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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): |
1A, let's see if i can ecats
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:
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.
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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.
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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 ]
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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.
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...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 ]
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Jester's patient when it counts, at least ( no she's not ). She keeps her hand outstretched just long enough to have Futaba shake it with shared enthusiasm ( much better than Caleb, which means absolutely nothing at all ). Jester nods and practically beams at the approval, because her name's pretty awesome, she hasn't found one that beats it yet!!
Except— ] Yeah! They said they'd help me find my dad— Oracle? [ And suddenly it's like Jester's looking at Futaba for the first time, eyes big and blinking, until they suddenly narrow. ] Are you a tiefling too?
[ Because everything leading up to this moment didn't prove otherwise. Maybe she's like Fjord, trying on different disguises or something ( and that's why she didn't wipe the dirt off!! Ingenious!!!! ). This is a theory that must be tested immediately, which means Jester reaches out to poke the girl's arm.
... Nope. It's real. ] Oracle doesn't really sound like a human name. [ And she sounds almost disappointed. ]
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Anyway, still a bit jittery, Futaba's shoulders hop slightly at the bit of contact, rubbing like Jester's poke might've bruised. ]
It's kinda like a supervillain codename, y'know? Picked it out myself.
[ Though she doesn't see why anyone couldn't be named Oracle for real. Maybe because they'd get bullied in school or something, but there's already a hundred different reasons that'd happen anyway—may as well have a flippin' cool name while you're getting picked on.
Futaba doesn't seem totally perturbed either way, finally crouching back down to build up her leaf bundles again, scooting over a bit like it might invite Jester to help. You know. Keeping it casual. ]
Do you think humans are lame?
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A suuupervillain? [ ... Her eyes narrow as she decides to take a better look at Futaba. Really study her, from the looks of it, until she moves away from the idea entirely and decides there's other things to focus on. Like taking that opportunity to scoot over in the space that opened up, helping her hide her super awesome trap ( maybe she is a supervillain, if she manages to make traps like this ). Jester's about to start humming some song about putting leaves on rope or something equally stupid when the silence is broken with a— ]
Why would I think that? [ ... ] Well, actually, I used to travel with a few, and they're both really grumpy all the time. And one's really stinky, too. [ Her nose scrunches up at the thought of that. ] That was just them, though.
You're not grumpy. Or stinky. [ The pinnacle of human standards, clearly. ] So you're pretty okay! Even if you're a supervillain. I bet you're one of the good ones! [ That's literally not how any of this works, but this answer was ... important, from the looks of it. For one reason or another.
Meanwhile: the trap is, in fact, getting covered up by leaves. Congratulations, they're getting something done. ]