theearth: (Default)
Save the Earth Mods ([personal profile] theearth) wrote in [community profile] savetheearth2014-08-23 12:47 am

[plot] Water in the desert I

Who: Cultists, an alien, and YOU, the (un-)invited numbered!
What: Gossipping. Weird lobster worship. Speeches. Fingerfood and other snacks. Dealing with cultists in general. The beginning of the geographical changes in Las Vegas and appropriate PANIC.
When: 22nd
Where: Thomas & Mack Center; The University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Warnings: People from the ranks of the cultists have committed murder and other crimes in the past; those deeds will, if mentioned, be treated in a glorifying manner or at least be condoned.



The cultist gathering takes place on the evening of the 22nd at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. The cult has rented the large multipurpose Thomas & Mack Center. The entrances are controlled, the guards cult members who will check the membership of everyone who enters. Numbered with invitations will simply have to either show their invitation or prove that they are the numbered in question; numbered that are not invited but not on the anti-invited list will be let in if they announce interest in their purpose or in learning more about themselves.

There is a large lobster statue in the middle of the hall, a high stage behind it. A pool of water surrounds both, filling the whole center.

A. Arrival and first stage
Snacks and drinks are handed out everywhere and the cultists chat happily with everyone who is around - they will happily talk to numbered as well, calling them "special ones", "superheroes" or "children". Some are rather excited about them being there, others less, but there is clearly nobody that doesn't think positively about it.

B. Ceremony/Worship and Announcements
As the lights go out, people will stop talking and put down whatever they are holding. What follows is a ceremony of roughly an hour that mostly includes singing, meditation and some short speeches on cleansing oneself and being true to oneself, and one on how those that don't do it will fall and burn. Cultists will be happy to give numbered pointers re: what happens next and what they should do.
Afterwards, what seems like all head cultists - those with the sign that causes echoes step on the stage and one after another address the gathered public, some longer, some shorter. Some are of more technical nature - number of members, funds, expansion plans -, others very philosophical, and yet others religious. There is talk of the city being lost and impossible to clean, but that the those who trust in Refined Shell will be saved. That all members may take it into their own hands to clean themselves and help the world be cleaner, but that soon, Refined Shell will be with them, and her children with her. Her children will guard her and be guided by her, as they all should be; and though it is harder for them to see their true core than it is for normal humans, and many will be lead astray, those that succeed will lead the world to a better future, and those that follow Refined Shell now will be the first when that time comes.

At this point, they'll call out to all numbered in the audience, and cultists sitting nearby numbered people will encourage them to get down to the stage, wade through the water and get up there to introduce themselves and say hi. The whole audience will cheer for those that dare to go down, and they'll be offered a seat on the stage.

C. Aftermingle and Panic
After the official part is done, there is general mingling and people are slowly starting to leave... just as the first earthquake hits the room. And then another one, and then steam rises from the water in the middle of the hall, and after a bit it starts to boil. The handful of cultists that is packing up on stage screams in terror at their only way off it suddenly being made up of boiling water, and most of the cultists leave the building in similar panic. FUN ALL AROUND.


♒ You may play cultist NPCs yourself, but if you'd like a mod-npced cultist to talk to your character(s), please indicate it in your subject line when the thread starts and/or preferably notify Fae here.
♒ Please put up your own thread starter under the appropriate heading A, B or C.
jasminebloominginshadow: (holding back the pain)

[personal profile] jasminebloominginshadow 2014-08-23 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
Jasmine felt like she was walking on eggshells. She hadn't expected to get this kind of invite, but she felt she had to do something, given everything the group had put into going to Vegas. This was... this was their chance to make up for all of it.

And now, here she was in the thick of things, in the den of those who had killed people she'd known, being offered snacks.

Of course, she had to avoid showing this outwardly, and did her best to not look threatening.
jasminebloominginshadow: (unpleasant surprise)

[personal profile] jasminebloominginshadow 2014-08-23 03:09 am (UTC)(link)
Jasmine had expected all of this to go absolutely tits up, but she expected it to come from the cultists suddenly turning on everyone. Jasmine hissed as she looked around, trying to shield the people closest to her with her wing.

"EVERYONE!" she cried. "Come on over this way! I'll try to blast us out of here...!"
dragon_blossom: (A master is out)

[personal profile] dragon_blossom 2014-08-23 03:18 am (UTC)(link)
Marina doesn't really have much faith in a lobster-themed cult to really be all that useful, frankly. Despite how shaken up her worldview has been lately, she still has a religion that isn't built around crustaceans, and that bit of it just makes the whole affair seem silly to her.

There's a chance that it might matter, though, and Jasmine seemed to want to go, so that was that. "Pretty nice setup here."
jasminebloominginshadow: (more serious thoughts)

[personal profile] jasminebloominginshadow 2014-08-23 03:21 am (UTC)(link)
"Yeah, for something thrown together by a bunch of whackjobs," she said, voice low enough that only Marina would hear her while eying everything and everyone around her suspiciously.

She reached out and grasped Marina's hand, as if to say she was going to protect her.

"I wonder if they realize they're giving a whole bunch of shit away to us," she said, leaning in for a whisper. "Are they that delusional?"
dragon_blossom: (pic#1961972)

[personal profile] dragon_blossom 2014-08-23 03:31 am (UTC)(link)
"Yeah." She leaned is as well, although not as quiet of a whisper at first. "They totally are, I think."

Lobster worship.

Marina squeezed back, smiling despite the weird, and, maybe, possibly dangerous situation. "They like some of us for some reason."
jasminebloominginshadow: (listening)

[personal profile] jasminebloominginshadow 2014-08-23 03:35 am (UTC)(link)
"Yeah, like us enough to kill us," she said, shaking her head.

She blinked, before adding.

"The snacks are surprisingly good, though. No seafood, I noticed."
dragon_blossom: (A master is out)

[personal profile] dragon_blossom 2014-08-23 03:41 am (UTC)(link)
"We're on their good side for now." It probably won't be hard to change that. "No shrimp puffs or anything, yeah."
gogoghostpowers: (Phantom: there's something tiny there)

[personal profile] gogoghostpowers 2014-08-23 05:46 am (UTC)(link)
"Wow," Cure Phantom mutters with a glance down to the snacks in one hand and the cup of Kool-Aid in the other. "This is a lot like all the network parties we've had before. Just with a lot less snakes and a lot more...fans."
jasminebloominginshadow: (holding back the pain)

[personal profile] jasminebloominginshadow 2014-08-23 06:24 am (UTC)(link)
"If they're such big fans," Jasmine asked, "why the hell did they go after people that offered us places to stay?"

At that, she took one of those tiny sandwiches, and took a bite. Moodily.
onecream_fivesugar: Shaburdies.tumblr.com (Cheerios!)

[personal profile] onecream_fivesugar 2014-08-23 06:43 am (UTC)(link)
Speaking of fans! There's a certain fan of Cure Phantom wandering around. She was perfectly aware that Danny had been invited to the gathering thanks to the Cure Phantom tag on tumblr and had decided to come check out the place for herself after an alien gave her ice cream.

...What is her life?

She for the most part had avoided running into Danny, half by chance and half by actual skill. However, her luck shifts when she decides to look into getting something to eat. As she's on her way to the table she gets bumped on the shoulder by someone passing by which knocks her into the back of a certain white haired superhero. It takes Robyn a second to recover and realize just who she bumped into.

She has to think fast. She can't let the people around here know that she knows Cure Phantom, that could be used against him. ...Like it already had been. She couldn't run away because well... there were too many people around, and she'd likely run into someone or trip. Plus he could fly, it'd be easy for him to catch up to her.

That left her with one option. She grabbed onto his shoulders and started to shake him furiously. Her eyes beamed with excitement

"You! Are you Cure Phantom! Oh. My. God! That is soooooo cool! I'm your biggest fan!"
wirsinddiejager: AND SAY (YOU GOTTA LOOK INSIDE YOURSELF)

[personal profile] wirsinddiejager 2014-08-23 01:51 pm (UTC)(link)
"I could do with less of the creepy cult vibe," Alan mutters in response next to him.

If he's looking intensely uncomfortable and awkward, that's because he is. He hadn't really wanted to accept the invitation, but in the end curiosity had won out. And, he had to admit to himself, it's not like he's got anything better to do.
peacefulwinter: (Listen to me carefully.)

[personal profile] peacefulwinter 2014-08-23 02:52 pm (UTC)(link)
"That's the theme, isn't it? In Locke, it was [snakes] - whenever something was connected to us, we f-found snakes there. In Las Vegas... couldn't you say the theme is [lobster]? These people, at least one of the previous murders, that's what ties it all together, right? Or am I seeing things that aren't there?"

Winter is settling for water at the moment; knowing her luck, and as nervous as she is right now, she'll dump something that will stain on her nice outfit she was hoping to be able to wear to class soonish. Yes, this is actually bothering her for once.
peacefulwinter: ([D] Damn...!)

[personal profile] peacefulwinter 2014-08-23 03:00 pm (UTC)(link)
There's a bright flash as Winter shifts into Diamond with no fanfare whatsoever. "Jasmine, wait! If we go outside, something's going to fall on us! For now, this place is safe!" She shakes her head, and holds out a hand, light coalescing above it into her Love Heart Arrow, which falls into her waiting palm. "If that changes, blast away, but for now we need to keep everyone we care about in one place!" The cultists are worth saving, of course, but if the choice is between her precious people and the lobster-worshippers, it's not a choice at all.

"Hey, you on the stage! I'm going to try to keep the water cool enough to move in! When it stops b-boiling, run! Leave everything else, we can get it later!"

She has a plan. But she also knows that no plan survives first contact with the enemy, and right now her enemies are time and nature themselves. Still... her other will have words with her in heaven if this all goes belly-up and she didn't even try. "Precure... Diamond Shower!" The ringing of the tambourine, eerily audible even over the deafening sound of the earthquake, heralds the coming storm. Which heads for the pool bearing the cultists, and then into the water itself. Hopefully they're willing to listen to reason.
chalicejoker: (Joker2)

[personal profile] chalicejoker 2014-08-23 04:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Hajime's in his bug monster form, mingling around the area as the Lord of the Bugmen. He is not entirely comfortable here, mostly because he's never been a fan of big social gatherings, not even when he's at least got a hammy bug monster persona to hide behind. There is, of course, also the matter of being here at the invitation of a murderous cult full of crazy people, which has left him quietly vowing not to touch anything that looks like Kool-Aid.

He is, however, kind of awkwardly holding an open jar of mustard because some cultist thought he would like it.
Edited (but I had to make this more ridiculous) 2014-08-23 16:24 (UTC)
bridgeburning: (014)

[personal profile] bridgeburning 2014-08-23 04:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Goodness, look who's here! Badri may have mentioned to some of the numbered he met selling ice cream that he'd be coming, but they'd be forgiven for assuming he'd flake out. After all, he seems to be the spaciest and least reliable doofus to have ever lived.

Still, here he is! Munching away on a family-sized bag of Doritos, by all accounts. Noisily. He's approaching people he recognises as Numbered here and there to strike up conversation - try to avoid him spraying chip crumbs all over you, guys, he's not good at the whole don't talk with your mouth full thing yet.

"It's called Refined Shell, you know." Munch munch munch. "Or that's what they told me. The crab thing."
radiantchicken: (there are really)

[personal profile] radiantchicken 2014-08-23 04:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Torin, being as obviously Numbered as he is and already wearing some nice white robes, has found himself ushered onstage. He's not really sure about this whole thing, but he's at least going to be polite to the strange humans, regardless of how he feels about their ideas. There's a lot of troubled "Hrm"-ing and mustache-stroking.
alilyinthemoonslight: (Yuri - Side eye)

[personal profile] alilyinthemoonslight 2014-08-23 04:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Lily had arrived with Winter, with a mild feeling that if she ever had to be asked the question, "what's the weirdest date you two ever had?" she has a front runner as to the answer. For the most part, she's trying to keep herself mostly quiet, hanging near Winter or Jasmine primarily - at least, as far as the cultists go. She'll engage in any familiar Numbered she sees openly.

One distinct thing however, is that she seems a little more on edge than normal. Maybe a little jumpier, or looking around a bit more warily. It's not just for the cultists. The last she was in Las Vegas, it... hadn't ended well and she'd last remembered it drugged up on painkillers but still in horrible pain. The memory's all that much more vivid being back in the city, having had to go through the hotel she'd been laid up in, seeing the streets she'd bled out on.

She's keeping herself together, but she is notably concerned.
abhero: illbillyou @ lj (you don't understand serious depression)

[personal profile] abhero 2014-08-23 04:32 pm (UTC)(link)
“I keep expecting something weird to happen,” Emil says.

His arms are firmly crossed and he keeps looking over to the cultists, apprehensively. Curisoity got the better of him and so far everyone has been nothing but eager and friendly, yet he still can't help but wonder if the whole thing isn’t just a ploy to lure in and hurt Numbers.

“Are you sure these are safe?” He points at the snacks in Danny’s hand.
alilyinthemoonslight: (Moonlight - 065)

[personal profile] alilyinthemoonslight 2014-08-23 04:40 pm (UTC)(link)
There's another flash not terribly far away, and Cure Moonlight is behind them. She touches the brooch on her chest and a shimmering cape sprouts out over her shoulders. She wasn't flying away just yet, but she was damned well prepared to scoop up Winter and do that the moment necessary.

She still holds a look in her eyes that shows nervousness, but the chaos is oddly helpful towards focusing. "Right, we can't just leave a bunch of people to die," she murmurs. Even if they are crazy, homicidal, and likely responsible for the deaths of people they knew. One hand clenches into a notable fist, but she casts her glance at Jasmine. "If we need to get out, neither of us are going to have a problem doing so."

As another tremor ripples beneath them she has to brace herself a bit. "I'm a little more worried about what these earthquakes mean!"
abhero: (huh?)

[personal profile] abhero 2014-08-23 04:53 pm (UTC)(link)
“What’s with the jar?”

Emil looks equally awkward, having just escaped a couple of overly eager cultists who kept shaking his hand and tell him how happy they are he’s here to “better” himself.
savethenpcs: (Cult Symbol)

[personal profile] savethenpcs 2014-08-23 05:35 pm (UTC)(link)
One of the higher ups, a petite woman about thirty-five or so who had spoken about recruitment drives and how to best appeal to non-believers, approaches Torin first.

"Welcome, Child of the..." Don't say Egg, don't say Egg. "...Shell. Thank you for honoring us with your presence."
savethenpcs: (Cultist)

[personal profile] savethenpcs 2014-08-23 05:38 pm (UTC)(link)
"Is everything alright?"

An older cultist, a tall man, approaches Lily with a bottle of water. "You seem a little stressed. Was the trip uncomfortable?"

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