revivalproject | All the World In Front of Me

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All the World In Front of Me

WHO: Donnie and you!
WHERE: Temba
WHAT: Trying not to roast
WHEN: Mid to late July
WARNINGS: N/A
NOTES: Will match tag format/preference!

I. Evaporate
One might have thought it impossible to kind of miss the Calibrations space but at least it was climate-controlled! The weather's been absolutely hideous, not to mention dry, something Donnie's not used to. It makes things difficult to concentrate on, even with a fan blowing in your face.

Even summers in New York were never this bad. He could almost be fooled into thinking he was stuck in stage one of the flu, except that it had never lasted for days. Then again, given how hard it is to tell the difference for the time of day with how consistent the temperature is holding, he's not sure how long it's been. Going outside seems out of the question, but he still risks it just so he can check on his poor plant experiments out in Blue-04.

This is definitely not an ideal climate for a soft-shelled turtle, but the boy can't not tend to his plants, even if what he can ultimately use is a soak in a nice big pool. He'd thought to lug some water out to the poor, wilting garden but now he's regretting not saving some for him to dunk his head in. He huddles in the meager shade of what's still standing of the ruins it resides in, trying not to cook as he tries to mentally plot the quickest course to finding cover.

II. Rest and Recharge
Thankfully the beach is more tolerable, and the water feels good to stand in. It's not the most ideal place to really relax for all the waves, but it's some respite from the heat at least. He might just go for a swim anyway.

Of course if any of those pesky lobsters get too close and prove to be a nuisance, they're going to see what it's like to be used as a giant croquet ball. They fly pretty far when they're whacked with a rocket-boosted mallet! Head's up!

Time at the beach is only partially for play, however. Donnie does have research to do, after all! He has some things to research and materials to gather in the caverns. And maybe at least it'll be cooler in the depths?

III. When Turtles Fly
Rocket-boots had never been something he'd ever considered making but now he wishes he had because. They. Are. Amazing!

Tony said these babies can break the sound barrier. Donnie is absolutely going to test this out.

As a self-proclaimed adrenaline enthusiast, there has been nothing stopping Donnie from testing their limits. Well, except for the heat, but if you go fast enough and high enough... Huh. What's the range on these anyway? Yet one more thing to find out.

It's both strange and exhilarating using tech that hasn't been built by him, that was made for him- maybe the most bizarre part of it. They're so much cooler than a skateboard- he doesn't need a ramp to do any tricks!

Heights have never been a problem for him and clearly neither have drops as he boosts himself up high and then lets himself freefall some before catching himself in midair and zipping along again. The heat may still be present but at least he doesn't have to walk in it!

Of course once he gets high up enough, he can catch a pretty good glimpse of that new rock formation to the southeast, and it does not look promising...

IV. DiY
((OOC: AKA choose your own adventure/wildcard!))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Maybe? Or they're all just as brain-fried."

Donnie looks a little sheepish at the reminder, at least.

"Erm, well aside from hoping to cool off, I was meaning to get a few more crystals from the caverns. ...have you been in there, by any chance?"

"Maybe it's like when you put a frog in water and gradually heat it up?"

It makes sense in his head, shut up.

"Ooo, I haven't been there yet! Somehow. I don't come out this way too often."

"That's awful and begs the question of who or what might be doing the heating up."

He finishes the rest of his water, pointing the bottle back out towards the beach. "I first came out there looking for the hot springs- that was back when things were colder. They're deep in the caverns too. But I guess I went the wrong way and ended up finding some old caches of...I don't know, random things. Some parts I hope I can use. But then the crystals- they're what's used to make the energy rods that power things around here, but they have to be refined. In their raw form and natural setting though, they're like... I don't know. It's weird. There's weird effects. I was told they amplify people's abilities- supernatural ones and the like."

"Well whatever it is, it's probably worth looking into."

Maybe it's important, but right now it's not nearly as interesting as these caverns are starting to sound. Sonic follows Donnie's bottle pointing, his eyes settling on the beach while Donnie explains his nifty cavern findings.

"Amplify people's abilities, huh. We have something kinda similar back home, only there's only seven of 'em and they're a pretty much limitless source of power. In my experience, that sort of thing can be real dangerous in the wrong hands."

"Probably."

Donnie would be more eager to do so if the heat wasn't so much of a thing.

"Yeah? Hm. Well, that's probably true. I'm not sure what's sourcing the crystal's energy, probably something connected to the planet. But once it's removed from the cavern, it doesn't hold the same ability so far as I can tell. Probably needs to be concentrated and consistent. Even then, the effects are only temporary once you're outside of the cave."

He pulls something from one of the pouches on his belt, a roughly hewn crystal shard small enough to sit in one's palm. "I'd had a few of them when we were stuck in that Calibrations tunnel thing, but it seemed like just being in there was sapping the power," he says as he holds it out to Sonic.

Sonic hops up from his spot and makes his way over to Donnie's tree (with no trouble! He seems to be feeling better). He takes the little crystal from Donnie's hand and looks it over curiously.

"Weird. So the crystals themselves aren't necessarily doing it, but probably something in the cave itself? Maybe it's something underground?"

"Maybe? The crystals might be just an outlet, or even a physical manifestation of whatever energy there is." Donnie fingers his chin again, sighing.

"There's so much we don't know about this world. And then we're still expected to fix things. It's kind of annoying, really, but I guess it can't be helped if the ones who supposedly lived here can't even set foot on the planet out of fear of some storm coming up."

"Hm..."

Sonic goes silent for a moment while he thinks all this weird, annoying shit over. Sure would be nice if the Agrii could give them more information on all of this stuff, but it is what it is.

"Between the storms messing with our powers, and these weird crystals amplifying them in the caves, it makes me wonder if there's some sort of connection there? Having that many different sources physically affecting us like that, operating independently of each other, it seems like a weird coincidence."

Donnie nods thoughtfully at that. "Yeah... That's a good point. And come to think of it, no one that I know who have powers weren't using them in that place we were stuck in. If the crystals amplify powers, then maybe Calibrations was also nullifying them the same way they were sapping the crystals..?"

He had more questions he needed to ask people, apparently. "I've heard that the storms might be artificial somehow though- not natural. But what can do something like that, to that scale? Unless there's like...some kind of opposite to the crystals that's being used. Or not even that, but an energy siphon of sorts."

"Maybe an energy siphon of some sort would actually explain the storms, especially if they aren't natural. If you siphon energy from one source, it has to go somewhere, right? If there isn't some specific point for that energy to go, or if maybe wherever it's being siphoned to is full or something, it makes sense that excess energy could just seep out into the air."

Hence the storms, maybe? He's not sure. Sonic's no science guy, but he does have a lot of experience with mad scientists and other wacky shit that involves super charged magic gems. It makes sense in his head.

"Hmmmm...that is an excellent point. Which still leaves the question of how, but that theory's a lot more plausible than anything else I've heard."

And then there's the matter of that tunnel and the rooms that it hides away. Donnie drums his fingers against a kneepad before he digs out a notepad and a pencil from his beltpouch. His lack of his usual computer is still annoying but at least he can still make notes, and these can't be hacked into.

"I was wondering if the caves would actually neutralize the storm effects. Going to have to test that. ...granted whenever one actually hits, it isn't as debilitating as advertised." It's no walk in the park getting out here, after all.

"Yeah, from what everyone's told me, going out in a storm sounds like a terrible idea," Sonic says, pausing briefly before adding, "so if you do decide to try getting to the cave in a storm, hit me up because I'll totally go with you!"

Sonic no you're supposed to try to convince people to NOT do dangerous things.

Because Donnie totally needs an enabler.

The turtle blinks and then grins. "Well, if you're volunteering," he says, holding out a fist.

"I guess we should probably figure out where to find each other in the case that the network goes down."

OOO FIST BUMP, Sonic is all about this. Donnie gets his fist bump!

"I don't really stay anywhere in particular, but I imagine I could find you pretty quick just taking a run through town. Unless a storm knocks my speed out, I guess. Where do you usually hang out?"

Aw yeah.

"Yeah, I'm not sure how the storm might affect that," Donnie says, nodding as he frowns again.

"Well, normally I'd be at the forge or the greenhouse. I've got a temporary workshop too," he says, pulling out his tablet to show Sonic the location.

And Sonic leans over to take a look!

"Gotcha. So how about if there's no storm, I'll just find you, but if there is one we pick some central location and meet up there? Like the fountain, maybe?"

"...know what, that makes a lot more sense. Yeah, let's do it that way," Donnie agrees after a moment. He imagines things might be difficult enough to find a person during a storm with whatever else might be thrown at them.

At least they have something of a plan. Which...isn't much, all things considered, but it's a start, and it's not like they have much to go on otherwise!

"Sounds good to me. Think fast!"

By the way Sonic still has that crystal chunk, he flicks it into the air with his thumb towards Donnie.

"Anyway, I think the world's finally stopped spinning. Need help hauling crystals?"

That is not the greatest phrase to use as a head's up for someone like Donnie. "Huh-? Ow!"

Perhaps predictably, it bounces off of his face, maybe a minor retribution for hurtling a lobster into Sonic's. He flails a bit, juggling the crystal between his hands a few times before finally getting a grasp on the thing with a huff.

"Well I don't mean to get that much," he notes, rubbing his face with one hand as he tucks the crystal back into his pouch. "But I don't mind if you tag along."

HAH. Yeah no Sonic doesn't feel bad about bouncing the crystal off Donnie's face. Maybe he would have if it had actually hurt him, but Donnie's a tough turtle, he can handle it.

"Great! I can't promise I won't touch anything."

Just a head's up.

He's had a lot of experience with things bouncing off his face and head, it's true.

Donnie looks at him with a crooked grin. "Well, it won't be any different than if my brothers were along in that regard," he notes dryly as he gets to his feet.

"Just um...let me know if you start to feel weird in there or anything. I know you're fast and all but I'm not sure what else you might be able to do that might be amplified."

"Oh yeah, I'll be sure to let you know."

Sonic finishes his water and caps the bottle, aaand now he has this bottle. He's not going to be a jerk to nature and leave it laying around.

"Usually when I come into contact with overcharged gems, it just cranks all my natural abilities up to eleven. oh, also I turn all shiny and gold and I can fly, that's a thing. It's pretty cool." That's totally normal, right? "That's just what the Chaos Emeralds back home do though, I won't know if the crystals here do anything special until I see 'em."

Donnie blinks and then holds his bag out if Sonic wants to deposit his empty bottle since the hedgehog's clearly got no visible pockets.

"-okay there is so much going on in what you just said right now." He squints. "You turn gold? And fly? Because of some crystals? Wow. Is this a magic thing? I feel like this is a magic thing."

Sonic tosses his bottle into the bag! He is naked he has no pockets.

"I don't think they're magic or anything, just super powerful. Like, in a reality bending sort of way? I've seen a guy freeze time with one, another dude used em' to power hulking death machines and stuff, I can use 'em to get super powers. The possibilities are literally endless.

"That...sounds even crazier but if it's all energy then there's got to be a scientific explanation for the effects," Donnie concludes. "Where were they found, how were they made? Those sorts of details would probably shed some light on how they could have such a range of powers."

He's a bit reluctant to depart from the shade of the trees but heads out towards the beach again, his feet at least saved from the grit and warmth of the sand as he more or less skates a foot above it.

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