at least 3-5 of them in a group.

Crabmeats are robotic crabs. Where does the meat come in? Unclear. Regardless, they're stronger than Moto Bugs and are capable of both bashing with their massive claws and snipping, and either way they are capable of a good deal of damage if you get hit. They're slower though, which means getting out of the way shouldn't be too hard. Like Moto Bugs, these usually are never alone, often working in pairs.

Buzzers are bees. Did you think we were done with bees? We are absolutely not done with bees. These bees function almost identically to the B33 models in that they're capable of firing lasers from their stingers, divebombing to try to sting, and generally be(e)ing a nuisance. Unlike the B33 models, they do not have a glaringly obvious weak point and are a bit harder to hit and destroy as a result. Though you may rarely encounter only one of these bees out in the wild, usually you'll run into groups of them and they will not be(e) happy to see you.



divinevoid: (🟨 SHOW-OFF)

city;

[personal profile] divinevoid 2025-02-03 08:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Maybe this isn't the helper she would like, but they are here. ]

A pity that they just all chose the wrong time to come out of their shells, no?

[ Is this really the time for this...? Definitely not!

But, they're not going to just stand around. If anything, Void Archives decides to give these bastards a run for their money. Especially since one of them hit the blond almost immediately (8) ]


Please do close your eyes for a moment, hm? I'm about to make this situation far easier to deal with some unfortunate crabby opponents.

[ That's a hint towards what they're about to do - Dorothy is free to to do as she wishes, but they persist nonetheless, the blond causing a bright flare which is even stronger now thanks to powers, and it will be enough to disrupt optics. ]
ungratefuloz: (🌸 my soul shall rise)

[personal profile] ungratefuloz 2025-02-03 09:37 pm (UTC)(link)
...A pun, are you serious right now--

[Boy (gender neutral), you are going to be the death of her--

At any rate, though, Dorothy nods her head and closes her eyes--thankfully those Crabmeat move incredibly slow and are a little dazed at the moment, which allows Dorothy to send a volley of water bullets at them to start. She's getting better with the multitasking, at least!!]


Am I safe to open them up?
divinevoid: (🟨 REACH)

[personal profile] divinevoid 2025-02-03 10:55 pm (UTC)(link)
[ When Dorothy says that, they flash her something like an amused grin as if to say 'yes, I am', because this is how we are today. Please, do appreciate their puns (no) ]

You are safe to reopen them.

...That being said, I do wonder if we should make a competition out of this. Which one of us can defeat these two far more quickly, to clarify. And ultimately, if you can envision yourself participating in such a challenge~

[ Void Archives' playful tone is evident in their voice as they decide to shoot an energy beam of light at one of the still-stunned enemies (they will be dazed for one more round, but after that, will begin moving again...)

They're a lot tougher than the regular versions, so this will definitely take some heavy-lifting. ]
ungratefuloz: (🌸 to keep humanity's hope alive)

[personal profile] ungratefuloz 2025-02-04 03:09 am (UTC)(link)
[Hmph.]

...I dislike the idea of competing in such matters, but I suppose I do not mind it in this circumstance, if it will spur you to try.

Simply be careful; we need to extract one of those crystals to bring back to Tails. It's the entire reason I came out here for this.

[But alright! Dorothy will gladly rush into the fray and begin firing off another volley of those watery bullets at the other of the still stunned enemies; may as well get our chip damage in while we can, because they are gonna be mad when they finally come to. They both attempt to leap at each of them, going on the offensive!

...

Granted, the crabs are coming at us with a 1 and a 2, and Dorothy's hitting one with a very strong shot of water (17), but hey, the light trick worked? Clearly???]
divinevoid: (🟨 PERKY)

[personal profile] divinevoid 2025-02-04 05:22 am (UTC)(link)
[ Fufu. ]

Hahaha...I am so grateful that you have chosen to rise to the challenge [ and enable them ] as I am certain it shall be indeed be quite a fun time. You will not regret your decision, Dorothy.

Whatever the case, your words of caution will be heeded. Being precise to keep these crystals intact is going to be a simple matter.

[ Which means that using a gun's energy blasts may, in fact, damage the integrity of the crystals themselves, so they put it away. This isn't a risk that the blond's willing to take, and they do want to be helpful here.

While the crabs are indeed clearly still shaking off that daze (those low rolls, man), and one is being blasted by a powerful water move, Void Archives turns their attention on the other one. They shoot a concentrated laser beam of light, hitting it pretty hard (18) ]


Oh! I believe mine is already faltering. Perhaps I shall claim the win after all?

[ They aren't entirely serious. It's not going to be over that soon, but all in good fun? ]
ungratefuloz: (🌸 my soul shall rise)

[personal profile] ungratefuloz 2025-02-09 06:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Not if I have anything to say about it--

[Unfortunately for Dorothy, her problem child manages to dodge her attack easily. (8) And boy does it frustrate her! Maybe it's just because of fighting in her new outfit and not wanting to ruin it, but get back here, you--

Thankfully, the Robot Crabs aren't doing too better in the attacking department, Dorothy's own missing (8), and Void Archives' missing if only barely (10); it definitely seems like this'll be their win, if Avrae stays cooperative. But those Crabs are still raring to go, and they aren't gonna back down.]


Come on, Dorothy, focus...
divinevoid: (🟨 SHOW-OFF)

[personal profile] divinevoid 2025-02-09 07:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Hmm...is that so?

It doesn't seem like you're doing much to show otherwise. In fact, let me show you...

[ Oh, and Void Archives shows her alright. How wide their next attack goes because maybe they're all too giddy about apparently doing so well so far (3), or the enemy, quite frankly? Just gets plain lucky.

The blond gives a little but thoughtful sound of consideration, that is probably covering for some semblance of disappointment, because really. That was kind of unfortunate. ]


...admittedly, that could have gone better, but even I would be foolish to proclaim I am a scion of perfection. Though, I see no reason to start so much as feel a sliver of concern. Our enemies aren't doing so great, correct~?
ungratefuloz: (🌸 against despair to thrive)

[personal profile] ungratefuloz 2025-02-10 05:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, you certainly showed me, alright.

[...Okay, Dorothy can't resist a little bit of smugness as a treat, even if she ends up missing her shot entirely (9); the crab she's fighting manages to catch her pretty hard on the arm (15), meanwhile the less we say about Void Archives' crab the better. (1???)]

Perhaps we ought to focus, at the rate we're going. But I think it does say something about us, that we're managing to confound these enemies so!
divinevoid: (🟨 SELF-SATISFACTION)

[personal profile] divinevoid 2025-02-10 08:04 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Dorothy is absolutely allowed her allotment of smugness. Especially since that was one hell of a wide miss... ]

...Hmph. There's always next time.

[ Then, they are witness to her shot also missing the crab entirely. Closes my eyes because Void Archives follows up that effort with about the same level of completely whiffing (9); perhaps they should be considered lucky they didn't get hit once again. Though, it seems Dorothy wasn't as fortunate. ]

Whatever the case, I am liable to agree. And, it isn't as if they're anywhere near close to defeating us. It should be a simple matter to dispose of them sooner than later.

[ JUST NOT ACKNOWLEDGING HOW BADLY THEY'RE DOING, IT'S FINE... ]
ungratefuloz: (🌸 to keep humanity's hope alive)

[personal profile] ungratefuloz 2025-02-10 08:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[avrae fuckin' hates us today for real,,,

But Dorothy seems to smile just a touch at that; they are right, after all.]


Just a little bit more should do the trick, I think--let us focus on the battle, and we can see who gets the last laugh at the end.

[For the sake of our sanity and because Avrae is a bitch ass motherfucker, Dorothy's 20 is...unfortunately overkill! Especially with that 1 from the crab, yikes. Dorothy almost seems disappointed, but she sees the remaining crab go for a hit on Void...

And she'll actually go in and take it herself. (12) It's thankfully a rather light hit, all considered, but--]


Void, finish it!

[ROLL WITH ADVANTAGE. Or at least until you hit 11+--]
divinevoid: (🟨 REACH)

[personal profile] divinevoid 2025-02-10 08:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[ smh @ Avrae.

But, they certainly caught that smile!! Is that tacit agreement they hear? Yet, Dorothy's got a point herself - none of them should be certain of just about anything until the last blow has been made.

Then, she practically obliterates that crab into nonexistence - though, the blond isn't exactly anticipating her to take the next hit for him herself. The action startles them, but it's a light hit this time, compared to the other, and it isn't like she got shot through or anything like that. They just...recall last time how things went when someone took a hit for them, is all. ]


...Naturally.

[ The recovery is quick, and maybe the recall is what is enough to get them really into gear - Void Archives smashes the crab into pieces (20), and feels something like satisfaction. They also begin to root for the shard from his crab after a pause due to a brief check on her. ]

Well, there's no sense in denying that you defeated yours a bit swifter than mine. Congratulations...how fortunate that neither of us sustained far too heavy wounds, hmm~?
ungratefuloz: (🌸 fear rises as a guide)

[personal profile] ungratefuloz 2025-02-16 10:04 pm (UTC)(link)
[Dorothy watches them smash that crab, and for a brief moment, she's almost worried that she's gonna have a headache and have to go find another set of these awful things to deal with--but thankfully, Void seems to have a discretion that Dorothy does not, and they'll find the shard nice and easily!]

Swifter, yes, but you managed the finesse of not breaking that shard; considering the entire point of seeking these creatures out, I wager the win would be in your hands instead.

[Dorothy will look herself over, though, smiling just a bit.]

All clear here, however. My injuries are minimal. What of yourself?
divinevoid: (🟨 BRAG)

[personal profile] divinevoid 2025-02-17 12:43 am (UTC)(link)
[ Truly, it must have appeared quite inelegant, though the blond indeed had confidence that if they were careful enough it would not ruin the mission. Perhaps it would have been kind of risky on some level - and only a high level of precision and that confidence in themselves could elevate them so.

They're not exactly anticipating for Dorothy to say what she says, however. They can't help but let out a chuckle at this. ]


If you are going to say that, Miss Dorothy, I will selfishly claim my rightful victory. I'm sure you will understand~

[ They grin sharply, though it sobers a little at the question. ]

...I have no injuries. That is...in truth, thanks to you, even if unexpected. By that I mean I am no blind to your battle capabilities - but, your reliability seems to also extend towards providing a level of support, no matter who is fighting with you.