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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): |
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No. It's a combat visor. We're both YoRHa units.
[ or, well, they were. She supposes the name is still relevant as a descriptor even if the organization is essentially defunct. ]
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[ Catherine doesn't sound impatient, just interested, and she's straightforward enough to go right for the open-ended questions. She figures anyone who doesn't want to answer doesn't have to. And it's not like she minds being asked questions like that. ]
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Combat androids. We were built to fight for humanity.
[ she says it very matter-of-factly, as if androids are perfectly normal. For her, they are, of course. She'd never even seen a human until she showed up here. ]
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[ Catherine is obviously extremely interested in the subject, but she tempers her scientific enthusiasm with a more personable friendliness, an easy underlying acknowledgement of the agency a true, complex A.I. could have. She's never had any difficulty around dehumanizing actual people, however much she dismisses cruder digital constructs as just robots. Others might agonize over where the line is, but to Catherine, it's always been self-evident and obvious, not something she needs strict rules around. ]
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You develop artificial intelligences?
[ of course, she's most definitely from another world, or from thousands of years in the past - there's no getting around that - but that still makes her the closest thing to one of "her" humans 2B has met yet. This woman really was one of her creators, or akin to them, at the very least. A complex feeling stirs in her. Is it gratitude...? Or is it resentment? Even she doesn't know.
Either way, she straightens up her posture and regards Catherine with a mild sort of awe. ]
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She blinks, nonplussed, before responding. ] Sure. I wasn't doing anything near as advanced as you are, though. We have a long way to go for that. Or... had a long way to go. [ Is she ever going to get used to that tense shift? ]
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Until you came here.
[ it's the reasonable assumption in her mind. Getting sent to work on a spaceship in another dimension would throw off anyone's research. ]
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This simple statement she meets with an equally factual correction: ] Until the comet hit, and life on Earth was wiped out. Definitely an alternate timeline from anyone else here. [ That feels a pretty safe assumption regarding anyone human or human-created. ]
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[ she repeats the word, tilting her head at Catherine with a hint of recognition. He'd never mentioned there being any other "survivors," but... ]
Do you know a human named Simon Garrett? He had his personal data put in a machine body, but he mentioned something similar.
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I assume you ran into him here? [ By this point, Catherine's run into him herself, so this news isn't shocking to her. ]
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Yeah. [ 2B hesitates. What should she say? Are they "friends?" It feels like it's not her place to say; androids weren't really supposed to have connections like that. So she settles for the least offensive option: ] We talk sometimes.
[ a pause. ]
... He worries a lot. I think he'll be glad to see another human he knows.
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He does worry a lot, [ Catherine says dryly. But-- then she hesitates for a long moment, before adding, ] I remember more than he does. It's strange, but I wasn't expecting it. [ Even though she had every reason to know that it would be a possibility. ]
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[ there was only the barest hint of this problem between her and 9S, so she doesn't catch on immediately. In fact, her first assumption is that there's a problem with Simon's memory region rather than any kind of timeline shenanigans. His systems looked dodgy at best, so it wouldn't be surprising... ]
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I'm from farther in the timeline than he is.
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Considering what she knows about Simon's world and his life prior to arriving here, she can see where this might be a problem. ]
... That sounds difficult.
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But she's not expecting 2B to hit the nail on the head so immediately. She winces briefly. ] It is difficult, [ she admits. ] But don't tell him I said that. I'm not hiding anything, I just don't really want to talk about it. [ Especially not if he doesn't remember it in the first place. ]
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[ simon probably doesn't need more things to worry about, anyway, and she's almost completely confident this would add yet another layer of stress to the poor man. 2B has plenty of things she doesn't want to talk about, herself.
There's silence for a few seconds; she looks like she's contemplating something, watching Catherine through the blindfold. ]
... What were your A.I.s designed for?
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[ She's back to sounding chipper a moment later, giving her a smile. Catherine is way more comfortable meeting strange robots than strange people. No question. ]
That depends. Do you mean my A.I., the ones I program, or the A.I. in general on my world?
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[ all the AI on Earth back during its formative years probably served a variety of purposes, she has to imagine - asking what they all do would be asking for a laundry list of functions. Whatever Catherine does is more pertinent. ]
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As for Catherine herself-- ] Oh, I don't know. Mostly rudimentary industrial applications, boring as that is. I ended up doing some side projects that were more interesting. It's how I eventually came to scan myself.
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Industrial applications... Like factory work, you mean. [ that makes sense. The androids used automated manufacturing, too. ] What were the side projects?
[ she's waiting for things to turn military. There weren't any androids around who weren't built for fighting by 2B's time. ]
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She brightens at this opportunity to talk about her favorite topic. ]
I developed scan technology that can take an image of a living person's brain and turn it into a digital form. Like me. [ Okay, so the WAU was instrumental in that, but whatever. It was a combined effort. ] Then I created an artificial environment for them to exist in, as complete and real as us standing here right now.