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thirstology2018-04-01 12:05 am
futurologists) wrote in thirstology2018-04-01 12:05 am
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TEST DRIVE MEME
FANTASTIC MR. FOX  Welcome to Azeria, a small single-biome planet covered almost entirely by deep, mossy forests. The natives of Azeria, a sapient foxlike species called Vulphytes, have reached out to Hathaway for help in repelling a planetary invasion. Other Vulphyte tribes have sent word of dangerous aliens descending in silver machines and laying waste to the forest, killing and capturing Vulphytes and animals in their wake. Hathaway analysts have calculated that the Merging is to blame for this sudden invasion; before, these two nearly identical universes didn't see each other, but now that they are one, these strangers are suddenly planetary neighbors. The aliens, seeing a new planet, must be searching for colonization prospects, while the Vulphytes are helpless against their spacefaring weaponry. ▸ FOR NEW VOLUNTEERS.On greeting the Hathaway agents, the Vulphytes will initially be very awkward and surprised, or as awkward and surprised as sapient foxes can appear. The Vulphytes speak telepathically, and eventually a spokesfox explains the cause of their discomfort: the invading aliens are humans, just like most of you. ▸ PROMPTS Your mission is simple: protect the Vulphytes, forests, and native animals from the invading humans. It's not necessary to kill all the invaders (unless you want to), simply keep them from taking the planet for their own and do a good enough job to persuade them never to come back. Of course, the invaders are a bit... forceful in their methods, so it's up to you.   The Vulphytes live in a cluster of burrows which are unfortunately not large enough for anything human-sized to visit, but the presence of non-aggressive aliens (that's you!) is enough to get the majority of them to pop out and curiously observe. The Vulphytes are variably black, grey, or red, with fur transitioning to moss along their backs; animals you might see in the forest, including deer, rabbits, and owls, have a similarly moss-covered look. The Vulphytes will take awhile to warm up to anyone who is human (or those who visibly look human), their telepathic tones suspicious as they ask questions about their loyalties, where they're from, and what their homeworlds are like. Those who are clearly not human will receive a much warmer reception, the Vulphytes asking curious questions and the Vulphyte kits trailing behind in fuzzy little rows. When the invaders' silver machines -- spaceships -- become visible in the sky, through breaks in the tree canopy, the Vulphytes look skyward and begin to howl. It's a pre-battle ritual, one of them explains, and characters are invited to join in: howl to the sky, to your enemies, and get ready to fight. TWO ▸ THE INVASION. The silver spaceships of the invaders crash down through the trees, sending animals fleeing in all directions. The Vulphytes stay put, snarling in the direction of the noise and waiting for the invaders to come to them. If you'd like, you can rush forward and head them off -- or stay and fight alongside the foxes. Just as the Vulphytes claimed, the invaders are human. They are dressed in armored space suits, the visors on their helmets obscuring their faces and reflecting the forest all around. Their weapons are various types of laser guns, though a few are holding axes that have laser blades, which they use to start chopping down trees as their compatriots march toward the Vulphyte dens. The invaders are surprised to see people here, but they're not interested in talking: they open fire on anyone they see, not recognizing any of the recruits as their people and thus pegging them immediately as enemies. Though they're aggressive, they're not suicidal; if a single invader encounters too much violence or are outnumbered, they'll run back to their compatriots for reinforcements, so it's best to dispatch them quickly (or prevent them for running for help in some other way). Once the invaders reach the Vulphyte dens, the foxes fight viciously, swarming individuals in a flurry of claws and snarling teeth. Kill the invaders or simply give them enough trouble to make them retreat for good, it's up to you. But either way, look after your furry/mossy hosts; despite their telepathic way of communication, the Vulphytes don't possess any magical abilities, so they'll need to be looked after in the face of laser weapons. THREE ▸ BABYSITTER'S CLUB. The baby Vulphytes are in the greatest amount of danger from the invading humans, being entirely unable to defend themselves and uncertain of what's actually going on. Hathaway has been tasked with rescuing them from their dens and whisking them away to safer areas away from the fighting where they can be cared for until the fighting is over. The only problem is that baby Vulphytes are... well, babies. They're quite upset by all the ruckus, yowling in a way that resembles crying, and aren't exactly happy to be taken away by strangers they don't know. In fact, some of them might try to make a great escape, so you'd better be quick! Those who make it to a safe area will need consoling and, once that's done, entertainment. They'll also need their caretakers to make sure no invaders sneak up on them -- since some are hidden in the woods. It's a big job, but you can handle it, right? FOUR ▸ VICTORY CELEBRATIONS. Once the invaders are finally chased off, everyone gathers together to celebrate. The Vulphytes bow (as well as a fox can) as the team enters and apologize for their uncertainty before; they see now that many of you are nothing like the aliens who threatened them, despite your similar looks. They'd like you all to stay and celebrate, if you have time. The celebrations are... a bit different than most might be used to; it's definitely not a human party. There are games with handmade balls of packed moss, which the Vulphytes seem to love. In fact, they go crazy for Fetch, a game they were never introduced to before due to their tragic lack of opposable thumbs. They "sing" for the team in howls, a rare example of adults not communicating telepathically. As for the team, they receive a congratulatory message from Imogen on their magitek suggesting they take the rest of the celebration to meet and greet with the unfamiliar faces. There won't be much time to do so back at Headquarters, I'm afraid, she adds. Drakstaden awaits, darlings! FIVE ▸ CHIT-CHAT. It's your standard network option. Make battle plans, chat about how cute the foxes are, or share good hiding places. 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! Go pick wildflowers. Climb a tree. Hunt animals. Loot innocent fox dens, you monster. The world is your oyster. ▸ OOC NOTES Welcome to the second test drive meme of Futurology Season 2! This test drive will function as an optional mini-mission for both new and current characters, similar in feel to the missions we have in-game but on a much smaller scale. Threads on this test drive are game canon by default unless one of the participants would like to retcon it. Current characters may use TDM threads for non-!plot AC proofs. Both test drivers and current characters are welcome to top level! While current characters are allowed to tag other current characters, we ask that you please make an effort to be welcoming to test drivers as well! Since incoming characters currently don't have official specializations, we have no specialized prompts. However, feel free to play as if your character is level 1 of whichever specialization you would like to choose. Questions about the game in general 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. ▸ Upcoming Events (Futurology runs on timezone UTC): |
ii.
How naive it seems to her... but perhaps it's to be expected. This woman was "new".
So the centaur says nothing, (it wasn't even quite directed at her anyway, she's a few recruits away), and instead readies her bow, laying an arrow along the weapon taller than most of the humans around her.
An arrow that, once that earth wall crumbles... punches through the weaker joints of the invader's armor at the shoulder, sending him to a knee and buying enough time for Hayame to snap, drawing another arrow from her quiver as she digs her hooves into the earth in preparation to dodge any of their weapons.]
Don't waste your breath on them- !
no subject
Fine.
[Korra brings her fists up and decides the best course of action in this circumstance would be to keep them unbalanced. She doesn't know what kind of laser weapon she's dealing with and she isn't sure the metal they wear is one familiar enough to her for her to bend it. And there's no time. So she focuses her efforts on the ground, pulling up two large rocks from the destroyed wall and hurling them at the invaders.
The shots go awry since the invaders are now having to dodge rocks hurtling at them as opposed to taking actual aim.]
no subject
Thankfully, she doesn't have much time to process it- she just has to use it.
The invaders sport armor stronger than the men of her own world possessed, which may have been thick, but could still be punctured by arrows shot from the heavy bows jinba were capable of handling. Here, she has to actually aim for joints, the visors... but Korra's work with the land gives her the time to take the more precise shots, since it disrupts the enemy's aim and leaves her less to dodge.
She doesn't waste words in the thick of it... but she's there, leaping over fallen logs and around trees, black mane and tail streaming behind her until she finds a shot, waits for Korra... and then sends her arrows after the enemies scrambling to avoid rocks.]
no subject
At least, that is, until Korra decides to shake things up even more. A few more soldiers are down and she's starting to realize that, once again, bending is a very foreign concept to anyone outside of her own world. Not only do they not combat her earthbending with anything but the lasers, but they can't possibly know what else she has up her figurative sleeves. Korra's stance changes fluidly and as the rocks die down they are replaced with sudden bursts of wind and air. She'd prefer to use fire, but in a forest like this that seems like it might cause more damage than actual aid.
Air bending is the way to go and it is just as effective at tripping up the invaders and making them even easier targets for the arrows.]
no subject
The fox-like natives are alien... but they aren't the sort of monsters that sends people running.
When one of the wind swept invaders finds himself thrown near Hayame... she takes it upon herself to give them something a bit more inhuman to fear. Talking of peace was useless. Killing them all... it was the easier option. Routing them home with forces depleted and scarred enough to advise their fellows not to follow for a second attempt...
Bow momentarily abandoned, hooves slam into the ground near helmeted head and the next moment into the laser gun, crushing the weapon beneath half a ton of weight before the centaur reaches down and grabs him by an arm, not at all mindful of injury when she yanks him up back with her to her full, towering height of seven or so feet, his legs kicking as she snarls into his face, teeth too sharp to belong to human or horse bared with a snap.]
Be gone from this place, if you value your lives!
[His companion is struggling to take aim, but Hayame has to leave that one to Korra.
This one was going to be the messenger, which to her makes the rest expendable.]
no subject
She'd have to deal with the consequences of that later.
Korra notices the man taking aim and slams her fist forward, a concentrated blast of wind sends the other soldier literally flying backwards. He slams into a tree and drops like so much dead weight.
Although Korra hopes he isn't dead. Poor word choice. Some of the invaders are starting to take notice though and Korra notices some of the ones on the outskirts of the fighting starting to fall back.]
no subject
At least this one was reliable.
She sees the movement of the other soldier propelled by wind out of the corner of her eye, right before she shifts her grip on the one in her hands and half rears up, hooves lashing out for balance before she bodily throws the man back at his own compatriots. Let them catch him.
She returns to her bow, to drawing back the weapon taller than the invaders were with deadly precision...
Until even more of them begin to retreat, and Hayame finds herself torn. Pursue... or let them go.]
no subject
It's not like they have any earth benders among them to combat this. Korra jumps, slamming her feet into the ground while throwing her arms up and to the right. The earth beneath them rumbles and cracks, jagged rock walls erupting between herself and the remaining soldiers, as they barricade following the movement of her arms. She knows they blasted through the rock defense before, but she hopes that now that they've been shaken up a bit (literally in some cases) they'll leave. The wall stretches several yards in both directions and is at least tall enough that Hayame would have some difficult seeing over it.
Korra straightens waiting to see if any more will try to cross or break down the wall.]
no subject
Still, it is something she views as fearsome. As strange, and powerful.
She does not approach the wall, hooves skittering back, even, to put more distance between herself and the magic she distrusts so deeply. (Still, she reminds herself- useful.)
And she waits, flanks heaving slightly with the exertion of battle, gaze and expression still half twisted with battle rage as she listens. Hears the last bits of fighting on the other fronts... and then the sounds of ships, the pain of a laser graze on her rear she hadn't noticed in the heat of things slowly trickling into her awareness.
The preparation for retreat. For now.
Only then does she lower her bow, though she still holds tight, turning her gaze to the new recruit. ... She ought say something.]
... Good work.
[Well, that was an understatement.]
no subject
Thanks, but I think you sent them running just as much as I did.
no subject
[... never mind that she might be talking into a human right now. With those powers... perhaps she was more like her lord had been. Mostly human-shaped, but with the blood of legendary creatures in their veins.
Hayame pauses a moment, stock still for a moment as she listens to their surroundings before she gives in to the excess energy and paces up and down, the tassels on her harness bouncing along to the pace of her trot.]
- or miracles of the earth.
no subject
Perhaps not her best moment.]
Yeah, I've definitely seen that work out before.
[She blinked at the comment, glancing from the earth wall she had constructed and then to Hayame.]
This? This isn't a miracle. It's just earth bending. There's a lot of people back home who could have managed something like this.
[A whole nation in fact, well, not counting the non-benders. Still, she keeps forgetting that in her new environment bending isn't really a thing. Most of the people she is going to be working with are going to be nonbenders. That realization makes her feel a little more self conscious. Was this how Avatar Wan had felt when he'd first been going around using his bending?]
I guess if you haven't seen something like this before it would seem pretty miraculous.
no subject
"Just".
But to someone like her, who had come from a world without electricity, without magic, without even the technology for most to look up at the sky and imagine life beyond... it's a difficult thing to swallow.]
... then your world is far different than my own.
[Far, far different. Even the color of her skin is something Hayame would not see in her world, familiar only with those who looked as she did... though there was always rumor of pale-faced traders from across the sea.]
How long does this... bend?
[The... wall...]
no subject
[Judging by Hayame's appearance alone would be enough for Korra to make that guess. She smiles though, it doesn't bother her.]
But that's what's exciting about all of this isn't it? I'd never even left the South Pole before three years ago and now I'm on an entirely new world.
[Korra had traveled much of her own world of course and had come a long way from the sheltered Water Tribe girl. Of course, it was times like this where that side came out even more.
She turns her attention back to the wall.]
It should stay like that unless I earthbend it back or they come crashing through it with more of those lasers. Do you think I should return it to the way it was? It could serve as a good deterrent for the time being.
no subject
She doesn't dignify it with a response, in favor of focusing on the more neutral topic of the mission.]
... Keep it, then. It is always better to have something defensive.
[And now that it was there, they could count on it for future strategies.
Even if it was some sort of... half demon earth magic "bending".]
no subject
She nods at the assessment, deciding to leave it as well.]
All right. So the others might need some support too. We should head out.