TEST DRIVE MEME

[futurologists]

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. After the freshly-recruited volunteers (i.e., newbies) are welcomed into Hathaway and given time to prepare on the spaceship Headquarters, they are sent via controlled interdimensional rift to the planet Azeria. On arrival, their magitek device announces the parameters of the mission: protect the Vulphytes and drive back the invaders. ▸ FOR OPHELIA VETERANS. Those who have already completed Mission: Hanabira are welcome to continue their leave aboard Headquarters, with Imogen sending them a message about an elective mission opportunity. Ophelia members who are interested need only head to the rifting pad on the upper deck, and they will be brought to the planet Azeria to assist the new recruits on their first mission. 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. ONE ▸ PREPARATIONS. 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): 01 April: Reserves open. 07 April: Open apps begin. Apps for new characters will close when all slots are filled or on 15 April. 08 April: The dossier for the next mission, Drakstaden, is released. 12 April: Welcome/CR Meme. 15 April: Mission: Drakstaden begins. Apps close.

Comments

Futaba Sakura | Persona 5

[akg]

I. PREPARATIONS

[ Futaba is definitely here to help save this delicate ecosystem that's suffering at the hands of all these horrible invaders. No doubt, very much first priority. However, there's a reason she's not a Negotiator, and that's because she couldn't diplomatically solve her way out of a paper bag—she's not really sure how to ask her own teammates for help, much less work to help bridge any human-Vulphyte tensions.

A. So... she doesn't, mostly. She seems extremely occupied staring into the forest, or amassing a pile of leaves with a deeply furrowed brow, occasionally swiping some dirt onto her cheek as she tries to clear a sweatdrop or two. Seems she's working on something, though she's concentrating far too deeply to warn anyone who might be stumbling into the traps she's set. (Or to notice anyone sneaking up on her.)

B. Alternatively, she's only human. While one of the Vulphyte is distracted, she stares for a moment, then wiggles her fingers forward, slooowly and cautiously reaching for its tail. It's right there, taunting her with its swishing. Her restraint has limits, she has to. Must pet. ]

II. INVASION

[ These assholes really take no prisoners, and Futaba—really, she's not a huge fan of getting blasted into laser dust. But the Vulphyte aren't either, and she's not about to stand around and let these bullies get their way—once the fighting starts, she helps with the retreat deeper into the forest, but keeps an eye out for trouble as best she can.

For anyone that seems to be struggling in their fight, she forgets to be an awkward loser long enough to shout— ] Hey, ugly! Over here!

[ Wham. One of the invaders gets pelted with a log tied to a vine, swung down from a tree, delivered straight to the face. Classic, and very satisfying, but not enough to distract them long—she motions for any teammates to follow. They need to get out of dodge. ]

III. BABYSITTER'S CLUB

[ When it comes down to it, Futaba isn't used to fighting in the real world. Might not even be aware that she can. This is the longest she's been outside... ever, and god did tripping over roots suck, and the ground is uneven and she knows she just trampled a few sticks that probably gave her away. She wants Joker to take the heat off her or Queen to bludgeon them into the ground—something, from someone (from her friends, who she already misses).

But even if she's scared and she never wants to see a tree again, she doesn't stop ducking under branches and running for fear of the kits' safety. Somehow, she's managed to grab a few runaways, which are now very unhelpfully clambering in her arms, another bobbing in her hood as she runs, tiny paws dug into the fabric. But she isn't really built for this sort of thing—when was the last time she even ran a lap? Winded, she still has the lung capacity to duck behind a nearby tree and shout at their pursuers— ] G—Go away!

[ Or maybe it's not a tree? Maybe it's you. ]

IV. VICTORY CELEBRATIONS

[ While their cat ('cat') at home would tolerate her gentle-ish poking and prodding, he was not all too keen on playing around. The foxes are much more accommodating—Futaba throws a lump of moss as far as she can, and a growing pile of scampering Vulphytes brings it back every time.

A. After a couple good back and forths, she's amassed a small army of new fox friends. Energized, Futaba gives the moss ball a good, solid toss, and it goes up and up and—plonks right on some unfortunate stranger's head. ]

Oh, oops.

[ The Vulphyte charge, merciless. ]

[ B. Alternatively, here lies Futaba Sakura, holding out a moss ball for dear life as her hubris has her cornered by a swarm of baby Vulphyte, having completely run her over in an effort to steal her herbaceous treasure for themselves. ] I'll never surrender! [ A baby Vulphyte jumps on her head, a critical hit. ] Aurghhhrhh— [ Man down, send help. ]

V. CHIT-CHAT

[ Though she agreed to join the team, that doesn't mean she's really part of it, not in a proper sense of belonging. Right now that's as daunting as the mission is, but cruising the network isn't so bad. Like joining a new forum. No big deal, right? ]

Username: alibaba
think I could get one of these fox dens for myself?
they're looking reaaal cozy right now

*. WILDCARD

[ hit me up with anything! i'm game for any and all of the prompts. ]

v bc i'm a lazy ho, un: LISSA

[healstaffs]

why would you want a den when you could have a fox instead
they're soooo much cuter!

i mean gpoy

[akg]

come on, live a little
you're thinking way too small!
why not both?

[healstaffs]

hey i've lived a lot!!

but that's a good point
do you have a den already?

[akg]

[ so she says, but she sure doesn't mind-type like an Old. futaba's not docking any points for that though, no worries. ]

I mean these are a little small
bite-sized, not person-sized

oooh maybe I could ask for one as a reward? [ j/k, not that careless, but the desire is 100% genuine. ]

[healstaffs]

i think so

[ she doesn't know how these rewards work, anything is possible as far as she's aware ]

oooh what if we made our own den instead
we could build it and decorate it and make it just the way we want!

[akg]

[ lissa gurl how long have you been here

also, what is this 'we' business, this wasn't supposed to happen? insert big awkward pause—if the magitek were broadcasting all her thoughts it'd sound a little like an engine grinding to a halt. ]

right
[ ...... ]
how would you do it?

1A, let's see if i can ecats

[sketchery]

[ Time to engage on her favorite activity (tm), sneaking up on unsuspecting people and loudly disturbing their work. ]

Hi! What are you doing? [ Voice loud, bright, and very much meant to startle pierces the air, a horned head peeking over Futaba's shoulder. She blinks at the pile of leaves and dirt, eyebrows furrowing as she tries to figure out why anyone would want to touch dirt unless they were Caleb—

Oh. Jester's face brightens. ] Oooooooh. Are you making a pile to jump in? [ Whether or not she actually believes it doesn't seem to matter. ] I can help, you know! I'm really good at it.

:grimacing:

[akg]

[ Things Futaba can do: code complex algorithms, provide essential support during heists, analyze a floor of some horrible magic metaverse, and memorize a sequence of information instantly on the go.

Things Futaba cannot do: keep from letting out a short scream. ] Wha—!? [ She practically jumps out of her skin, a flurry of leaves rising as she scrambles forward onto her palms. ]

Oh my god, you scared the crap outta— [ On the bright side, she's also startled out of her usual jitters, overwritten by new, improved jitters, but not so much that she can't stare wide-eyed at this... alien person. Are those horns? She consults her inner high fantasy rolodex—is this an... elf? A tiefling? ] Woah.

[ No sudden movements, Futaba. She doesn't quit staring, but she does slowly shrug. ] Uh. Okay.

[sketchery]

[ Nice. It worked.

Jester's tail swishes behind her, almost cat-like in the way that it seems to be ... smug. No guilt on her face from the apparent heart attack that she's caused this human girl ( her hair is super bright though, almost like Molly's, except it's orange and not purple ).

She clasps her hands behind her back. Grinning, with her head tilting to one side. Until suddenly the smile drops and she leans forward again, holding Futaba's gaze for as long as she possibly can. ]

You know, I once heard that tieflings can't see movement. [ Said the tiefling. ] So if you hold really still, then I can't see you. Obviously. [ Obviously.

There's a beat, and then— ] Oh, you have some dirt on your face. [ Because she needed to immediately disprove the information she fed Futaba. She points at her own cheek. ] Right there.

[akg]

[ Apparently small people have to make up for their size by being densely packed containers of chaos. This girl is one of her own kind. Futaba looks torn between saying perfectly, stock-still like this is a scene straight out of Jurassic Park, or scrubbing her face so she can hide behind her hands and maybe evaporate out of this situation altogether.

Alternatively, Plan C: nerd out. She doesn't even swipe at her cheek to clean it off. ]

Y—You're really a tiefling?

[ Well, she's already been spotted, so this just how it ends. In the meantime, Futaba stands on her tip toes to look flagrantly over Jester's shoulder. ]

You've got a tail and everything! [ DID U KNOW ]

[sketchery]

[ It's fine Jester practically forgets about the dirt on Futaba's cheek a second later. ]

Yeah! [ What else would she be!!! Obviously not a half-orc, she's nearly not green enough. So clearly a tiefling is the logical (??) course of action. Jester's giggling though, obviously pleased that someone would notice her tail (?????). Futaba's got excellent tastes; she immediately turns around, having her tail swish the ground ( kicking up the dirt and dust on the group, rip ), as if to prove her point. ] I know! It's pret-ty great. My horns are pretty great too, but my friend Molly's got these cool metal piercings and stuff that jingle. You should see them sometime! They're so cool.

[ . . . ] I'm Jester! [ Once she's facing Futaba again, she reaches out to shake her hand. ] It's nice to meet you.

[akg]

[ What was that about nerves, that was so two tags ago.

...No, actually, they're still there, just thankfully flooded out for the most part by curious energy; she walks along a little semi-circle, following the little dirt cloud that Jester swishes up with a very thoughtful ooooooohh. She stops shy of actually running into her, planting her feet abruptly in place as she regards her hand, like it might have teeth or something.

Still, she forces herself to take it, shaking exactly once but with plenty of gusto. ]

Jester, huh? I like it. [ Must be a codename or something. Like Joker. ] Then... you can call me Oracle.

[ Introductions, get. In the meantime, Jester has completely ruined the leafy cover for a rudimentary pitfall trap she's thrown together, but that's okay. She's already kinda forgotten about it. But uh, it's there. Don't trip. ]

Um... you're with Hathaway too, right? [ god it's like sharing a homeroom class, please say yes ]

iii

[gunning]

Do you need any help?

[ yuna makes sure to shout it loud enough for futaba to hear, so that she knows, for sure, she's talking to her. she clearly wasn't a very athletic girl, so it didn't take the eye of a hawk to see her clumsily making her way through the underbrush. yuna herself was on her way back from a lap, heading to collect a few more pups to take them to safety. her hands were free. and this girl seemed like she could use an extra one. ]

No need to be afraid, I'm just your friendly, neighborhood— Hathaway agent.

[ she sounded so confident, like a superhero, up until that last bit. she's still getting used to her change in title. ]

[akg]

[ Futaba's not exactly the peak of the human condition—watching someone else do a pull-up probably tires her out. But more than that, she could do with an ally to buoy off of, somebody to help soothe her nerves and get shit done. The zip and sizzle of lasers are so distracting (and frightening, honestly), and a teammate's voice is a welcome interruption.

She barely peeks out from behind her shelter with a stiff nod. ]

There's— [ Ah oops, there's the firing squad shooting off again. She seizes up a little on instinct, dipping back behind the tree, but shouts over the yowling Vulphytes anyway. ] There's four of 'em!

[ She can't exactly go out guns blazing to help, but hopefully that's something to work off of. ]

[gunning]

[ four assailants.. that's too much for her to handle alone, especially if she has to worry about protecting futaba and all the vulphytes as well. she ducks down to futaba's level, hoping that the shock troopers won't notice them for the time being. she needs a second to think. ]

New plan — we're going to sneak our way out of this. You can handle the vulphytes, right? [ she steadies her hand over the gun in her holster, in case she needs to pull it out on the fly. ] Follow me, and be extra quiet.

[ luckily, she's used to skulking around forests. stealth missions aren't something foreign to her. yuna scouts a rough path ahead, one that ground troops probably wouldn't venture through, then trudges to a nearby tree, beckoning futaba to follow suit. ]

Be careful, it's dense here. There might be— Ow! [ thorns. yeah, there's some thorns. she bites her tongue and picks it out of her elbow. ]

[akg]

[ Well, Futaba'd rather run from a tussle than duke it out if she can help it—nothing wrong with a good strategic retreat. She nods resolutely to Yuna's plan. All she has to do is play babysitter... she pulls up her hood where one vulphyte's scrambled in, curled by her neck. The rest of the babies start yipping in little squeaks, and she shushes them as gently as she's able. ]

Please be quiet...

[ Thankfully, their noise doesn't seem to give them away (yet), and she trots along after Yuna, head ducked down to make herself as small as she's able. A couple brambles tug at her clothes anyway and she grimaces as Yuna sticks herself. God, this sucks. At least she has a chance to think straight, even if her heart's tittering in her chest; in a low whisper: ] Try that way.

[ If they're both undeterred by the thistles, there's a clearing up to their left. The way's thorny, but if they could get there before the troopers do... ] I, um. Set up some traps there earlier.

[gunning]

Great thinking! You really thought ahead.

[ more than yuna did, at least. she briefly wishes that she had decided to wear pants today. bracing herself for the thorny mess her thighs are about to become, she carefully steps on vine after vine, trying to avoid both sound and cutting wounds. she tries to squash the vines enough to allow futaba easy entry through the path. she looks over her shoulder occasionally, making sure that she and the vulphytes are keeping up. ]

We aren't too far away now. Do you think you caught anything in your traps? ... Are they even that kind of trap?

III. hi nu, idk what i'm doing

[nutcracking]

[She is more used to concrete beneath her feet and buildings hemming her in, but Bong-soon doesn't let the crawling foliage and jutting trees slow her down. When she spies the girl with an armful of kits struggling to outrun her pursuer, she is on the scene to intercede. As she runs, she bends to scoop up a few scattered alien acorns from the forest floor - ammo.]

Hey! Why don't you leave them alone?

[With what would be deadly precision if she wielded the right weapon - and if she wanted to - she hurls the acorns at the man's legs. Surprisingly, the innocuous seeds strike hard enough to send him crashing to his knees with a yelp of pain.]

i am here to suffer with you dw

[akg]

[ ...Honestly, it happens so fast and she's only barely looking out from around her tree refuge that it's hard to tell what just happened. Did she have a gun or something? It didn't sound like a bullet, but there was just a tiny blur of motion and the guy's down to a knee. Whatever she did, it worked surprisingly well. A slingshot, maybe?

Futaba stares a little, then squints, then her eyes suddenly snap wide. She cries out urgently, ]

Oh no—watch out! Behind you!

[ There's another invader, rifle swinging down from rest at his shoulder to aim towards her new rescuer. Should be enough time to get away, but Futaba squeezes the Vulphyte kits anxiously all the same. ]

iv-a

[datapoint]

[Aloy is just minding her business, enjoying the fresh air before she has to go back inside HQ, when something soft and gentle bounces off her head. Obviously it doesn't hurt, and she's mostly just confused -- she glances around for a second before she notices the ball of moss on the ground nearby and crouches down to pick it up.

About a second later, she's tackled by like ten baby space foxes. They subsume her utterly and she falls over.]

What -- agghh --!!

[akg]

[ Just a torrent of foxes. A vulpine cavalcade. Futaba feels like maybe she should do something about this, maybe, given that it's mostly her fault. But also, she doesn't know this person or what to do, so, uh.

She crouches beside her, floundering for a second before she plucks one of the kits off her face. And another. It's like they're just being replaced by more foxes, cripes. She struggles to sound concerned and also hold back her amazement, so the result ends up muddled, almost biting her own tongue: ]

W—Wow, this might be the end for you...!

[ RIP. Not a bad way to go, right? She wracks her brain for an idea. ]

You should give them their ball back?

[datapoint]

[Foxes by Junji Ito.

Aloy barely has any wherewithal to react to this very blasé reaction to her foxy plight -- don't make light of her near-suffocation -- but she does at least manage to make a muffled, scoffing noise. While shoving foxes around. At least the kits don't really seem to mind, and in fact they might actually enjoy roughhousing... which is part of the problem.]

Their ball --?

[The bundle of moss? Well, it's better than the zero ideas Aloy has. It takes her a minute to place where it is (still clutched in her hand, of course), and she manages to get an arm out of the pile of Vulphytes so she can throw it.]

[akg]

[ Look, Futaba is filled with empathy. Teeming with it. But honestly, she's a little envious now that the immediate danger of death by fox has passed. They're so cute...

The moss ball flicks up into the air and she fumbles to catch it, cupping it in her hands as the Vulphytes scamper around nipping up at the air to stop trampling over this poor girl for a minute. ]

No way we could recruit a fox, huh?

[ Said a little wistfully, half to herself. It's not like they're pets, but she wants to take one home anyway. ]

[datapoint]

[The way the foxes chase after the moss ball isn't exactly pleasant for Aloy, either -- instead of dancing on top of her, it's just a million little paws charging across her to follow their toy.

Summarily, Aloy spends a few long moments afterward just lying on the ground, groaning.]

It depends what they can do, [she finally manages, forcing herself to sit up. As she rubs at her face, some of the foxes shoot her a nasty look (or as nasty a look as foxes can make), telepathically chiding her that they are very resourceful, thank you very much.] I didn't mean it like that --