TEST DRIVE MEME.

[futurologists]

A PIRATE'S LIFE FOR ME Welcome to the Viridian Sea, a rolling body of water populated by a small number of islands and an even greater number of pirates and merchant ships. Sailing, rum, and high-seas adventure is the name of the game for this mission: after the freshly-recruited volunteers (that's you!) are welcomed into Hathaway, they are sent via controlled interdimensional rift to deal with a certain pirate ship that has been causing a certain amount of trouble. The crew of Red Scream, a murderous band of Mako pirates, has been reaving a path of destruction through the sea, scuttling ships of merchants, civilians, and other pirate bands alike. They have also kidnapped a governor's daughter, asking an exorbitant ransom to return her at all, let alone alive. If this wasn't enough of a reason for Hathaway to intervene, Red Scream's current goal is firmly pointed at a legendary treasure buried in a crater somewhere in the Viridian Sea. Hathaway analysts have studied the crater and found that it was definitely caused by a temporal shard cast off from the Merging. And if Red Scream gets its hands on the shard, it'll be bad news. The crew of Little Squid has reached out to Hathaway for help reaching the treasure. The ship and crew are both small, but they are an optimistic and hardworking bunch, and are willing to equally split the treasure with Hathaway as a reward -- they just have to reach it first. ▸ PROMPTS Your mission is simple: reach the treasure before the Mako pirates. If you have the time, you can try and save the governor's daughter -- it's not why Hathaway has been hired, but her father will likely be grateful enough to grant a reward. ONE ▸ GOING ROGUE. High-seas adventure not your cup of tea? The tropical islands dotting the Viridian Sea are flush with distractions, including pirate havens replete with gambling, food, and liquor. It's a hedonist's paradise -- if you can avoid displeasing the heavily-armed locals. TWO ▸ LITTLE SQUID. Ever been on a brig before? The crew of Little Squid are happy to show you the ropes -- literally -- and teach you how to be a master seafarer in no time. The only food on board unfortunately consists of salted meat and hard bread, but there's plenty of rum to go around. Life on the seas is tough, especially during rough weather; unfortunately, they have no cure for seasickness, so if you're afflicted, you might want to head below decks and wait it out. But the view during calm waters is unlike anything else. THREE ▸ RED SCREAM. It was bound to happen: Little Squid runs smack dab into Red Scream on the race to the treasure. Board the enemy ship or wait for them to come to you, but either way, you'd better be ready for some close-quarters combat. The Mako pirates of Red Scream are humanoid sharks with teeth to match, so in addition to their cutlasses and blunderbusses, you'll want to avoid being bitten. If fighting isn't your specialty, you could always hide below decks of Little Squid and hope you don't get noticed. Or, if you're feeling bold, you can board Red Scream and look for the governor's daughter, who is being kept in the captain's quarters -- she's about six years old and ready to fight, so get ready to have your hands full. FOUR ▸ THE TREASURE. Finally, Little Squid reaches the island where the treasure is. There are caves throughout the island where more standard pirate treasure is found -- gold doubloons in rotted old chests and the like -- but there's also a massive crater formed where the temporal shard plummeted to the surface. The crater is a wide hole with sheer walls, so you'd better find someone who can fly or brush up on your spelunking skills. The further down you go into the crater, the darker it gets, but somewhere on the bottom an eerie blue light is glowing. The source is the temporal shard: make your way through a winding tunnel system to find it and retrieve it. But beware -- the shard has attracted temporal insects, ravenous, time-eating bugs that can slow or hasten the flow of time just due to their appetite. Find yourself in their presence and you'll be moving in slow motion or you'll suddenly be aged 50 years. The only way to stop the effects are to kill the bugs and retrieve the shard. FIVE ▸ CHIT-CHAT. It's your standard network option. Maybe you've got a little downtime and you're bored. Or maybe you got lost in the caves and you think you saw a g-g-ghost pirate. Maybe you're just trying to figure out how the hell this magical jewelry thing works! No matter what, you get one username to identify you and one only -- if you don't enter one, it will default to your real name (for example, Voldemort's would be tomriddle.) Choose wisely... or make it assfarts69, if that's your thing. More information on the jewelcomms can be found on the devices guide. SIX ▸ WILDCARD. Do whatever the heck you want! Explore the jungles and waterfalls of the islands, have a party on the beach, try to befriend a dolphin. The world is your oyster. ▸ OOC NOTES Welcome to the first test drive meme of Futurology Season 2! Because the season hasn't started yet, this test drive is meant to be a mini-mission, similar in feel to the missions we have in-game but on a much smaller scale. Since no characters currently have official specializations, we also have no specialized prompts, but plan to in the future. However, feel free to play as if your character is level 1 of whichever specialization you would like to choose. Please be aware this test drive is game canon. Questions about the game can be directed to the FAQ. If you've been with us before, you might notice things look a little different around here. Make sure you check out the welcome page for the basic rundown of how your character joined up with Hathaway. For further information about the game, the full navigation has all the links you'll need. Apps will reopen to the public on 6 January, with early apps for returning characters opening on 4 January. Apps will close when we reach our 60-player cap or on 15 January, whichever happens first. We hope to see you then!

Comments

[reposing]

Not so publicly, no.

[facilitate]

Can't you at least say what category of favor this request falls within?

[reposing]

Medical, I suppose. Dietary.

[facilitate]

Are you in need of dietary advice? I'm no dietitian, but I could certainly do my best.

[reposing]

Not quite of the sort, I'm afraid. Though I do appreciate your offer.

I know what I need, and it is based off of individuals. I can elaborate privately, should you like.

[facilitate]

I think I would like that very much. Where shall I meet you?

[reposing]

Below deck.

Far, far below deck.

[facilitate]

I take it you don't mean in the ocean.

[reposing]

No. I'm a little more fortunate than some of our teammates.

[rip bariyan]

[facilitate]

I'll be there shortly.

[ And cue a lady heading down the stairs toward the below deck, dressed up in her white Valkyrie armor and trying to figure out just what is meant by "far, far below deck". This man has a problem with being cryptic, she can tell already. It must be some figure of speech, to be freely ignored.

Once she's down far enough: ] Hello?

[reposing]

[In the belly of the ship, it's mostly shadows and ... well, terribly moist, but it's the deepest, darkest place he could get to while the sun is out.

When he hears the woman, Alucard emerges from the dark, then pauses as he gazes over her with a frown. Though she's dressed as an angel, he doesn't smell that particular holiness in her. It's enough to cause him to hesitate, but eventually he bows his head respectfully.]

Adrian Ţepeş. Or Alucard, if you prefer it.

I appreciate your time.

[facilitate]

[ Well, there he is — and he certainly has a sense for the dramatic, doesn't he? Angela eyes him for a moment, lips pursed, bt doesn't take her long to step forward and offer out a hand for a shake. Her movements are firm and confident; if this man turns out to be trouble, she'll be able to handle herself. ]

Angela Ziegler. [ And he has two names, how nice. She commits both to memory, just in case. ] And you're welcome. Let's both hope I actually have something to offer your very enigmatic predicament. [ And that he's not wasting her time, is the unspoken part. ]

[reposing]

[The hand is taken, but not with a traditional handshake. Instead, he lifts her hand and dips his head politely in a very old-fashioned, gentlemanly greeting. Gently, her hand is then released.

Angela, who dresses as an angel. Does she fancy herself a savior, he wonders? That's neither here nor there; he should get to the point.]

I require blood to survive, once every two weeks at the very least. I have made it a point to make the specifics and conditions clear to those who volunteer.

It is less that I am ashamed, and more that I have no interest in making certain parties uncomfortable. I felt that this should be spoken privately with others rather than announced openly.

[facilitate]

[ Oh.

She gets it.

This guy is that type.

A dozen of potential diagnoses and treatment plans run through her mind as she watches him, but outwardly she only gives a thoughtful nod. ] I see. [ The most chief curiosity among all others is, of course, whether this is true. It could really go other way. ]

I think that discretion was wise of you. And have you found your volunteers?

[reposing]

Fortunately, a few. I explained the situation in a fair amount of detail to them. They know what I am, and what I need.

I have a process of taking what I need without doing them any harm. [He feels that needs to be pretty explicit to Miss Angel here.] No bites are needed.

I would also not insist you help. If the matter brings you any... discomfort, I will sort out with those who have agreed to help.

[facilitate]

[ They know what he thinks he is, and what he thinks he needs. Fixed that for you, buddy. But again, she only nods. ]

That is very considerate of you, no biting. [ She's really very good at keeping the humoring tone out of her voice, she sounds nothing but agreeable. She still can't help but ask, though: ] And have you tested the blood of your donors? Do you what it may carry?

[reposing]

If you are concerned whether or not that they are diseased, do not. That, I can smell on my own. I would not drink the blood of someone who is ill, or putting too many impurities in their body.

[Not unless he's desperate, but thankfully that's never come up.]

You sound as if you have some medical knowledge?

[facilitate]

[ Angela doubts this rather a lot. Impurities don't smell, not even dogs can smell these sorts of things in a human body. But if he thinks that's what he can do, she'll play along. ]

I do. I'm a doctor. [ She offers a smile with it. ] And as a doctor, I can promise you there are likely impurities new to you, and how would you recognize them? It would be prudent to allow tests.

[reposing]

[Angela, dressed as an angel, just so happens to claim to be a doctor. Alucard arches a brow, but says nothing to remark upon the matter. He has a great deal of respect for the craft, and had learned much of it from his mother.]

And you have a way to test for this, doctor?

[This he has to see for himself. How self-important of her.]

[facilitate]

[ She considers the matter for a few seconds, mind running over available options and resources. ]

I don't have a laboratory with me, I expect that's a little much to ask of a pirate ship. However, given a few days, I should be able to come up with a suitable test. It won't be comprehensive and shouldn't be taken as absolute fact until further testing can confirm results, but I think it should do in a pinch.

[ She finishes with a quick nod, and she's already turned her mind back to the hows of it all. ]

While I'm at it, can you think of any other limitations or needs I should be aware of?

[reposing]

I should like to watch your methods, if you would allow it.

[He can wait a few days. He'd rather not, as it's been quite sometime already since he's last had human blood, but Alucard admits he's curious to see what this woman is capable of.]

If you ask in terms of my health, then I suppose it's worth noting that I have an intolerance to the sun. I can bear it for a period of time until I need to relieve myself of its light. I've a parasol for the occasion if I must, though it's impractical to rely on it.

[facilitate]

[ This guy is really going all the way with it, isn't he? Her eyebrows hike up, but she only nods. There's no use in facing what have to be delusions right now, it would do no good. ]

Noted. [ u crazy son of a bitch ] And you're welcome to observe, but I can't promise it will be interesting. Medical science is no quick or glamorous process!

[reposing]

[girl you wanna talk delusions stop being a self-important angel wannabe!!]

Let me worry what I would construe as interesting, dear doctor. I thank you for permitting an audience.

[facilitate]

You're welcome.

[ It's a little wryly. The thank you was just manners, of course, not really any gratitude or worthy of acknowledgement in turn. She does it anyway, though. Her eyes sweep the full sight of Adrian, of Alucard, and this time she does allow herself the luxury of a doubtfully cocked eyebrow. ]

Now, Alucard ... [ There's a brief pause as she realizes: Alucard. Dracula. Clever. (It's not.) ] I just want to make sure. You are only accepting volunteers, is that right?

[reposing]

[Ah, here it is. No doubt her self-righteousness is leaking through, the judgment. So be it. Truly, how holy does she think of herself?

Alucard expresses nothing other than politeness.]

Of course. I would not take from anyone who was unwilling, and I intend to repay them for their consideration.