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Chili
Jan 23, 2004

college kids ain't shit


Fun Shoe

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Sitting Here
Dec 31, 2007
I want to post the week 400 prompt but i want a fresh new page

edit: OH gently caress HERE WE GO

Flesnolk
Apr 11, 2012
verb
verb: prompt; 3rd person present: prompts; past tense: prompted; past participle: prompted; gerund or present participle: prompting
1.
(of an event or fact) cause or bring about (an action or feeling).
"his death has prompted an industry-wide investigation of safety violations"
Similar:
give rise to
bring about
cause
occasion
result in
lead to
elicit
produce
bring on
engender
induce
call forth
evoke
precipitate
trigger
spark off
provoke
instigate
Opposite:
deter
restrain
cause (someone) to take a course of action.
"a demonstration by 20,000 people prompted the government to step up security"
Similar:
induce
make
move
cause
motivate
lead
dispose
persuade
incline
encourage
stimulate
prod
impel
spur on
urge
inspire
provoke
incite
Opposite:
discourage
2.
assist or encourage (a hesitating speaker) to say something.
"“And the picture?” he prompted"
Similar:
remind
cue
give someone a cue
help out
coach
feed
jog someone's memory
refresh someone's memory
supply a forgotten word or line to (an actor) during the performance of a play.
COMPUTING
(of a computer) request input from (a user).
noun
noun: prompt; plural noun: prompts
1.
an act of assisting or encouraging a hesitating speaker.
"with barely a prompt, Barbara talked on"
a word or phrase spoken as a reminder to an actor of a forgotten word or line.
Similar:
reminder
cue
feed
another term for prompter.
COMPUTING
a message or symbol on a screen to show that the system is waiting for input.
2.
the time limit for the payment of an account, as stated on a prompt note.
adjective
adjective: prompt
done without delay; immediate.
"the owner would have died but for the prompt action of two paramedics"
Similar:
quick
swift
rapid
speedy
fast
direct
immediate
instant
instantaneous
expeditious
early
punctual
in good time
on time
timely
ready
willing
eager
unhesitating
rathe
Opposite:
slow
late
unwilling
(of a person) acting without delay.
"the fans were prompt and courteous in complying with police requests"
(of goods) for immediate delivery and payment.

Sitting Here
Dec 31, 2007
:toot: :siren: Thunderdome week 400: If you lived here, you'd be Void by now! :siren: :toot:



Previous Voidmart weeks:
Voidmart 1
Voidmart 2
Voidmart 3
Voidmart 4




The setting

VoidTower One by Voidmart is the world's first completely self-sufficient residential megatower, boasting thousands of housing units, nearly two hundred restaurants, several grocery stores, and all the shopping and entertainment amenities a 21st century consumer could dream of. It was designed with centuries of residency in mind, funded by the limitless resources of Voidmart, and built to withstand virtually anything that man, nature, or god can muster.


The situation

A mysterious, anomalous event in tower security has caused the impenetrable blast shields to activate, trapping staff, residents, and [redacted] inside. Your character(s) will fall into one of two factions:

Team Jailbreaker: Human(oid)s of various origins, trapped inside the vertical city with nothing to do except cower in their units or ascend to the top of the tower and solve the mystery of the anomaly.

Team Voidstricken: Maybe they're human, maybe they're management, maybe they're something quite other; either way, they probably know what's up at the top of the tower, and will stop at nothing to prevent the jailbreakers from reaching it.


Common areas

This information is only here to help you visualize the setting. You don't have to set your stories in these locations if you don't want to. Since the world of Voidmart is a somewhat magical place, it's entirely possible that the tower looks a little different from story to story ;)

The mezzanine

Located just above the grand entrance, the mezzanine is the lowest floor currently accessible to Jailbreakers and Voidstricken alike. Fountains and gardens give the space a park-like feel, while various shops and restaurants scattered throughout the greenery offer residents an unobtrusive retail experience. Notable shops include the Golden Bean Cafe, a beloved staple of the Void Inc. family.

The big shaft

The big shaft is a bank of public elevators that extends from the mezzanine all the way to the top of VoidTower One. Presently, the elevators are not operational due to a small hiccup in the security system :)

Emergency stairs

For the strong of calf and thigh, there is a series of emergency stairwells that could, theoretically, allow residents (and others) to move between floors, though the fire exits themselves are blocked by the blast shields.

Residential units

The thousands of virtually identical residential units are populated by virtually identical furniture and trinkets—all lovingly crafted Void Inc. merchandise, of course. Each unit comes standard with a VOID virtual reality device, which residents are regularly encouraged to utilize.

The observation deck, AKA "The Top"

Under normal circumstances, this verdant rooftop garden offers the most spectacular view in the world. As of this writing, residents have been strongly warned to make no attempt whatsoever to reach the observation deck. This seems to be the source of the anomaly that tripped the security system and activated the blast shields.

Team Jailbreak: you don't know what the hell is going on up there, but you might be able to reach the top with great difficulty.

Team Voidstricken: you know what's going on at the top (or at least, you have some idea), can go there at your leisure, and will stop at nothing to prevent the Jailbreakers from getting there.


:siren: THIS PART IS THE RULES, READ THIS PART EVEN IF YOU SKIMMED ALL THE ABOVE WORDS :siren:

After you sign up, I will assign you to one of the two teams mentioned above: Jailbreaker or Voidstricken. You don't get to choose. I will tell you which team you're on.

If you are on Team Jailbreaker: Your character(s) is trying to get to the top of VoidTower One and solve the mystery of the anomaly. They don't have to necessarily reach the top, but that's the general idea.

If you are on Team Voidstricken: Your character(s) are trying to prevent the Jailbreakers from reaching the top of VoidTower One.

Along with a winner of the week, there will be a winning team—the group that I feel told the highest number of good stories. The winner of the week does not necessarily have to come from the winning team, though.

Collaboration is encouraged, but by no means mandatory. You are free to tell the story of VoidTower One however you like, so long as you follow the basic guidelines in this post.

Flash rules available on request. See PAQ below for details.

See the bottom of the post for wordcount and deadlines.


Preemptively Answered Questions (PAQ)

Q: What is Voidmart?

Voidmart is a shared setting that has been the subject of four previous prompts, which are linked near the top of this post. In short: it is sort of a Lovecraftian parody of the chain big box store—an unholy amalgam of retail giants, sprinkled with a dusting of sinister magic. This prompt is the first to not take place in the megastore itself, so it's a great place to get in on the ground floor, as it were.

Stories in this setting can be any genre and any tone, so long as you incorporate some of the reasonably vague setting details I've offered you in this post.

Q: Do the details of my story have to match up with other people's stories?

No! You can tell a story that is completely your own. You get to decide all of the major details, such as: the truth about what's happening at the top of the building, whether or not the residents ultimately escape, who the antagonist is (if there is one), and so on.

You can also choose to collaborate with others if you want; there will be special event channels on Discord to facilitate this, but it's not mandatory.

Q: Did you steal the premise and flavor image from the 2012 film Dredd, starring Karl Urban?

Yes! Yes I very much did!

Q: Can my story take place outside the tower?

No! Emphatic no. I will accept endings where characters somehow escape, but otherwise everything needs to take place within or on top of the tower.

Q: So let me get this straight—the Jailbreakers are the good guys, and the Voidstricken are the bad guys?

No! Members of Team Voidstricken may have very good reasons for limiting access to the top of the tower, while Team Jailbreaker may have sinister reasons for wanting to gain access. You, the writer, get to decide!

Q: Are you assigning flashrules?

Yes! If you want one, just ask. Flashrules might offer your character a secondary goal, a unique Voidmart brand device, or a unique role within VoidTower One.

Q: Can I set my story inside a Voidmart inside VoidTower One?

Please don't. You could, but...don't.

Q: What do I get if I win this week?

Unlike regular weeks, the winner of this week will not judge the following week. Instead, you will receive a prize!

Q: You have said a lot of stuff in this post. How uptight are you about prompt adherence?

This is a party week so people should have fun. As long as I can tell you made a good faith effort to get into the spirit of the week, I'm not going to penalize a little bit of coloring outside of the lines.


Boilerplate stuff

No erotica, fanfic, poetry, political screeds, Google docs, or weird formatting.

Signup deadline: Friday, April 3, at 11:59:59PM PST
Submission deadline: Sunday, April 5, at 11:59:59 PM PST
Wordcount: 1500 words
Discord: Keep an eye out for special event channels on the Thunderdome Discord! PM me or a goon you trust for an invite, or tell us in-thread how to contact you if you don't have PMs.

Management
:)
COO Djeser
Muffin

Teams:

Something Else posted:

I'm in, flash me

Team: Voidstricken
You get a character role! Your story features at least one janitor who's seen too much (veteran janitor)!

Pththya-lyi posted:

In with a flash!

Team: Jailbreaker
You get a special item! New from Voidmart, it's the OculOrb GO!, often called the Oculo by users. This plug-and-play mobile eyeball can be worn in-socket OR remotely operated using any smart phone.

sparksbloom posted:

In and flash

Team: Voidstricken
You get a character role! Your story features at least one VoidTower One surveillance technician—the eyes of the security apparatus.

Armack posted:

In, flash

Team: Jailbreaker
You get a special item! new from Voidmart, it's the Peacemaker! This state-of-the-art chest implant uses the electrical activity of the heart to project a calming (or potentially stupefying) field around the user. Does not affect the wearer. Can be controlled using any smart phone, effective in a seven foot radius.


Team: Voidstricken
You get a secondary motivation! In addition to your team motivation, your character(s) wants to preserve a rare plant or animal specimen.


Team: Jailbreaker
You get a character role! Your story features at least one undercover investigator. Since you are on Team Jailbreaker, they cannot on Voidmart's payroll.

Simply Simon posted:

Into the Void, in a flash

Team: Voidstricken
You get a character role! Your story features at least one [redacted]! They are the [garbled noises, crystaline chimes] of VoidTower One!

QuoProQuid posted:

In and flash

Team: Jailbreaker
You get a secondary motivation! In addition to your team motivation, your character(s) wants to get an important message to the outside.



Team: Voidstricken
You get a special item! New from Voidmart, it's the Universal Fingerprint! This baby didn't come cheap. Can bypass most fingerprint-based security measures, including those on smartphones and keypads.


Team: Jailbreaker
You get a secondary motivation! In addition to your team motivation, your character(s) wants to hide the evidence!


Team: Voidstricken
You get a special item! New from Voidmart, it's the SpectrAway Spray! Also known as ghost spray or ghost repellant. Does what it says on the can; eliminates ghosts in a minute or less.

Doctor Eckhart posted:

I’m holding up both hands in enthusiasm!

Also flash me pls.

Team: Jailbreaker
You get a secondary motivation! In addition to your team motivation, your character(s) wants to end a secret conflict.


Team: Voidstricken
You get a secondary motivation! In addition to your team motivation, your character(s) wants to obtain recognition from management.

Staggy posted:

In, flash.

Team: Jailbreaker
You get a secondary motivation! In addition to your team motivation, your character(s) wants to control an item of great value or power.

steeltoedsneakers posted:

Ugh fine. Flash.

Team: Voidstricken
You get a character role! Your story features at least one member of VoidTower One management, the unholy minds behind the megatower.


Team: Jailbreaker
You get a character role! Your story features at least one entertainer or member of an entertainment group.

sebmojo posted:

In flash

Team: Voidstricken
You get a secondary motivation! In addition to your team motivation, your character(s) wants to find the music hidden in the vents.

Adam Vegas posted:

In and flash.

Team: Jailbreaker
You get a special item! New from Voidmart, it's the PhoTonic Flask! This handsome vessel can capture and store light.

Chairchucker posted:

in

edit: also flash

Team: Voidstricken
You get a character role! Your story features at least one janitor who has seen too little (they're new on the job).

flerp posted:

in flash

Team: Jailbreaker
You get a character role! Your story features at least one visitor to the tower. They're not a resident at all!

Thranguy posted:

In, flash

Team: Voidstricken
You get a special item! New from Voidmart, it's the return of the classic Void-in-a-Can! An all-purpose void, ready to deploy anywhere, any time.

Yoruichi posted:

in flash gimme gimme

Team: Jailbreaker
You get a character motivation! In addition to your team motivation, your character(s) wants to find eternal life.

Antivehicular posted:

In and flash.

Team: Voidstricken
You get a character role! Your story features at least one VoidTower One surveillance technician—the eyes of the security apparatus.

Flesnolk posted:

In, flash.

prompt

Team: Jailbreaker
You get a character role! Your story features at least one psychic or medium. They're the real deal!

Applewhite posted:

In, flash.

Team: Voidstricken
You get a special item! New from Voidmart, it's the Etho-Optics emotion-seeking goggles! Find any feeling within a thirty yard diameter.


Team: Jailbreaker
You get a character role! Your story features at least one indie journalist.


Team: Voidstricken
You get a secondary motivation! In addition to your team motivation, your character(s) wants to establish a sovereign nation within the tower.


Team: Jailbreaker
You get a character role! Your story features at least one undercover investigator! Since you are on Team Jailbreaker, they cannot on Voidmart's payroll.

Carl Killer Miller posted:

Failed two weeks in a row, gotta get in this time.

Flash rule, please.

Team: Voidstricken
You get a special item! New from Voidmart, it's the InfiniBreeze Ring! Unleash a personal mini-tornado from the comfort and convenience of your hand!

SlipUp posted:

In, flash.

Team: Jailbreaker
You get a special item! New from Voidmart, it's the Health Pilot BioDrone! The latest in quantum drone computing, this baby not only reads the user's biometrics but stores them safely inside its memory, rendering the user virtually invincible so long as the drone remains operational.


Team: Voidstricken
You get a secondary motivation! In addition to your team motivation, your character(s) wants to take revenge on someone else in the tower.

crimea posted:

In Flash.

Team: Jailbreaker
you get a special item! New from Voidmart, it's the Handheld Repeater! Point the unit at anything you might want a second chance at.


Ceighk posted:

In, flash, :toxx:

Team: Voidstricken
You get a character role! Your story features at least one [redacted]! They are the [garbled noises, crystaline chimes] of VoidTower One!

Hawklad posted:

IN, flash me!

Team: Jailbreaker
You get a character role! Your story features at least one acrobat or stunt person.

Pththya-lyi posted:

In with a flash!

Team: Voidstricken
You get a special item! New from Voidmart, it's the Special Edition Deluxe Fluxator! "Cause and effect"? Boring. Mix up your timeline with the Fluxator! Effective in a radius of fifteen feet. Can flux up to five minutes at a time.
I hosed this up and quoted Pththya twice. They are on team jailbreaker. For simplicity's sake, everything else will stay the same.


Team: Jailbreaker
You get a character role! Your story features at least one occult practitioner.


Team: Voidstricken

Azza Bamboo posted:

In and flash

Team: Jailbreaker
You get a secondary motivation! In addition to your team motivation, your character(s) wants to defy the programming.

dmboogie posted:

good a time as any to poke my head back in with a flash

Team: Voidstricken
You get a character role! Your story features at least one VoidTower One surveillance technician—the eyes of the security apparatus.


Team: Jailbreaker
You get a secondary motivation! In addition to your team motivation, your character(s) wants to work with someone difficult.

Sitting Here fucked around with this message at 23:59 on Apr 8, 2020

Antivehicular
Dec 30, 2011


I wanna sing one for the cars
That are right now headed silent down the highway
And it's dark and there is nobody driving And something has got to give

In and flash.

Flesnolk
Apr 11, 2012
In, flash.

prompt

Thranguy
Apr 21, 2010


Deceitful and black-hearted, perhaps we are. But we would never go against the Code. Well, perhaps for good reasons. But mostly never.
In, flash

Yoruichi
Sep 21, 2017


Horse Facts

True and Interesting Facts about Horse


in flash gimme gimme

Chairchucker
Nov 14, 2006

to ride eternal, shiny and chrome

THUNDERDOME LOSER 2022




in

edit: also flash

Chairchucker fucked around with this message at 09:42 on Mar 30, 2020

flerp
Feb 25, 2014
in flash

sebmojo
Oct 23, 2010


Legit Cyberpunk









In flash

Adam Vegas
Apr 14, 2013



In and flash.

steeltoedsneakers
Jul 26, 2016





Ugh fine. Flash.

Lily Catts
Oct 17, 2012

Show me the way to you
(Heavy Metal)
In, flash

Profane Accessory
Feb 23, 2012

In, flash.

Staggy
Mar 20, 2008

Said little bitch, you can't fuck with me if you wanted to
These expensive
These is red bottoms
These is bloody shoes


In, flash.

The Saddest Rhino
Apr 29, 2009

Put it all together.
Solve the world.
One conversation at a time.



in and flash

Doctor Eckhart
Dec 23, 2019

THUNDERDOME LOSER 2020
I’m holding up both hands in enthusiasm!

Also flash me pls.

BeefSupreme
Sep 14, 2007

to ride eternal, shiny and chrome

THUNDERDOME LOSER 2022
in flash

Anomalous Blowout
Feb 13, 2006

rock
ice
storm
abyss



It makes no attempt to sound human. It is atoms and stars.

*
In flash yes.

Simply Simon
Nov 6, 2010

📡scanning🛰️ for good game 🎮design🦔🦔🦔
Into the Void, in a flash

QuoProQuid
Jan 12, 2012

Tr*ckin' and F*ckin' all the way to tha
T O P

In and flash

Black Griffon
Mar 12, 2005

Now, in the quantum moment before the closure, when all become one. One moment left. One point of space and time.

I know who you are. You are destiny.


flashbang

a friendly penguin
Feb 1, 2007

trolling for fish

In and flash

sparksbloom
Apr 30, 2006
In and flash

Saucy_Rodent
Oct 24, 2018

by Pragmatica

Saucy_Rodent posted:

:toxx: to post my story for this week by sunday

Didn’t finish but I’ll post what I have anyways so I don’t eat the toxx

A Friends of Crows

He arrived at Webster’s Hall, briefcase in hand, seldom-used suit worn and poorly tied tie tied. He came through the Neo-Gothic hall to the conference room, where the Council met.

“So,” said the old man at the head of the table, Hieronymous Webster XIX, wearing the goldest of gold bow ties. “You’re Landon Lyndon London, linguist. You are here to suggest a new word for Webster’s Dictionary, the Dictionary that says what the words are. After a new word is added to our great Dictionary, it becomes part of the vocabulary of humanity. Because that’s how it works.”

“Hmm,” said the man to his left.

“Most indubitably,” said the man to his right.

“Please, Mr. London, begin your demonstration,” said Mr. Webster. “Though there is not much reason for hope. It will take a great of linguistic dexterity to convince us that there is reason for us to add a new to our fine Webster’s Dictionary.”

“Well, I, um…” said Landon, dropping his briefcase on the ground, where it popped open to reveal a great deal of cramped papers. The bowtied men around the room chortled. Landon gathered his papers in humiliation.

“So, you guys know what crows are,” said Landon.

“Yes,” said one of the men in the back of the room, chewing on his unlit cigar. “What hideous, unrefined creatures.”

“Yes,” said another man in the hall while overlooking his game of correspondence chess. “I do hope you’re here to suggest a grosser word for those ugly animals. Perhaps ‘bluh-pukes’ or ‘negroid-birds.’”

“Actually, ‘crow’ is not the word I hope to replace,” said Landon timidly. “I hope to replace the word for a group of crows.”

“Bah, no!” said another man. “‘Murder’ is the perfect word for such an awful gathering, as sure as my name is Professor Brentleyton Chesterpool!”

“I must agree with my colleague, the esteemed Professor Brentleyton Chesterpool,” said Mr. Webster. “Crows, in the parlance of the youngest of the youth, suck. An entire community of them, by Thirstron’s Fourth Law of Enmultiplicification must thereby suck even harder. Such a community deserves no more dignified a categorization than ‘murder.’”

“Hmm,” said the man to his left.

“That can certainly not be dubited,” said the man to his right.

“We shall hear your case,” said Mr. Webster. “Though only because we are all bound by the strict ethical rules for the Dictionarial Hearings of Webster Hall. Please continue your fruitless endeavor.”

Landon looked at his shoes as he talked. “The scientific evidence suggests that crows are highly social animals. We shouldn’t look at a group of them and call them a murder, we should call them...a friends.”

Landon opened his suitcase, which is a thing he had this whole time, and set his “A Friends of Crows” display sign on the oaken table. There was a murmur of satisfaction about the Council.

“I think I speak for all of us when I say that after seeing this cartoon’d image of two crows embracing in what the common-folk would call a ‘hug’ that our opinion of the avian animal of the family corvus has been irrevocably changed,” said Mr. Webster. “That does not mean we don’t have any concerns. If we reclassify a ‘murder’ as a ‘friends,’ how are we to be sure that the commoners will think of ‘friends’ as those united by bonds of affection and not as the nineties-slash-thousands sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman and starring an ensemble cast that includes but is not limited to Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, and Matt LeBlanc?”

“Indeed, that is troubling,” said a deep-voiced man near the middle of the left side of the table, the only black man on the Council.

“I agree with my colleague Mr. James Earl Jones regarding his assessment of this matter’s troublingness,” said Professor Chesterpool. “Have you considered this matter, Mr. London?”

“I have,” said Landon. “And though there may be some confusion, we should remember that viewership of Friends is high, both in its original run and its current home on streaming platforms. The association is positive.”

Armack
Jan 27, 2006
In, flash

Uranium Phoenix
Jun 20, 2007

Boom.

In, flash

Applewhite
Aug 16, 2014

by vyelkin
Nap Ghost
In, flash.

Tyrannosaurus
Apr 12, 2006
In, flash.

Anomalous Amalgam
Feb 13, 2015

by Nyc_Tattoo
Doctor Rope
In, flash. :toxx:

SlipUp
Sep 30, 2006


stayin c o o l
In, flash.

Djeser
Mar 22, 2013


it's crow time again

Sitting Here posted:

Management
:)
?
?

and me :madmax:

Carl Killer Miller
Apr 28, 2007

This is the way that it all falls.
This is how I feel,
This is what I need:


Failed two weeks in a row, gotta get in this time.

Flash rule, please.

crimea
Nov 16, 2012

THUNDERDOME LOSER 2020
In Flash.

PTSDeedly Do
Nov 24, 2014

VOID-DOME LOSER 2020


In flash

Hawklad
May 3, 2003


Who wants to live
forever?


DIVE!

College Slice
IN, flash me!

Ceighk
May 27, 2013

No Hospital Gang, boy
You know that shit a case close
Want him dead, bust his head
All I do is say, "Go"
Drop a opp, drop a thot
Eeny-meeny-miny-mo
In, flash, :toxx:

Pththya-lyi
Nov 8, 2009

THUNDERDOME LOSER 2020
In with a flash!

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

curlingiron
Dec 15, 2006

b l o o p

In :toxx:

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