MegaTRON like Electron (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
megaton) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
re_alignment_ooc2013-11-26 03:37 pm
megaton) wrote in re_alignment_ooc2013-11-26 03:37 pm
Journey to the Center of the Cybertron
This will be a mini-fate event, brought to you by Chibi and Saeru!
~~~
The Problem
The Pillar has been standing for several weeks now. Although the initial, reality-warping affects of its landing have worn off those who were influenced by them, other individuals may have noticed that it is far from done impacting the Haven as a whole.
If approached, it calls. If attacked, it retaliates. If touched, it changes whatever Refugee is unlucky enough to come in contact with it.
In short, it is dangerous.
However insidious its defenses are, however, even more insidious is what it seems to be doing. Those who have ventured close have realized that the Pillar comes from the Lambda and goes down, down, down...deep into what may be the Core of Cybertron. It may be drawing light, or altering the balance of the new world, or inserting something dark and wicked. It could be doing anything...but it is clear that if it succeeds, the Firstforged will remain gone and Unicron will triumph. Chaos will reign.
The only question now is...what will you do about it?
~~~~~
The Proposal
Jetfire has put forth the following proposal: To venture to the depths of Cybertron and find how far the Pillar goes. Once there, observations will be made and, if it is deemed feasible, the Pillar will be dealt with. It is clear this trip will not be an easy one, and without the Firstforged present it is not certain how 'permanent' death has become.
However, there is a way down: An elevator in Prima's temple that Hot Rod might know how to use.
Anyone is welcome to come.
What is learned down there may prove very valuable to character's futures in R/A.
~~~~~
How do I sign up?
Simply comment to this post with which character is coming, what they are bringing, and answers to the following questions:
The Deadline for sign-ups is end-of-day November 29th.
~~~
What happens after sign-ups?
The trip down into the Core and back will be assumed to take three days. In-game, this means your character will be unreachable from December 2nd through December 4th (which should allow us time to write-up mini-fates for all parties.) Before you have received your fate you are welcome to play out the descent, and once you have received your fate you are free to play out the aftermath! Since characters can return up the elevator at just about any point, this allows for an extra bit of fun.
A post giving the details of the Core and a rough over-view of the plot will be going up on December 2nd.
Unless otherwise noted in your mini-fate, all characters will be assumed to be back on the surface by December 5th.
~~~
The Problem
The Pillar has been standing for several weeks now. Although the initial, reality-warping affects of its landing have worn off those who were influenced by them, other individuals may have noticed that it is far from done impacting the Haven as a whole.
If approached, it calls. If attacked, it retaliates. If touched, it changes whatever Refugee is unlucky enough to come in contact with it.
In short, it is dangerous.
However insidious its defenses are, however, even more insidious is what it seems to be doing. Those who have ventured close have realized that the Pillar comes from the Lambda and goes down, down, down...deep into what may be the Core of Cybertron. It may be drawing light, or altering the balance of the new world, or inserting something dark and wicked. It could be doing anything...but it is clear that if it succeeds, the Firstforged will remain gone and Unicron will triumph. Chaos will reign.
The only question now is...what will you do about it?
~~~~~
The Proposal
Jetfire has put forth the following proposal: To venture to the depths of Cybertron and find how far the Pillar goes. Once there, observations will be made and, if it is deemed feasible, the Pillar will be dealt with. It is clear this trip will not be an easy one, and without the Firstforged present it is not certain how 'permanent' death has become.
However, there is a way down: An elevator in Prima's temple that Hot Rod might know how to use.
Anyone is welcome to come.
What is learned down there may prove very valuable to character's futures in R/A.
~~~~~
How do I sign up?
Simply comment to this post with which character is coming, what they are bringing, and answers to the following questions:
- 1. If the Pillar offers power, knowledge, or charisma in exchange for betraying one of your party members (of your own selection), would you accept? (Betrayal being equivalent to that member becoming injured or experiencing a negative changing affect.)
- 2. If you noticed a party member is injured/negatively affected would you sacrifice yourself to the Pillar (IE take that injury/affect) to save them? Are there any characters in R/A this would NOT apply to?
- 3. Have you died in Re-Aligned? If so, how many times?
- 4. Which Firstforged, if any, have you received bonuses from? (IE a Firstforged has PMed you in the past with a special boon or ability?)
- 5. Are there any status affects which are 'off-limits' for your character? (We will be avoiding permanent injury, and all affects will be temporary.)
- 6. Are there any status affects you'd LIKE to incur? (SUCH as permanent injury or death?)
The Deadline for sign-ups is end-of-day November 29th.
~~~
What happens after sign-ups?
The trip down into the Core and back will be assumed to take three days. In-game, this means your character will be unreachable from December 2nd through December 4th (which should allow us time to write-up mini-fates for all parties.) Before you have received your fate you are welcome to play out the descent, and once you have received your fate you are free to play out the aftermath! Since characters can return up the elevator at just about any point, this allows for an extra bit of fun.
A post giving the details of the Core and a rough over-view of the plot will be going up on December 2nd.
Unless otherwise noted in your mini-fate, all characters will be assumed to be back on the surface by December 5th.
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Items: lol he's supposed to bring something?
1. No
2. Yy...let's go with yes. He might be more hesitant towards a Decepticon but so long as they haven't outright done anything TERRIBLE in the public eye, he'd do the same.
3. Yes, as a Glyphless- so, once!
4. --
5. None!
6. N/A
no subject
Once in the Core you lead the group towards the area Prima took you to...where you would notice that the dark blobs he once showed you have expanded. Now, one entire half of the spherical room is covered in darkness, and a pillar tendril has wormed its way in to take advantage of that darkness and eat away the light. It definitely feels like the badlands in here.
When some of the scientists want to stay, you stick around to help protect them. This ends up being needed almost instantly, as the badlands eject wolves every time someone gets close to the tendril. It is not easy work keeping Skyfire and Pharma safe, but there's a hero in you somewhere and he gets the chance to shine.
That same hero part is willing to volunteer when a guinea pig is needed--someone to touch the tendril, thus distracting it for long enough for Cliffjumper to hack away at it. Since you already know a bit what to expect from Pillar contact, you're saved from the brunt of its wrath...but it does endow you with a special gift before it goes.
It won't be difficult for you to find your way back to the elevator once everything is said and done, thankfully.
Status effect: Ice
Anything that Hot Rod touches (with the exception of the elevator buttons, for whatever reason) will instantly freeze. Metal becomes brittle, organic matter dies. Touching humans in this state would be a very, very bad idea.
On the plus side, driving around on a few mountains would create an awesome ski resort.
no subject
Items:
His science kit -- data pads, energy readers, tools to collect samples, boring things like that. But no weapons. Because Pacifism.
1. If the Pillar offers power, knowledge, or charisma in exchange for betraying one of your party members (of your own selection), would you accept?
SORRY BUT NO. Autobot Code and all that.
2. If you noticed a party member is injured/negatively affected would you sacrifice yourself to the Pillar (IE take that injury/affect) to save them? Are there any characters in R/A this would NOT apply to?
Yes. But he couldn't be convinced to do it for a Decepticon. Sorry guys.
3. Have you died in Re-Aligned? If so, how many times?
Nope!
4. Which Firstforged, if any, have you received bonuses from? (IE a Firstforged has PMed you in the past with a special boon or ability?)
Trion, Solus, Liege
5. Are there any status affects which are 'off-limits' for your character?
Not really, no.
6. Are there any status affects you'd LIKE to incur?
Not really, no.
no subject
There are certain things that having that piece does allow you to deduce, however. One is that there's two sorts of energies interacting within the Pillar...one which seems to be a particularly strong power flow, the other other which also seems to be a very strong power flow of something like dark matter in the opposite direction. It would be easy to conclude that unless those two flows were neutralized, any attack on the pillar would end spectacularly bad.
Annoyingly, bits of data you're receiving seem to be coming almost like inspiration, and the source would feel very much like the power you received in the past from Liege. You're able to think particularly quickly under fire already, but now you're even better.
Once Jetfire has come up with a complementary plan to the information you had, you will also have the choice of either heading back to the elevator, or staying to help 'distract' the Pillar by touching it. If you do the latter, your status effect is as follows:
Status Effect: Ghost After the Pillar has been destroyed, you'll notice that it left its mark on you in a quite unusual way. Although you can be seen and heard by anyone present, you will pass through any wall, object, or person. This is particularly frustrating in regards to your scientific equipment, which you will have to have someone else carry back to the surface for you. Floors don't give you much of a problem, thankfully, which means you'll be able to go back up in the elevator...just don't try stepping off of it while in transit.
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Knock Out
Items:
He's bringing the Dark Star Saber Sword he got in the last item drop. It's practically as big as him, and just a sword with no powers now, but Knock Out can carry it and it looks intimidating. And it shines in the dark 8D He's also bringing his energon prod and the resonance blaster he got in the first item drop.
1. If the Pillar offers power, knowledge, or charisma in exchange for betraying one of your party members (of your own selection), would you accept?
Usually that would be a big YES. But Knock Out's tagging along to prove Bulk that he changed and he's now in his team, so he's done with the backstabbing, at least in this particular case. There's also the fact he doesn't trust the Pillar either and wouldn't accept anything from it.
2. If you noticed a party member is injured/negatively affected would you sacrifice yourself to the Pillar to save them? Are there any characters in R/A this would NOT apply to?
No, he won't. Knock Out cares about himself, first and foremost. He wants to prove to the Autobots he's on his side but he's not going to purposely get injured to do it. Some things never change.
3. Have you died in Re-Aligned? If so, how many times?
Yes, once.
4. Which Firstforged, if any, have you received bonuses from?
Mama Solus and uncle Liege.
5. Are there any status affects which are 'off-limits' for your character?
Uhm...brainwashing in some way? As in, altering his personality. I'm just generally not fond of that, sorry ^^ Body changes and the like are more than ok, though, those are fun.
6. Are there any status affects you'd LIKE to incur?
Nope.
no subject
Its not an easy job. Shortly after they start investigating the Pillar, robowolves with sharp wings and sharp fangs start filing out of wandering badlands spots, aiming to do you and everyone around you harm. There are a lot of them. There are. You'd work up a robo-sweat, though you'd also manage to make it look good.
It does keep you busy. However, there are parts of the fight where you don't feel alone. You feel like part of your Glyph--the purple part, in particular, is helping you...and when you know exactly where to shoot the resonance blaster to dislodge pieces of the ceiling down onto a pair of wolves who were about to pounce on Bulkhead, you'd know you've got a powerful ally out there somewhere helping out.
Plus, you've saved Bulkhead. That has to count for something, right?
Once the plan has been decided on and most of the robowolves have been destroyed, you'd also get to help out with cutting away at the pillar. However, while you spend most of this journey looking out for others...it looks like someone is not looking out for you.
Status effect: Alternate History partial reversion
Congratulations, you've just been re-zombified! Your body will revert back to how it was during the Alternate History event, but with the added (and confusing) change of you now remembering both histories simultaneously. You might want to warn people to stay away from you for a few days until this wears off...
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Items: Thruster gun!
1. If the Pillar offers power, knowledge, or charisma in exchange for betraying one of your party members (of your own selection), would you accept? (Betrayal being equivalent to that member becoming injured or experiencing a negative changing affect.)
- Hell yeah, he would! He'd sacrifice an Autobot, human, or any non-Decepticon in a heartbeat. He'd even sacrifice a fellow Decepticon, but it would depend on who. (Like if TC went PSSH NOCURR but Megatron, eh...)
2. If you noticed a party member is injured/negatively affected would you sacrifice yourself to the Pillar (IE take that injury/affect) to save them? Are there any characters in R/A this would NOT apply to?
- Nope. Frenzy wouldn't sacrifice himself for anyone. And those he would consider aren't in this Cybertron. So, yeah, Frenzy would just say TOO BAD SO SAD and let them rot/die/whatever.
3. Have you died in Re-Aligned? If so, how many times?
- Nope!
4. Which Firstforged, if any, have you received bonuses from? (IE a Firstforged has PMed you in the past with a special boon or ability?)
- Megatronus!
5. Are there any status affects which are 'off-limits' for your character?(We will be avoiding permanent injury, and all affects will be temporary.)
- Nah. Go ahead and rough him up. Give 'im Hell.
6. Are there any status affects you'd LIKE to incur? (SUCH as permanent injury or death?)
- Permanent injury is totes awesome, but no death.
no subject
There are some people who talk to you, of course, and your old pal Megatron is always willing to talk about Decepticon things. Specifically cybertronian ghost stories, since the darkness sets the mood.
However, once you get to the Pillar, its boring again. Everyone seems to be doing work, either staring at chunks of rock or staring at the Pillar or staring at each other. When the robowolves attack its exciting again! Or, at least, its exciting initially. Its sadly difficult to get at the wolves without leaving the room, and leaving the room is difficult with the other guards bottlenecking the way to keep the wolves out.
However, your new friend the Pillar has an idea. If you come touch it...just a little touch...and allow its power to go through you into someone else...it'll do something pretty awesome for you.
Since you can't get to the monsters anyhow, this sounds perfectly logical. You do touch the Pillar--which grants you the power of super-speed. For the next week, you'll move twice as fast as any other person, which is AWESOME in terms of getting to the wolves. You'd even notice the black parts on your Glyph glowing strongly, and you'd feel particularly adept at hitting the wolves right where it hurts. However, the fact that you have to keep pushing the guards out of the way to GET to said wolves makes everyone else angry, and, oh, maybe the fact that you touched the Unicronian artifact. Albert offers to escort you back to the surface, and you're all but threatened to go along with.
This is actually convenient. Now, you have the perfect opportunity to pass on that effect the Pillar asked, and you do! You give it onward to Albert, and find that you're suddenly dealing with what looks like a human child.
That human child is NOT too particularly happy with you, however, and Albert seems to make his own deal with the Pillar...which temporarily grants him that same speed you have.
He can't win against you like this, but neither can you win against him, and in the end young!Albert does manage to rend you unconscious. You'll be waking up alone on the 5th, still endowed with the speed...but not knowing where your assailant ended up. Have fun finding your way to the surface...
Pillar Bonus: Super speed! This will go constantly for one week from the 5th, and afterwards will be accessible to you on occasion in-game. The only stipulation is that using this speed after the first week severely puts a stress on your systems...meaning you need to consume ten times the normal amount of energon in order to use the speed again later. You're welcome to have Frenzy find this out the hard way...
no subject
Items: i guess just his lance and shield?
1. If the Pillar offers power, knowledge, or charisma in exchange for betraying one of your party members (of your own selection), would you accept? (Betrayal being equivalent to that member becoming injured or experiencing a negative changing affect.)
HAHAHAHAH probably only if the affected would be a decepticon. if it's impossible to know who would be the sacrificial lamb, then nah
2. If you noticed a party member is injured/negatively affected would you sacrifice yourself to the Pillar (IE take that injury/affect) to save them? Are there any characters in R/A this would NOT apply to?
well... he is a prime. although he did just recently get his ass kicked by ambulon soooo... SURE WHY NOT
he wouldn't if it was for anyone other than an autobot, though
3. Have you died in Re-Aligned? If so, how many times?
there's a first time for everything BD
4. Which Firstforged, if any, have you received bonuses from? (IE a Firstforged has PMed you in the past with a special boon or ability?)
ALAS nothing
5. Are there any status affects which are 'off-limits' for your character?(We will be avoiding permanent injury, and all affects will be temporary.)
nah do whatever you want to him
6. Are there any status affects you'd LIKE to incur? (SUCH as permanent injury or death?)
nope!
no subject
Except that by going out and about, you're actually going several miles underground into cramped, dark caverns. It might feel a bit familiar. This time, however, instead of energon cubes and spiders, there's strange alien Pillars and scientists. Lots of scientists.
It actually is kind of...bland.
At least up until the winged robo-wolves attack. You're lucky to be the first person targeted by them, and you'd look down to find very, very sharp bladed teeth stuck in your arm. Thankfully, you've got good enough reflexes to throw the wolf off, at which point those on guard duty immediately start defending the area. Theoretically, this would make you off the hook...except that a few of the other police officers snag you for a small meeting. Teams are needed to go out into the field (out where the wolves are), hunt down the ends of the tendrils that the Pillar is sending out, and destroy them.
You get to lead one of these teams, because clearly you are an excellent leader. This is why they're putting you with a human: Ven.
He's good company for the most part, however, and you'd get to prove plenty of that leadery, heroic status as you go out into the darkness, following the trail that the root leaves and trying to smack down robo-wolves along the way.
The real thick of them come when you DO find the end of the tendril, where there are thick patches of darkness--pieces of the badlands--wandering in a vast room. It'll be up to Ven to distract the Pillar tendril by touching it--and it will be up to you to keep wolves off of him and then destroy the tendril.
You even manage.
One thing that helps you, is you find that you're able to tell which patch of badlands will be releasing a wolf at what time. You're not sure why you know this, but you know it has something to do with the fact that you're not strongly aligned to any one Firstforged. It's giving you an advantage against the patches, somehow--a chance to see inside of them without being repelled. In fact, one such time, when you're looking into a patch you know is going to release a wolf...you see something. It's mechanical. It's huge. It looks vaguely cybertronian, but with eyes of fire and huge, pointed horns. It has hoofs. I'd almost use the word 'demon.'
Its gone in a flash, and then Ven is shouting for you to come destroy the Pillar.
The Pillar, of course, has other plans. It offers you the opportunity to inflict damage on your enemy--onto a Decepticon--in exchange for power. This seems perfectly logical to you, so you accept...and then promptly destroy the tendril. It isn't like it said to not, after all!
However, when you do so, Ven is gone. You can't find him anywhere, and when you wander back towards the elevator and are found by Rose, you'll realize that somehow you've ended up a day in the future. It is December 6th before you leave the Core.
Bonus: Congratulations! You are one of the first Autobots from your world to have in-built weaponry. Not only can you form a shield, but you can also form small shield-energy disks which can be shot from a gun that's become incorporated into your (non shield) arm. The even better part is these can still be shot while wielding your lance. Beyond that, your shield strength has increased and the power output from the shield disks is pretty impressive.
no subject
i forgot to ask when i first read this but is it permanent or will it be gone after a week? :Ua
no subject
Bonuses (like guns) are permanent, Status effects (like catching fire) are temporary~
no subject
Items: Mostly himself, and probably a datapad of his own. And the cannon he got in the item drop, just in case it's needed to provide fire power.
1. If the Pillar offers power, knowledge, or charisma in exchange for betraying one of your party members (of your own selection), would you accept? (Betrayal being equivalent to that member becoming injured or experiencing a negative changing affect.)
Nope, sorry.
2. If you noticed a party member is injured/negatively affected would you sacrifice yourself to the Pillar (IE take that injury/affect) to save them? Are there any characters in R/A this would NOT apply to?
Yes for most of the bots, and probably for Knock Out too depending on what he does.
3. Have you died in Re-Aligned? If so, how many times?
He hasn't died at all.
4. Which Firstforged, if any, have you received bonuses from? (IE a Firstforged has PMed you in the past with a special boon or ability?)
- System Efficiency from Nexus Prime
- Enhanced Efficiency and self repair from Solus Prime
5. Are there any status affects which are 'off-limits' for your character?(We will be avoiding permanent injury, and all affects will be temporary.)
Preferably no brainwashing/altering personality. Physical stuff is okay.
6. Are there any status affects you'd LIKE to incur? (SUCH as permanent injury or death?)
No, I'd rather not.
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Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, you do care big guy.
What if he saves your sorry aft, uh? What if.
no subject
....maybe.
We cross that bridge when we come to it. :P
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YUP!
And pff that emote XD
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Once deep underground, Megatron would actually seek you out. You're large and you look like you're built for construction, so he wants your opinion on the best way to go about destroying the Pillar without bringing down the cave around them. It is because of this that you're left out of the initial guard team...though there is something more to it than that.
You'd feel better able to assess this than you previously were, and if you check, the purple part on your glyph is glowing strongly. You DO know where the best places to hit the Pillar will be, and also where to NOT let the room get hit. In a way, its kind of distracting...
And so is the Pillar. Every time you look at it, you can't help but feel that there's something about the way the energy in it is interacting that reminds you of space bridges, whether or not you remember your time in the Altered History event. You know that this combination of light and dark energy is what caused the Lambda rip, somehow, and you know there's something important about that.
You and Megatron are, of course, ready to go when the big plan is put into action, and you'd be able to help the most in bringing down the pillar.
However, while you never even come close to touching it, yourself, someone else clearly had other plans. You do still receive a status effect from the Pillar, which applies immediately after it is destroyed...
Status Effect: Robo-wolf
You missed out on fighting them, but fear not! For you, now...get the opportunity to be one. Somehow something has messed up, and you'd find yourself in the body of one of the winged robo wolves. Your teeth are sharp, you have jets to fly, and you're definitely hungry, but other than that you're still Bulkhead in there. Lets just hope that you can convince your friends that you're not one of the enemy...
no subject
Items:
StarscreamWeapons (among those his large rifle/cannon), a more conventional scanning device than what AU!him used to prod the pillar... he'd bring a remote for the containment field device if he could and it reached that far. xD1. If the Pillar offers power, knowledge, or charisma in exchange for betraying one of your party members (of your own selection), would you accept? (Betrayal being equivalent to that member becoming injured or experiencing a negative changing affect.) He knows better than that, so no. (However tempted he might be for knowledge, just. No.)
2. If you noticed a party member is injured/negatively affected would you sacrifice yourself to the Pillar (IE take that injury/affect) to save them? Are there any characters in R/A this would NOT apply to? He would, yes, and at least regarding the effects there probably isn't any he wouldn't at least try to help (if not outright sacrifice himself).
3. Have you died in Re-Aligned? If so, how many times? Nope and none!
4. Which Firstforged, if any, have you received bonuses from? (IE a Firstforged has PMed you in the past with a special boon or ability?) Only Liege so far.
5. Are there any status affects which are 'off-limits' for your character?(We will be avoiding permanent injury, and all affects will be temporary.) I don't think so?
6. Are there any status affects you'd LIKE to incur? (SUCH as permanent injury or death?) Same as above!
no subject
As such, your main work begins once the site of the Pillar is reached. Because you have a containment device, you're actually able to work with data from parts of the Pillar that other scientists are not--though you'd also notice a slight increase in your intuition of exactly where to look. It seems the green in your Glyph might be glowing a little brighter, as well.
It is you that happens to be monitoring the energy differential between light and dark energy in the Pillar when Frenzy touches it, and it is you that hypothesizes a way to disrupt the energy flow by having a number of people touch the Pillar at once. You're hesitant to suggest it, given that you know exactly what that will do to said people...but Starscream makes the decision for you by confirming it might work. After all, when YOU touched the Pillar, it stopped bothering with him and Megatron.
As such, a plan is born. Teams are sent out to test the theory on the tendrils, and those who remain are assembled into 'distraction' and 'destruction' groups. Starscream is asked to head one of the outgoing teams, and though he resists at first you suggest that if he goes, he'll definitely be the one who gets to destroy the tendril...while if he stays, he might be recruited for the distraction team. He grudgingly accepts this, and heads off.
You, on the other hand, stay...which means you have the choice to help 'distract' as well. If so, your fate awaits you...
Status effect: Glitch
It always happens at the most inconvenient moments. You're walking somewhere, or standing completely still holding a diagnostic tool when...glitch! Suddenly the tool drops, and you're standing two yards to the left. This can be incredibly aggravating, as you'll have to do some tasks twice to get them done right...but this can also be useful. If gotten under control, after all, suddenly jumping forward makes you faster at getting things done.
no subject
Items: Just her Dragoon Spirit and the Dragon Buster sword.
1. If the Pillar offers power, knowledge, or charisma in exchange for betraying one of your party members (of your own selection), would you accept? No, she's not easily tempted by those things.
2. If you noticed a party member is injured/negatively affected would you sacrifice yourself to the Pillar (IE take that injury/affect) to save them? Are there any characters in R/A this would NOT apply to? Yes, especially if she knows the individual. Not so likely if she doesn't know the person or if they have proven to be dangerous to others.
3. Have you died in Re-Aligned? If so, how many times? Nope!
4. Which Firstforged, if any, have you received bonuses from? (IE a Firstforged has PMed you in the past with a special boon or ability?) Rose recently received a bonus from Vector Prime that basically makes her a human GPS.
5. Are there any status affects which are 'off-limits' for your character?(We will be avoiding permanent injury, and all affects will be temporary.) None!
6. Are there any status affects you'd LIKE to incur? (SUCH as permanent injury or death?) nope.
no subject
After that, there isn't much 'safe' to be had. Once the scientists get to work, you're needed to help bottleneck the robowolves at the edges of the room to keep them from entering. Here, your small size does NOT help you, though your experience with combat makes you a very efficient guard. It is a lot of work, but thanks to your efforts the scientists are able to concoct their plan.
As the robowolves die down, it looks like you're needed for a very different task, and you're asked to help distract the Pillar by touching it. This...may be slightly worrying to you, as you've seen first-hand the effect touching the Pillar had on Rodimus. On the other hand, this is needed to help a great deal more people, so you agree. Touching the Pillar it is.
Because of your own dark affinity, thankfully, touching the Pillar isn't that bad. You do successfully distract it, and nothing SEEMS amiss...immediately.
It does have the last laugh, however.
Regardless of what it's done, your work is not over. Several of the teams do not return to the central meeting site, and since the tendrils mostly decayed along with the rest of the Pillar, you're needed to seek them out. This, you're still able to do...and it is because of you that Ven is brought back, and then, a day later, Sentinel. Why they appear a day apart is beyond you, but clearly something strange was happening with time around the small badlands incursions.
Status effect: Factor error
You feel fine. You look fine. You sound fine, and you aren't having problems touching or interacting with your surroundings. Everything on you is the same color.
You're just 20 feet tall.
no subject
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Items: Keyblade, but that's a given. Armor comes with. :D
1. If the Pillar offers power, knowledge, or charisma in exchange for betraying one of your party members (of your own selection), would you accept? (Betrayal being equivalent to that member becoming injured or experiencing a negative changing affect.) - Never!
2. If you noticed a party member is injured/negatively affected would you sacrifice yourself to the Pillar (IE take that injury/affect) to save them? Are there any characters in R/A this would NOT apply to? - Yes, definitely Also he doesn't want to see any of his friends dying
again:(3. Have you died in Re-Aligned? If so, how many times? - Nope
4. Which Firstforged, if any, have you received bonuses from? (IE a Firstforged has PMed you in the past with a special boon or ability?) - Prima x2
5. Are there any status affects which are 'off-limits' for your character?(We will be avoiding permanent injury, and all affects will be temporary.) - None!
6. Are there any status affects you'd LIKE to incur? (SUCH as permanent injury or death?) - N/A
no subject
Once you reach the site of the Pillar, at first you're put on door guard with Rose. You're able to help her out when the wolves initially attack...
But you're pulled off that duty quickly. The scientists have worked out that the four root tendrils the Pillar are putting out need to be destroyed before the main Pillar can be dealt with, and you're going to be on Sentinel's team.
This seems pretty straightforward. Follow the tendril to its source, and touch the tendril to neutralize the energy inside to allow Sentinel to stab it to bits.
Sadly, its not that easy in practice. Wandering spots of badlands surround the tendril, and are constantly sending out wolves. Sentinel IS able to keep them off of you long enough for you to distract the Pillar, though, and he even manages to destroy it! However, he seems to vanish into a badlands spot the moment that he does so, and you're left alone.
With no easy way back, since the tendril seems to rot and dissolve the moment it is nullified. The badlands spots thankfully retreat at that moment, too, but you're still unfortunately lost.
It is not too many hours before a 20-ft tall Rose does manage to find you, at least! Sadly, the Pillar has left its mark on you as well...
Status effect: tentacles
You have them. Five of them, seemingly made out of darkness but capable of picking objects up. It is up to you where they're attached at or if they're temporarily replacing a limb(s). Clearly, this is a gift from the chaos-bringer.
(On the plus side, you're now an incredible swimmer, even if you weren't before.)
no subject
Items: Any weaponry is already built in him so
1. If the Pillar offers power, knowledge, or charisma in exchange for betraying one of your party members (of your own selection), would you accept? (Betrayal being equivalent to that member becoming injured or experiencing a negative changing affect.)
If the knowledge included something to do with his team back home and if the injury wasn't fatal, he'd definitely be conflicted about it.
2. If you noticed a party member is injured/negatively affected would you sacrifice yourself to the Pillar (IE take that injury/affect) to save them? Are there any characters in R/A this would NOT apply to?
He sees the value in preserving the lives of his team members...and sees no real distinction in picking sides on the whole Decepticon/Autobot thing.
3. Have you died in Re-Aligned? If so, how many times?
Yes, once.
4. Which Firstforged, if any, have you received bonuses from? (IE a Firstforged has PMed you in the past with a special boon or ability?)
He's recieved the ability to know his location at all times from Vector.
5. Are there any status affects which are 'off-limits' for your character?(We will be avoiding permanent injury, and all affects will be
temporary.)
None whatsoever
6. Are there any status affects you'd LIKE to incur? (SUCH as permanent injury or death?)
N/A
no subject
Initially, it is up to you and Rose to lead the majority of the group towards the Pillar. Because of your connection with Vector, this seems like second nature to you. You know exactly where you are at all times, and you know the best path to take. Your glyph might be glowing a little stronger, as well.
Once at the Pillar, while the scientists are sciencing and the door guards are guarding, you'd be approached by Deckard. Since teams are needed to go destroy the Pillar's tendrils, it makes sense to him that the police organize the teams. This also makes sense to you, and so the pair of you pull Sentinel in and organize groups.
This planning is thrown into chaos, however, when Frenzy decides to touch the Pillar and suddenly is fast enough to be getting in everyone's way as he tries to attack the robot wolves. Although the mini-con is stopped, its clear he's going to need to be removed from the equation. Somebody has to do it, and you're one of the few people who actually knows the way back to the elevator...so you volunteer to escort Frenzy to the surface, planning to return when the task is done.
Of course, this goes horribly wrong.
For one thing, as soon as you're far enough away from the Pillar to not be attacked by wolves and for no one to come to your rescue, Frenzy immediately turns on you. Its nothing personal, of course, he just has to fulfil his end of the contract by passing a little Pillar-related status onto you.
At once, you'd notice the change. You're smaller. Younger.
Frenzy's contact with the Pillar also allows for a very interesting exchange to take place. Now, its offering a contract to you, for a chance to learn how things are going back home at the miniscule cost of someone being inconvenienced for a few days.
Grudgingly...you accept.
In doing this, part of Frenzy's power is also passed along to you. This is, of course, to Frenzy's dismay, as you're a fully capable fighter even if you're smaller, and you do manage to knock him out.
You can come back for him later. He's been enough of a nuisance for now. Plus, its not like he'll be easily dragged to the surface. This allows you to return and help others find their way back, particularly Deckard and 4. They don't appear where they're supposed to be at the same time, but you're able to lead them back to the surface regardless. By the time you've done this, Frenzy has disappeared.
Status effect and bonuses: Time lapse, plus speed and media
Its a veritable soup of ailments.
Initially, the negative effect that Frenzy passes on to you is a time lapse. For all intents and purposes, you find yourself to be about nine years old. Strangely, you're still a Cyborg, you're just a very...cute?...cyborg.
When the Pillar offers you a contract, there are two things you receive. One you get immediately, a small burst of speed that allows you to keep up with Frenzy. This fades after your fight with him, but does last for a few hours before its completely gone.
The second is more unusual.
While you are heading back to search for lost parties, you'd find a badlands spot wandering across your path. It stops in your way, halting your progression, and out of it comes a robo-wolf with a box in its mouth.
Slowly, it lopes forward, and places the box down at your feet. Then, it returns inside the badlands, and the anomaly moves onward until its gone.
Inside the box is the full box set of Cyborg 009.
no subject
Items: Just his special hands~
1. If the Pillar offers power, knowledge, or charisma in exchange for betraying one of your party members (of your own selection), would you accept? (Betrayal being equivalent to that member becoming injured or experiencing a negative changing affect.) YOU BETCHYA.
2. If you noticed a party member is injured/negatively affected would you sacrifice yourself to the Pillar (IE take that injury/affect) to save them? Are there any characters in R/A this would NOT apply to? NOPE.
3. Have you died in Re-Aligned? If so, how many times? NOPE.
4. Which Firstforged, if any, have you received bonuses from? (IE a Firstforged has PMed you in the past with a special boon or ability?) Liege.
5. Are there any status affects which are 'off-limits' for your character?(We will be avoiding permanent injury, and all affects will be temporary.) NOPE.
6. Are there any status affects you'd LIKE to incur? (SUCH as permanent injury or death?) I'm cool with whatever.
no subject
Once in the depths of Cybertron, Hot Rod initially leads the group to a half-sphere room, where light and darkness are seemingly at war. What the room was originally used for is beyond you, but you'd be able to use your medical expertise to extrapolate--this node has the same sort of electrical pulses, albeit on a larger scale, as a processor module might. That is interesting.
You end up being asked to stay with this smaller team while the larger group heads onward to the Pillar. This is fine with you, however, as there's just as much to do here as there is anywhere else. You even get to do a bit of data analyzing along with Skyfire. You aren't a scientist, of course, but you do have more than enough mechanical knowledge to make some useful observations.
For instance, while Skyfire believes the wandering badlands spots to be emerging because of the tendrils presence, you notice something different. Maybe its the increase in mental efficiency coming from your brighter-glowing Glyph, its hard to tell. However, the way the badlands spots move is almost the way a group of individuals might move as they are directing said tendril. Thus, it seems to you that Skyfire's hypothesis is backward. The badlands aren't popping up in response to the tendril--the tendril is growing in response to the badlands
In fact, the Pillar tendril seems quite interested in 'speaking' with you. It has a deal, of course. In exchange for inconveniencing one of your coworkers, you'll get something delightful.
Of course, you accept.
The lot of them go about their plan of someone touching the tendril (Hot Rod) while someone else destroys it (Cliffjumper), but you've already got the best part out of the deal.
Its what you do with it next that will be truly exciting.
Bonus!
You have received a rather large crystal shard of dark energon. It has the same dark energy properties as exhibited by the Pillar, and it causes weird and delightful strangeness when interacting with the energon of dead mechs. Do enjoy your new zombie-maker.
no subject
Items: ... himself? his null rays?
1. If the Pillar offers power, knowledge, or charisma in exchange for betraying one of your party members (of your own selection), would you accept? Yes, this is Starscream.
2. If you noticed a party member is injured/negatively affected would you sacrifice yourself to the Pillar (IE take that injury/affect) to save them? Are there any characters in R/A this would NOT apply to? No, not really. He may try to stop something from happening but no self sacrificing here.
3. Have you died in Re-Aligned? If so, how many times? No
4. Which Firstforged, if any, have you received bonuses from? (IE a Firstforged has PMed you in the past with a special boon or ability?) Megatronus, Liege
5. Are there any status affects which are 'off-limits' for your character?(We will be avoiding permanent injury, and all affects will be temporary.) Not really
6. Are there any status affects you'd LIKE to incur? (SUCH as permanent injury or death?) Doesn't matter.
no subject
Its dark and cramped in much of the bowels of Cybertron, but that seems to impact Jetfire and Skyfire more than it does you. Even so, there are paths that were obviously built to accommodate Firstforged, and so its not that terrible for you. It is a little boring, sadly, as upon finding the Pillar most of the scientists go into their intense science modes and even Jetfire is too busy to talk much. However, its hard not to notice the data he's getting, and he does theorize out loud from time to time.
This provides you the opportunity to show your brilliance. After all, you aren't dumb, and its not hard to see the parallel between Jetfire's suggestion (to have multiple people touch the Pillar to distract it) and what happened to you and Megatron in the Junk pile (where Jetfire's touching of the Pillar distracted it.) With your prompting, he does suggest this.
You, of course, want nothing to do with actually touching the Pillar. It made Jetfire crazy and it made Megatron crazy in a different way, and while you are many things you have no desire to be crazy as well.
Because of this, Jetfire convinces you to go on one of the teams seeking out the Pillar's tendrils. You snag a human--Kevin--who you can use to make touch the Pillar tendril while you stay safely back and shoot it into dust. Because you're so eager to sacrifice your partner, the Pillar is kind to you: push Kevin into one of the wandering badlands spots on your way out, and you'll receive a nice gift.
The best part is, when Kevin vanishes its easy to blame it on the fact that he was touching the Pillar. Clearly you are not at fault.
Despite this, you do manage to destroy the tendril. You might as well accomplish the job that you started out to do, after all.
On the minus side, you have to fight your way through a dozen robo-wolves in order to do this. Its not an easy fight, but you're not an easy jet to take down. Besides, the scratches that you get will help corroborate your story! That, and it seems easier to fight the wolves, somehow. Its almost as if you're receiving some bonus from your connection to Megatronus...
Bonus
Electrum. You'd find a barrel of it conveniently in your path on your way out. While carrying it back to the surface is going to be annoying (Electrum is HEAVY) you know it will be well worth the effort. Any surface coated with Electrum becomes literally invincible for a period of one week. With a barrel's worth, you could coat yourself completely twice...or you can stretch it out and coat small portions of yourself when needed.
no subject
Items: onboard weapons - rifles with incendiary bullets, drone-controlled missile rocket
1. If the Pillar offers power, knowledge, or charisma in exchange for betraying one of your party members (of your own selection), would you accept? (Betrayal being equivalent to that member becoming injured or experiencing a negative changing affect.)
Surprisingly, considering he's a Decepticon?...no, actually, he wouldn't. 9,9
2. If you noticed a party member is injured/negatively affected would you sacrifice yourself to the Pillar (IE take that injury/affect) to save them? Are there any characters in R/A this would NOT apply to?
Uhhhhh, depends on who - I may have to come back, see what other characters have signed up, and edit this list. So far, those he'd actively dive into harm's way from elsewhere for: Ventus and Rose (and I'll toss Four on the list even though she's not responded yet, so I don't forget, bc I think I saw elsewhere that she's planning to come
given his way, she's be safely in his cockpit the whole time DX). Those he'd not dive out of his way for, but would act to save if they're right next to him: Megatron (old habits or whatever?...any way, it's good to save your commander so he doesn't take it out of your hide later for NOT doing so, right?), Starscream (another old habits...besides, fellow Seeker even if he /is/ a pain in the afterburners), Bulkhead (because...reasons...).3. Have you died in Re-Aligned? If so, how many times?
Nope.
4. Which Firstforged, if any, have you received bonuses from? (IE a Firstforged has PMed you in the past with a special boon or ability?)
Well...there were two Adjustments posts that said "await a message from your First-Forged, but I only ever actually got a message after the second one - that's from Megatronus.
5. Are there any status affects which are 'off-limits' for your character?(We will be avoiding permanent injury, and all affects will be temporary.)
Can't think of any.
6. Are there any status affects you'd LIKE to incur? (SUCH as permanent injury or death?)
I'm open!
BONUS ROUND: TC's going, come hell or high water . . . but until there's something tangible in front of him to focus on, like the Pillar and attacking it, he's going to be having some nasty claustrophobia issues. HAVE FUN WITH THAT. XD
no subject
Thanks to Alpha Trion's gift, you do start noticing as you move along that there is writing on a large number of the consoles you pass. The activated ones are rare, but on one you'd read something that looks like temperature settings and wind currents. It seems they might be alterable, as well. However, the group moves on before you can investigate, and while it already sucks being stuck underground in the dark it would suck a great deal more to be stuck underground in the dark ALONE.
Once you reach the Pillar, there is thankfully something to occupy you. You're placed as a guard towards one of the doors, and the sheer number of winged robo-wolves which come to attack mean you're kept quite busy--and nearly exhausted--for quite a while.
As the threat of the robowolves wears down, you're asked to come help 'distract' the Pillar by touching it, giving it something to focus on so that it can be destroyed. This leaves you with a rather unusual status effect...
Status effect: Badlands
Everyone vanishes around you the moment the Pillar is destroyed. You can still see the Pillar, and you can still see the room, and you can still see the last few robowolves as well as the ones that have already been deactivated. Everything exists as if its in a haze of shadow, however, and no matter how you try to escape it it blankets you.
You aren't alone.
While none of the individuals that you've come to partially accept as 'friends' are around you, there is something insidious waiting.
Where you saw wandering patches of badlands, before, you now see Demons. There is no other way to describe them. They are demons, mechanical beings like yourself who tower at 30-40 feet tall. Their optics are flames, when they open their mouths to speak the inside is flames, any crack in their thick, black armor shows flames. They are powered by flame.
They are large and they are strongly built, with twisting spikes coming from their metal at the shoulders, knees, and elbows. Their heavy feet resemble hooves, and they have a pair of sturdy, wicked looking horns.
They are also staring at you.
They'd speak almost immediately, one shouting to another to come. You can barely understand their language even with Alpha Trion's gift, but you'd know they intend to capture you. You can resist, but there are more of them and they will over-power you. Your best hope is to flee.
If you do flee, you will remain trapped in Badlands-space through the end of the affect (the 8th). No matter where you go, you will not find anyone you recognize, though structures still exist. Anyone who sees you will only detect a patch of badlands wandering through the area.
If you are captured, then you will remember nothing more...and will awaken somewhere in the wastelands on the 8th.
no subject
Items: Just his pistol, unless someone wants to loan him something? 9,9
1. If the Pillar offers power, knowledge, or charisma in exchange for betraying one of your party members (of your own selection), would you accept? (Betrayal being equivalent to that member becoming injured or experiencing a negative changing affect.)
BOY SCOUT DON'T TAKE NO BRIBES, SON. DX
2. If you noticed a party member is injured/negatively affected would you sacrifice yourself to the Pillar (IE take that injury/affect) to save them? Are there any characters in R/A this would NOT apply to?
LOL he'd save anyone to the best of his ability. 9,9 Dammit, Deckard...
3. Have you died in Re-Aligned? If so, how many times?
Nope. Though for as insanely active as his first month in Haven has been, that's almost a miracle! x,x
4. Which Firstforged, if any, have you received bonuses from? (IE a Firstforged has PMed you in the past with a special boon or ability?)
None.
5. Are there any status affects which are 'off-limits' for your character?(We will be avoiding permanent injury, and all affects will be temporary.)
None I can think of.
6. Are there any status affects you'd LIKE to incur? (SUCH as permanent injury or death?)
Nope.
no subject
Once Skyfire communicates to the main group that the tendrils need to be taken care of before the Pillar can be destroyed, however, you'd know its time for action. That sort of mission is like police-work...tracking down a 'criminal' and following a procedure to bring order back to the chaotic.
As such, you'd snag Albert and then Sentinel, two people you know have police experience, and together the three of you decide on forming teams of two that can go out, find the tendrils, and take care of business. You, yourself, end up on a team with 4. After all, each team is going to need someone big to destroy the root and someone small to distract it, and you're the only 'large' being that has experience with something as tiny as 4.
Granted, she is a little different than a cat, but you do manage.
When Albert volunteers to take Frenzy back to the surface, however, you're forced to assemble a last-minute team...and the only pair left at that point are Starscream and Kevin. They both agree, but you do have a bad feeling about it for some reason.
Regardless, you do have to move quickly, and its not an easy trip. There are wolves on the path, and its dark and difficult to see where you are going. Thankfully, Brave Police do have means of dealing with the dark (your headlights are one option) but its still a treacherous trip. You do manage to make it shorter at one point by knocking three wolves at once off of a catwalk, though!
When you get to the base of the root, you'd know instantly that its not any easier here. Once you've settled 4 onto the tendril to 'distract' it, you still have to contend with wandering badlands patches. These occasionally release a winged robo-wolf, so you have to monitor 4 while ALSO keeping wolves off of her. There also seems to be a strange pulling from the badlands patches, and you'd notice that they flicker strangely when the wolves are released, giving you a glimpse of what can only be described as a Demon, with glowing fiery eyes.
You are successful, at least! 4 manages to distract the Pillar, and you manage to keep the wolves off long enough to destroy the tendril when she does. However, you aren't able to keep a badlands patch from rushing towards 4 at the last moment....and as near as you can tell she disappears inside of it.
She does not re-appear.
You are diligent, however, and wait for her. You wait long enough that Rose has to come looking for you...which is actually handy, as she knows the way out. She tells you that 4 has been found, which is a relief.
Also a relief is that you manage to escape without the Pillar doing any real damage to you. The robo-wolves, on the other hand, have left you covered with claw and bite marks. It might not be a bad idea to get those repaired.
no subject
Items: His usual weapons
1. If the Pillar offers power, knowledge, or charisma in exchange for betraying one of your party members (of your own selection), would you accept? (Betrayal being equivalent to that member becoming injured or experiencing a negative changing affect.) - Nope, of course not.
2. If you noticed a party member is injured/negatively affected would you sacrifice yourself to the Pillar (IE take that injury/affect) to save them? Are there any characters in R/A this would NOT apply to? - More than likely yes; but not for anyone known for attacking people or anyone trying to do question #1 to him.
3. Have you died in Re-Aligned? If so, how many times? Not yet.
4. Which Firstforged, if any, have you received bonuses from? (IE a Firstforged has PMed you in the past with a special boon or ability?) Prima and his awesome Light powers, and Megatronus' boon.
5. Are there any status affects which are 'off-limits' for your character?(We will be avoiding permanent injury, and all affects will be temporary.) Horrible, pointless death. (Death protecting a fellow Autobot or something, however, is acceptable. He IS overdue...)
6. Are there any status affects you'd LIKE to incur? (SUCH as permanent injury or death?) Not really.
no subject
Once in the core, your Prima powers are also very useful for brightening up the situation--especially as Megatron seems to think that being in cramped, crowded hallways underground is the perfect time to tell Cybertronian Ghost stories. You do manage to get the jump on HIM once with a well placed ball of light, though, which does keep up the morale.
Once the Pillar has been found, Jetfire takes over most of the leadership roles, organizing the scientists to start work. Because of this, you end up staying with the scientists for most of their task, keeping the stray robo-wolf off of them or fetching what they need while other groups pair off to start tracking down the tendrils.
When Jetfire comes up with a theory on how to nullify the Pillar's energy by having several people touch it, you are skeptical. However, there does not seem to be a better option, so you volunteer.
This, of course, means other people are volunteering soon afterward, and you lead the efforts to keep the Pillar sufficiently distracted for long enough to let Megatron and Bulkhead and co destroy it.
It is not easy. As one of Prima's, it has a particular interest in nullifying you, so you'd take the brunt of its wrath. However, since you can't really be swayed, you're only left with its second-best attempt at punishing you.
This doesn't stop you from staying in the Core, either, to make sure that everyone gets out alright. After all, someone needs to be around to operate the elevator...
Status effect: The dark mark
At first, you'd think you had a different paint color. After a moment of analyzing, however, you'd realize you are still red and blue and white. However, on top of your paint job are black marks. Thousands of them. It looks like someone went at you with a sharpy, painting you with strange and foreign glyphs. They make your plating itch, and they seem to whisper in the back of your mind in a way that reminds you of the badlands calling. It'd take constant willpower to not seek out the badlands while the marks are in place, so it might not hurt to pick someone to keep en eye on you until they've faded.
Interestingly, the black marks also seem to act as a sort of calling to anyone you are around. You'd find others drawn to you, so maybe getting someone to watch you will not be so difficult.
Well, he's definitely COMING
Items: His big-ass cannon
1. If the Pillar offers power, knowledge, or charisma in exchange for betraying one of your party members (of your own selection), would you accept?
If Megatron is allowed to chose? Then absolutely. He will use the hell out of any information the Pillar gives. He'll still destroy it afterward though.
2. If you noticed a party member is injured/negatively affected would you sacrifice yourself to the Pillar (IE take that injury/affect) to save them? Are there any characters in R/A this would NOT apply to? He would, actually. As long as said person hadn't tormented him in the past and he figured he could use this in the future. Probably NOT for Perceptor, but thats the only one I can think of offhand.
3. Have you died in Re-Aligned? If so, how many times?
Y...es? Megatron had himself killed in the glyphless event.
4. Which Firstforged, if any, have you received bonuses from? (IE a Firstforged has PMed you in the past with a special boon or ability?) Not yet.
5. Are there any status affects which are 'off-limits' for your character?(We will be avoiding permanent injury, and all affects will be temporary.) NOPE
6. Are there any status affects you'd LIKE to incur? (SUCH as permanent injury or death?) Scars are cool.
no subject
This is exciting.
Anyhow, Megatron is excited to get to the core, because he knows that no matter WHAT ELSE happens on this trip he's going to get his revenge on the Pillar. He's sure of it.
He's even incredibly cooperative because of that, apart from the ghost stories that he decides to tell when the path is particularly dark.
Once he gets to the center chamber, he starts work immediately in trying to find the best spot to stand to shoot his cannon at the Pillar, enlisting Bulkhead's help. Together, they start to formulate a plan to take the Pillar out without bringing the room down on top of them.
As such, when Jetfire announces the plan of 'distract and destroy,' he's already ready to go!
Sadly, just after destroying the Pillar he's pulled into one of the wandering badlands patches and vanishes for a few moments.
When he comes out again, he's not quite the same...
Status effect: Body Swap
Because someone made a deal with the Pillar and placed that effect on Megatron, he and 4 will be swapping bodies for the next few days. They'll each retain their memories and personalities, but all other aspects (including Glyph powers) will remain with the body.
no subject
Items: Would it be okay to take the drone he got during the last item drop? If not, just a basic science kit (datapads, things to collect samples and the like).
1. If the Pillar offers power, knowledge, or charisma in exchange for betraying one of your party members (of your own selection), would you accept? (Betrayal being equivalent to that member becoming injured or experiencing a negative changing affect.)
Nope.
2. If you noticed a party member is injured/negatively affected would you sacrifice yourself to the Pillar (IE take that injury/affect) to save them? Are there any characters in R/A this would NOT apply to?
He would do it for most people, yes. Except I guess Megatron.
3. Have you died in Re-Aligned? If so, how many times?
No.
4. Which Firstforged, if any, have you received bonuses from? (IE a Firstforged has PMed you in the past with a special boon or ability?)
None so far.
5. Are there any status affects which are 'off-limits' for your character?(We will be avoiding permanent injury, and all affects will be temporary.)
I'm cool with anything!
6. Are there any status affects you'd LIKE to incur? (SUCH as permanent injury or death?)
None that I can think of, no.
no subject
Most of them, anyway. That Pharma fellow might need some additional watching.
When Hot Rod leads the group to the first tendril, you volunteer to stay behind and examine it. This gives you a headstart on the rest of the team, who aren't able to do anything until they reach the main Pillar a few hours later. Granted, this isn't easy as the badlands patches start sending out robo-wolves...but that is what you have Hot Rod and Cliffjumper for.
The first piece of major information that you notice is how the wandering badlands spots seem to be very closely related to the tendril. They conglomerate around it as if formed by the reality breach the Pillar has caused. Indeed, you'd even notice a large amount of temporal flux by each badlands piece, as if their incursion is creating ripples in space-time.
This information you pass along to the main team. They take your findings and respond back with their plan--to have one person 'distract' the tendril while another destroys it. They'd like your team to test and see if this works.
Hot Rod volunteers. You'd also have the option to volunteer if you wanted to, as Cliffjumper will have his many guns at the ready, trained on the Pillar.
In the end, you do prove successful, able to distract the Pillar for long enough for Cliffjumper to destroy it!
All seems to be well, and you'd be able to report your findings once more--that this plan works, even if it does have some unexpected side effects.
status effect: Invisible
If you do chose to help Hot Rod distract the Pillar, the Pillar will retaliate by making you Invisible.
This is highly fascinating, but also disconcerting. No one can see you or hear you, but you can interact with objects or people as easily as you normally can. You'd even be able to take readings on yourself! However, those readings clearly indicate that you aren't there, which is incredibly puzzling.
no subject
Items: None
1. If the Pillar offers power, knowledge, or charisma in exchange for betraying one of your party members (of your own selection), would you accept? (Betrayal being equivalent to that member becoming injured or experiencing a negative changing affect.)
Surprisingly yes. She would. Unless that person is Thundercracker or Jetfire.
2. If you noticed a party member is injured/negatively affected would you sacrifice yourself to the Pillar (IE take that injury/affect) to save them? Are there any characters in R/A this would NOT apply to?
Since Four is seven inches tall, she won't really see the point.
3. Have you died in Re-Aligned? If so, how many times?
Yes! Once.
4. Which Firstforged, if any, have you received bonuses from? (IE a Firstforged has PMed you in the past with a special boon or ability?)
-Universal translations (Alpha Trion)
-Lightning fast calculations (Liege Maximo)
5. Are there any status affects which are 'off-limits' for your character?(We will be avoiding permanent injury, and all affects will be temporary.)
None at all.
6. Are there any status affects you'd LIKE to incur? (SUCH as permanent injury or death?)
I'll leave that up to you, the sky's the limit.
no subject
Rather, its the many consoles that are passed on the way to the Pillar. Because of your connection to Alpha Trion, which seems stronger down here--like he wants you to succeed--you can read what any of the 'on' consoles say.
What they say is interesting. The one that you actually get to stare at in more than passing has three-dimensional images of a mountain on it. There are lots of buttons to press, and those buttons have labels like 'coordinates, density, depth, height, composition, radius...' It looks like the three dimensional shape of the mountain can be altered, as well as what it is made of and where it is at...on Cybertron?
Likely.
It might make you intensely curious what that big red button labeled 'enable' would do.
You don't get the chance to press it, however, as soon you are in the room with the Pillar. Your ride will set you down and get to work, at which point you'd just be left alone to observe...
At least, until Deckard comes over. The scientists need the tendrils distracted and then destroyed, and he's forming a team with you. He'll take you out away from the Pillar, where he has to fight off many wolves as the two of you trace the root backward to its tip. There, Deckard will set you down by the tendril while he keeps the wolves at bay. When you're ready to touch the Pillar, he'd turn to destroy it...
Which works! You'd be able to distract it, and it would be destroyed. However, you're enveloped in the blackness of the badlands before you can consider what your next course of action will be, at which point the effects of touching the Pillar become obvious.
You're also hopelessly lost, transported away from where you thought you were.
Thankfully, there have been scouts out looking for you, and a young Albert would locate your new body and be able to lead you to the elevator.
Status Effect: Body Swap
When you come out of the badlands, you'll be in an entirely different body than you were when you went in. You're now big. Very big. Enjoy being Megatron~
no subject
Items: his own wits
1. It depends on who the Pillar wanted to hurt and what it offered. Kevin wants to know what happened to the firstforged because he misses Megatronus, and while he doesn't have a strong attachment to many people & doesn't care that much for their well being, he doesn't want to make Megatron mad by compromising the mission by allowing someone else to get hurt. It's also important whether or not everyone else would know/find out that Kevin "allowed" them to get hurt.
2. No, unless it were say... Megatron or Sari.
3. Kevin's one of the Lost Ones, and I don't know how that affects this answer. But otherwise no.
4. none ;w;
5. no
6. Mutation! :D Alien bits, robot bits, mismatched features, a body that's painful to exist in, whatever suits the pillar's fancy. EDIT: Also, energy cravings/temporary insanity. It's something he's learned to control (mostly) by this point in canon but maybe the pillar could trigger a relapse, and he'll get this thirst to drain something for energy just to get that rush of power again and throw rationality to the wind to get it.
no subject
The scientists working on the Pillar have come up with a plan to get rid of it. They need teams to go out and find the end of the tendrils that the Pillar has sent out, with one person going to distract the Pillar tendril by touching it, and the other person going to destroy it while its distracted. You've been partnered with Starscream, and all Deckard says is 'good luck' before pointing you towards the tendril that you'll be following.
At least he seems to mean it?
Travelling with Starscream is...interesting, but he does grudgingly go along to help, even fighting at several points to keep robo-wolves away. You'd have your own share of robo-wolves to attend to on the path, and it does take a bit to get to the tendril.
Once there, Starscream doesn't offer much choice on who will be 'touching' the tendril and who will be destroying it. Clearly, as the robot, he's bigger...and no matter what you turn into he stays by this philosophy. Which...well, fine. You can do the hard job, you've done it before. You go to touch the Pillar.
It offers you the chance to find out about the Firstforged in exchange for letting go. This...tempts you, but you do not let go. Then, it offers to let you find out about the Firstforged in exchange for shutting Starscream up for a bit. This is MORE tempting, but still not tempting enough. It finally offers complete control over all of your abilities plus knowledge about the firstforged if you just let go...which is finally enough.
However, you held on long enough. Starscream still shoots the Pillar tendril, destroying it.
He then proceeds to shove you into one of the badlands blobs that have been wandering about.
Clearly, you weren't the only one to make a deal with the Pillar.
Thankfully you do emerge later, and are found by Albert. Less thankfully....well. Read below to find out!
Status effect: Because you were shoved into the Badlands just after accepting the Pillar's offer, things do go as the Pillar promised. Instead of gaining total control, you've lost control, and are finding yourself constantly hungry once more. If that doesn't make matters bad enough, it can be difficult to even pick what matter your body shifts into, leading to unintended consequences when you try to use once-well-practiced abilities.
However, you do get one bonus out of this. Before being ejected from the badlands, you do get to see what happened to the Firstforged.
You're standing on the surface. Wind whips around you like from a great storm, but you remain still. The Firstforged are standing, gathered around you...and you realize where you are.
You are the Pillar.
It drops, sending out shock waves through the Junk Pile, but unlike before the Firstforged do not vanish. They are still in place, but a shadow has descended upon them. Reality has...changed, and you'd feel as if you weren't quite in the right universe.
There are also creatures around, mechanical beings that look like huge, heavily armored Demons. They were waiting for the Firstforged, here, in this other reality. Waiting for the Pillar to send them here.
Immediately, they attack.
You awake.
no subject
Items: >_> His weapons. And of course the glass gas gun.
1. If the Pillar offers power, knowledge, or charisma in exchange for betraying one of your party members (of your own selection), would you accept? (Betrayal being equivalent to that member becoming injured or experiencing a negative changing affect.) Nope. Not even if it was a Decepticon, even if he'd be tempted.
2. If you noticed a party member is injured/negatively affected would you sacrifice yourself to the Pillar (IE take that injury/affect) to save them? Are there any characters in R/A this would NOT apply to? For the Decepticons, noo, anyone else... yeah because he's stupid like that.
3. Have you died in Re-Aligned? If so, how many times? No deaths!
4. Which Firstforged, if any, have you received bonuses from? (IE a Firstforged has PMed you in the past with a special boon or ability?) Megatronus (as firts bonus secondary)
5. Are there any status affects which are 'off-limits' for your character?(We will be avoiding permanent injury, and all affects will be temporary.) I think mind control and such, otherwise none?
6. Are there any status affects you'd LIKE to incur? (SUCH as permanent injury or death?) Not really!
no subject
That's...pretty much how this goes down.
You're left with the first team, consisting of Hot Rod, Pharma, and Skyfire. Your job is to make sure Pharma and Skyfire don't die before they can get useful information from the tendril. Apart from the Pharma third of that equation, you know you're good for it.
Even when winged robo-wolves start emerging from wandering badlands throughout the room, you're good for it. It's a lot of work, and they don't seem to stop coming, but its your job so you're going to do it. The fact that the black in your glyph is glowing brightly and that you can tell exactly when a wolf is going to jump you helps.
Really, the down-side of your day is when you lose an arm. It's not actually gone, you can even see it right over there laying on the ground being chewed on by a robo-wolf like a bone, but its definitely going to need a while for repairs.
Even this doesn't stop you, and when the orders come through that its time to destroy the tendril instead of just the robowolves, you're more than happy to comply.
Just don't forget your arm on the way back to the surface.