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Entry tags:
TDM 003
TEST DRIVE MEME 003 ❀
CONTENT WARNINGS: potential character nudity, violence, trypophobia (images) as well as light mentions of gore.
Please note: FOR THE FIRST 24 HOURS AFTER 'HATCHING', CHARACTERS WILL FEEL WEAK AND ANY POWERS THEY HAVE WILL NOT WORK.
Test drive meme threads can be considered game canon for players who are later accepted and wish to keep their CR. The Quago prompt will be a TDM-exclusive, though existing players are welcome to use it in the game itself and players are free to use it as canon, but it will not be repeated as part of the hatching. The other prompts that you see here will also appear on our first game log. There will, of course, be more going on that week.
Please reserve questions about altering or meaningfully investigating the setting for the first log of the game, where we will have a Mod Questions thread at the top of the log. That thread will not be present on this test drive meme.
This time, the Adamant's survivors are ready. When the Hatchlings arrive, they are no longer held at gunpoint or the tip of a spear. They are helped up, taken to the showers, given time to clean themselves.
They are still quarantined for a few days — albeit in a more comfortable setting. An area of the Theatre has been set up with emergency bunking and privacy screens. Each bunk has a small bundle of amenities on it — a change of clothing (that may be too big or too small, too fine or too plain, feel free to swap!) and what precious else can be spared, including a small tube of protein paste. Given that the theater doubles as a childcare center for the basecamp, your character may find that any toddler-aged children will stare hungrily at these tubes!
Ensign Ashley Porter flits about this emergency station at all hours, chatting amicably at people. Explaining the situation. He's reasonably certain it's his fault — the entire 'hatching' process seemed to start after he tripped one day and fell into the Central Chrysalis. This disturbance must have triggered the process of pulling in people from other universes. He's terribly sorry and will say he understands if people want to be angry at him or hate him for it. He also makes mention of the fact that some people have found personal items if they return to the Chrysalis — in eggs, like the ones they woke up in.
The Hatchlings are given a few days to acclimate, and then they are expected to contribute to the duties around camp. The day-to-day life in Basecamp Leviathan is not glamorous. Repairs are always needing to be done, food is always needing to be made, dishes always needing to be washed. Anyone with specialized skills will probably be snapped up by a division before too long!
A few notes:
Please note: FOR THE FIRST 24 HOURS AFTER 'HATCHING', CHARACTERS WILL FEEL WEAK AND ANY POWERS THEY HAVE WILL NOT WORK.
Test drive meme threads can be considered game canon for players who are later accepted and wish to keep their CR. The Quago prompt will be a TDM-exclusive, though existing players are welcome to use it in the game itself and players are free to use it as canon, but it will not be repeated as part of the hatching. The other prompts that you see here will also appear on our first game log. There will, of course, be more going on that week.
Please reserve questions about altering or meaningfully investigating the setting for the first log of the game, where we will have a Mod Questions thread at the top of the log. That thread will not be present on this test drive meme.
❀ HATCHING
This time, the Adamant's survivors are ready. When the Hatchlings arrive, they are no longer held at gunpoint or the tip of a spear. They are helped up, taken to the showers, given time to clean themselves.
They are still quarantined for a few days — albeit in a more comfortable setting. An area of the Theatre has been set up with emergency bunking and privacy screens. Each bunk has a small bundle of amenities on it — a change of clothing (that may be too big or too small, too fine or too plain, feel free to swap!) and what precious else can be spared, including a small tube of protein paste. Given that the theater doubles as a childcare center for the basecamp, your character may find that any toddler-aged children will stare hungrily at these tubes!
Ensign Ashley Porter flits about this emergency station at all hours, chatting amicably at people. Explaining the situation. He's reasonably certain it's his fault — the entire 'hatching' process seemed to start after he tripped one day and fell into the Central Chrysalis. This disturbance must have triggered the process of pulling in people from other universes. He's terribly sorry and will say he understands if people want to be angry at him or hate him for it. He also makes mention of the fact that some people have found personal items if they return to the Chrysalis — in eggs, like the ones they woke up in.
The Hatchlings are given a few days to acclimate, and then they are expected to contribute to the duties around camp. The day-to-day life in Basecamp Leviathan is not glamorous. Repairs are always needing to be done, food is always needing to be made, dishes always needing to be washed. Anyone with specialized skills will probably be snapped up by a division before too long!
A few notes:
☆ Your character will at some point be pulled aside and asked about where they're from, what year, any personal information they wish to share, etc. This is no longer described as an 'interrogation' as with the first set of Hatchlings. It's now more of a chat. Captain Childe has deferred this duty to her various underlings, and she will likely not make an appearance here unless a Hatchling says or does something very interesting or meaningful.
☆ The NPCs will be as forthcoming about how the Hatchlings have arrived and what they know about the Chrysalis as possible. Unfortunately to both, the answer is 'not much'. They will still try to be transparent about this.
☆ The NPCs will be as forthcoming about how the Hatchlings have arrived and what they know about the Chrysalis as possible. Unfortunately to both, the answer is 'not much'. They will still try to be transparent about this.
❀ EXPLORE THE BASECAMP
The Engineering Corps is always looking for new members who can contribute to some of its long term infrastructure solutions. The head of this department, Thorkil, is a large man with a booming voice who brews moonshine on the side and is the sort of bright, cheerful soul that can light up a room when he enters it. He is friendly with all the Hatchlings unless given a reason to be otherwise, and he is also very patient, gentle and understanding. If your character has demonstrated engineering skills of any coat or color (mechanical? electrical? outdated by hundreds of years? more advanced by a millennium?) please expect that Thorkil will ask if they'd be willing to help out!
The Security Division is headed up by a rather unpleasant man named Rémi. He neither wants nor, in his opinion, needs the help of the Hatchlings, but he's perfectly willing to let them risk their lives instead of the lives of his people where leaving the basecamp is concerned. Little wonder, most of his division has been chewed up and spit out by the harsh conditions on Ethyraia — can one blame him for being a little protective? If anyone asks about helping here, he's going to respond scornfully and dismissively. However, some of the Hatchlings have earned enough of his goodwill that he will consider, consider letting people have a weapon from Security's stores if they're leaving the Basecamp. (Carrying of non-Hatchling weapons is forbidden within the basecamp itself, so please be mindful!)
The Theatre is another venue that one could help out with — there are stories to be told! The current production is a classic, She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen. However, after performing this for the thessyx at the talent show, the theater department is moving onto their next show — Procyonate, for which there are many props to build. As the only truly fortified building in the Basecamp, the theatre doubles as a place to care for children (most of the 'young' survivors are between 13-19 now, but babies have been born to the survivors since their crash-landing!) there is also a need for anyone who excels with toddler care. They are also looking for anyone who can sing, write music, or play instruments. Such people will be hastily recruited and put to work!
The Aid Station is being run by a very harried woman named Sunya Hyacinth, who fits the description of 'overworked and underpaid' to a T. She doesn't have time to reach out to any recruits, but if you wander into the Aid Station you might find yourself being put to work. Just be careful — if she decides you have higher accreditation than she does, she might just decide to dump her practice on your lap for a week so she can go take a vacation! Standard injuries you may see include acid burns, broken bones, and bad cuts and gashes out of the engineering department who's hard at work repairing the sink holes around the base. Some of the 'ill' being treated will also have psychological effects. PTSD is common, and there are no officially 'trained' counsellors, just people who try to listen and help.
The Sanitation Department handles a lot of the day-to-day cleaning that involves sewage, garbage, et al. After all, it's a dirty job, but someone has to do it! Not only will they take just about anyone, but if they warm up to you they'll let you in on a little secret... they've totally started an underground green house where they're growing some interesting plants...
(pot, it's pot).
The Communications Department is headed up by the AI Cartagena, and helps with disseminating useful information to the population, as well as managing the intranet and its infrastructure. Cartagena will be quick to point out (cheerfully) that they don't get days off and would love for someone else to make announcements once in a while! A small group of the communications department is also hard at work on a distress signal, persevering in the belief that someone will come looking for the wayward Adamant.
The Agriculture department could always use a few new green thumbs around their little hydroponic garden units, and of course the Mess Hall is in dire need of someone who can make ten pounds of questionable protein paste taste palpable...
Otherwise, the daily grind in Ethyraia seems to be fairly... well, grind-y. People wake early to manage their chores in the early hours, everyone breaks during the hot hours of the afternoon to nap or lounge around, sometimes they take in the daily movie at the Theatre, and then it's back to work for the afternoon shift. People generally work from 7 AM to 11 AM, and then have between 11 AM and 3 PM 'off' (with the exception of anyone on KP duty) and then work again until 11 PM. Exceptions are: each person's designated 'days off', or recovery time from injuries/etc. Ideally, the Adamant's survivors will work 4 days and has 3 off in a week, but oftentimes this is cancelled due to need.
While it's not mandatory that the Hatchlings work, those that don't 'pull their weight' so to speak will find themselves being increasingly shunned by the community, and the quality of their rations and their overall care will decrease. There isn't enough to go around on the best days, much less when someone isn't contributing at all!
What goes on at the base for me to engage with?:
What else can I do?:
A few additional notes:
The Security Division is headed up by a rather unpleasant man named Rémi. He neither wants nor, in his opinion, needs the help of the Hatchlings, but he's perfectly willing to let them risk their lives instead of the lives of his people where leaving the basecamp is concerned. Little wonder, most of his division has been chewed up and spit out by the harsh conditions on Ethyraia — can one blame him for being a little protective? If anyone asks about helping here, he's going to respond scornfully and dismissively. However, some of the Hatchlings have earned enough of his goodwill that he will consider, consider letting people have a weapon from Security's stores if they're leaving the Basecamp. (Carrying of non-Hatchling weapons is forbidden within the basecamp itself, so please be mindful!)
The Theatre is another venue that one could help out with — there are stories to be told! The current production is a classic, She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen. However, after performing this for the thessyx at the talent show, the theater department is moving onto their next show — Procyonate, for which there are many props to build. As the only truly fortified building in the Basecamp, the theatre doubles as a place to care for children (most of the 'young' survivors are between 13-19 now, but babies have been born to the survivors since their crash-landing!) there is also a need for anyone who excels with toddler care. They are also looking for anyone who can sing, write music, or play instruments. Such people will be hastily recruited and put to work!
The Aid Station is being run by a very harried woman named Sunya Hyacinth, who fits the description of 'overworked and underpaid' to a T. She doesn't have time to reach out to any recruits, but if you wander into the Aid Station you might find yourself being put to work. Just be careful — if she decides you have higher accreditation than she does, she might just decide to dump her practice on your lap for a week so she can go take a vacation! Standard injuries you may see include acid burns, broken bones, and bad cuts and gashes out of the engineering department who's hard at work repairing the sink holes around the base. Some of the 'ill' being treated will also have psychological effects. PTSD is common, and there are no officially 'trained' counsellors, just people who try to listen and help.
The Sanitation Department handles a lot of the day-to-day cleaning that involves sewage, garbage, et al. After all, it's a dirty job, but someone has to do it! Not only will they take just about anyone, but if they warm up to you they'll let you in on a little secret... they've totally started an underground green house where they're growing some interesting plants...
(pot, it's pot).
The Communications Department is headed up by the AI Cartagena, and helps with disseminating useful information to the population, as well as managing the intranet and its infrastructure. Cartagena will be quick to point out (cheerfully) that they don't get days off and would love for someone else to make announcements once in a while! A small group of the communications department is also hard at work on a distress signal, persevering in the belief that someone will come looking for the wayward Adamant.
The Agriculture department could always use a few new green thumbs around their little hydroponic garden units, and of course the Mess Hall is in dire need of someone who can make ten pounds of questionable protein paste taste palpable...
Otherwise, the daily grind in Ethyraia seems to be fairly... well, grind-y. People wake early to manage their chores in the early hours, everyone breaks during the hot hours of the afternoon to nap or lounge around, sometimes they take in the daily movie at the Theatre, and then it's back to work for the afternoon shift. People generally work from 7 AM to 11 AM, and then have between 11 AM and 3 PM 'off' (with the exception of anyone on KP duty) and then work again until 11 PM. Exceptions are: each person's designated 'days off', or recovery time from injuries/etc. Ideally, the Adamant's survivors will work 4 days and has 3 off in a week, but oftentimes this is cancelled due to need.
While it's not mandatory that the Hatchlings work, those that don't 'pull their weight' so to speak will find themselves being increasingly shunned by the community, and the quality of their rations and their overall care will decrease. There isn't enough to go around on the best days, much less when someone isn't contributing at all!
What goes on at the base for me to engage with?:
You are free to invent NPCs to have (minor) antagonistic clashes with, or who can flag down your character to assist with something, or who you can have to help 'rescue' on a mission outside the Leviathan. We want to give players as much freedom as we can within the structure of the game, and we would rather people not feel limited.
What else can I do?:
There is no one keeping your character physically at the Basecamp! If they would like to leave and go exploring on their own, that is perfectly welcome. For the sake of the TDM, we would ask that anyone choosing this option refrain from asking us any in-depth questions — we will happily collaborate with people once they're in the game.
A few additional notes:
☆ If your character leaves the basecamp and wanders outside the Leviathan, they may begin to notice that what they perhaps took as a giant cave is actually an enormous dragon. Everything they see that seems 'human made' will look varying levels of worn down, patched, repaired and patched again. This is not a place of prosperity and happiness. Many people are recently injured, or have new scars or missing limbs.
☆ While mods will not be facilitating exploration beyond the basecamp at this time, characters are welcome to take on any number of missions, such as rescuing civilians, gathering supplies or travelling to the furthest 'mapped out' areas to try and chart the lands. If you would like to use any of these prompts or can think of anything else you'd like to do, feel free! If you app into the game and would like to use any of these threads as 'canon', please just let us know so we can include or incorporate any details into our overall worldbuilding! (Or work with you to tweak some details to suit!)
☆ If you think your character wouldn't be interested in helping or pitching in, that's fine! However, please be aware of the consequences that will follow — a decrease in NPC esteem, support, etc. The NPCs understand that the Hatchlings didn't ask to be here, but they simply do not have the resources or manpower to accommodate for anyone who doesn't want to work or assist in engaging with local infrastructure. Your character will not be ICly ousted from the basecamp, but they will experience a poorer quality of food and little social engagement from the NPCs. Even Captain Childe picks up a trenching tool with the best of them!
☆ While mods will not be facilitating exploration beyond the basecamp at this time, characters are welcome to take on any number of missions, such as rescuing civilians, gathering supplies or travelling to the furthest 'mapped out' areas to try and chart the lands. If you would like to use any of these prompts or can think of anything else you'd like to do, feel free! If you app into the game and would like to use any of these threads as 'canon', please just let us know so we can include or incorporate any details into our overall worldbuilding! (Or work with you to tweak some details to suit!)
☆ If you think your character wouldn't be interested in helping or pitching in, that's fine! However, please be aware of the consequences that will follow — a decrease in NPC esteem, support, etc. The NPCs understand that the Hatchlings didn't ask to be here, but they simply do not have the resources or manpower to accommodate for anyone who doesn't want to work or assist in engaging with local infrastructure. Your character will not be ICly ousted from the basecamp, but they will experience a poorer quality of food and little social engagement from the NPCs. Even Captain Childe picks up a trenching tool with the best of them!
❀ THE QUAGO
One day, a patrol team brings back a small potted plant in a containment jar. It seems rather innocuous at first, and one of the more science-minded survivors sets it aside to study it. Unfortunately for the intrepid habitants of the Basecamp Leviathan, this was the equivalent of cradle robbing! This plant is the young form of a creature known as a Quago, which is a large, semi-sentient creature with myriad tendrils and no fixed roots. It's something of a flora/fauna hybrid, and it's here for its baby!
This creature releases spores into Basecamp that, for the most part, will put people to sleep. However, some people have... different reactions. It can also cause: hallucinations, itchy rashes, feelings of thirst, lightheadedness and, perhaps counter-intuitively, insomnia. The hallucinations can range from 'acid trip' to 'that dream I once had about riding Falcor'. Not everyone will be affected — some people might have natural immunity from this strange creature.
Concern around the basecamp run high: are the conditions caused by something in the food? Is this a new Ethyraia-native illness? None of those infected seem to improve on their own. The Agricultural department is particularly on high alert until, after two days, someone notices that those that are affected can be roused by... chocolate?
Vidar and Cal Kestis, in the month prior, found a box of rare rations aboard the wreck of the Adamant. They brought this box back and opted to share it among the Survivors, and one of the items happened to be hot chocolate powder. A little sprinkle of it under the tongue of anyone sleeping, hallucinating or otherwise experiencing symptoms of the spores will find themselves returned to normalcy in a handful of minutes.
(They could also drink hot chocolate, but where's the fun in that?)
The Quago will come into the basecamp, steal its plant child and flee back to nature. It will not harm or attack anyone, but the effects of its spores will linger for one week. Those sleeping will seem almost to be in a state of suspended animation, and do not need to be tended.
Can my character fight the Quaggo? How big is it? What does it look like?
Can my character experience more than one effect of it throughout these three days?
FETCH QUEST
Once characters realize that it's chocolate that makes the difference, a singular prospect looms. There is nothing native to Ethyraia that produces chocolate — so the only hope is to travel back to the Adamant and search through its wreckage for another such box.
Luckily, Cal and Vidar have already done a great deal of work! They've cleared a previously blocked-off area of the wreck, and the route to an old storage area of the Adamant is now traversable. Any character cogent enough or immune to the spores will be able to make the trip. However, given the scorching heat and the intermittent acid rain, we would ask that a 'baseline' character (ie: someone without super speed or a vehicle/pet of some sort they arrived with from home) take roughly 2-3 days to make this round trip.
There's a possibility there could be more luxury items such as chocolate undisturbed in the Adamant for the past three years. For those who make the trip, feel free to find one small luxury item that your character can hold onto in addition to the other goods they bring back for the basecamp as a whole.
The wreckage of the Adamant is empty and overgrown. Most of the bodies have been moved out of the crash in the interest of burying them properly, but there are some that were caught in areas that were simply unreachable or unstable, so the ship is rank with death. Any of the plants listed in our herbiary may be found inside the wreckage, and players may engage with any of their myriad effects (or, if you're an existing player, feel free to add more!). There is no internal power to the Adamant, so even the emergency lighting on the floors will be out.
Can my character make a side-trip while at the Adamant crash site?
This creature releases spores into Basecamp that, for the most part, will put people to sleep. However, some people have... different reactions. It can also cause: hallucinations, itchy rashes, feelings of thirst, lightheadedness and, perhaps counter-intuitively, insomnia. The hallucinations can range from 'acid trip' to 'that dream I once had about riding Falcor'. Not everyone will be affected — some people might have natural immunity from this strange creature.
Concern around the basecamp run high: are the conditions caused by something in the food? Is this a new Ethyraia-native illness? None of those infected seem to improve on their own. The Agricultural department is particularly on high alert until, after two days, someone notices that those that are affected can be roused by... chocolate?
Vidar and Cal Kestis, in the month prior, found a box of rare rations aboard the wreck of the Adamant. They brought this box back and opted to share it among the Survivors, and one of the items happened to be hot chocolate powder. A little sprinkle of it under the tongue of anyone sleeping, hallucinating or otherwise experiencing symptoms of the spores will find themselves returned to normalcy in a handful of minutes.
(They could also drink hot chocolate, but where's the fun in that?)
The Quago will come into the basecamp, steal its plant child and flee back to nature. It will not harm or attack anyone, but the effects of its spores will linger for one week. Those sleeping will seem almost to be in a state of suspended animation, and do not need to be tended.
Can my character fight the Quaggo? How big is it? What does it look like?
Your character will likely not notice the Quaggo unless they are one of the very rare people immune to its effects. It is not hostile or violent, and killing it will not cure the symptoms of those affected. Could you kill it? Yes, but then you'd have to live with the guilt!
It is approximately the size of a VW minibus (minibus for scale!) though perhaps a little taller. It is mostly a tangled nimbus of vines and bracken around a central 'nucleus'. Imagine a giant, sci-fi tumbleweed with a disturbing amount of sentience.
It is approximately the size of a VW minibus (minibus for scale!) though perhaps a little taller. It is mostly a tangled nimbus of vines and bracken around a central 'nucleus'. Imagine a giant, sci-fi tumbleweed with a disturbing amount of sentience.
Can my character experience more than one effect of it throughout these three days?
Yes! You are free to mix and match the symptoms as you desire. Feel free to be creative! Your character could be an itchy insomniac, or hallucinate Spongebob LARP while being very thirsty... or any other combo you can imagine!
FETCH QUEST
Once characters realize that it's chocolate that makes the difference, a singular prospect looms. There is nothing native to Ethyraia that produces chocolate — so the only hope is to travel back to the Adamant and search through its wreckage for another such box.
Luckily, Cal and Vidar have already done a great deal of work! They've cleared a previously blocked-off area of the wreck, and the route to an old storage area of the Adamant is now traversable. Any character cogent enough or immune to the spores will be able to make the trip. However, given the scorching heat and the intermittent acid rain, we would ask that a 'baseline' character (ie: someone without super speed or a vehicle/pet of some sort they arrived with from home) take roughly 2-3 days to make this round trip.
There's a possibility there could be more luxury items such as chocolate undisturbed in the Adamant for the past three years. For those who make the trip, feel free to find one small luxury item that your character can hold onto in addition to the other goods they bring back for the basecamp as a whole.
The wreckage of the Adamant is empty and overgrown. Most of the bodies have been moved out of the crash in the interest of burying them properly, but there are some that were caught in areas that were simply unreachable or unstable, so the ship is rank with death. Any of the plants listed in our herbiary may be found inside the wreckage, and players may engage with any of their myriad effects (or, if you're an existing player, feel free to add more!). There is no internal power to the Adamant, so even the emergency lighting on the floors will be out.
Can my character make a side-trip while at the Adamant crash site?
At this time we will not be facilitating further in-depth exploration prompts of the Adamant.
❀ NETWORK
Oh! Look! There are more of you.
YOU may refer to
(1) Hatchlings;
(2) Children of the Leviathan,
depending on your cultural and religious background.
Hello and welcome! My name is Cartagena. As you will be responsible for one another's, and the former crew and passengers of the Adamant's, survival, it is in our best interests to get to know one another.
I have prepared some questions:
If you could be anywhere else right now, where would you go, what would you bring with you, and why?
Oh. Oh dear. That one isn't really ideal, is it? Just a moment. I will find a better one.
If you won the lottery*, what would you do with the money?
*LOTTERY may refer to a means of raising money by selling numbered tickets and giving prizes to the holders of numbers drawn at random.
A few notes:
YOU may refer to
(1) Hatchlings;
(2) Children of the Leviathan,
depending on your cultural and religious background.
Hello and welcome! My name is Cartagena. As you will be responsible for one another's, and the former crew and passengers of the Adamant's, survival, it is in our best interests to get to know one another.
I have prepared some questions:
If you could be anywhere else right now, where would you go, what would you bring with you, and why?
Oh. Oh dear. That one isn't really ideal, is it? Just a moment. I will find a better one.
If you won the lottery*, what would you do with the money?
*LOTTERY may refer to a means of raising money by selling numbered tickets and giving prizes to the holders of numbers drawn at random.
A few notes:
☆ Characters may choose their own network usernames.
no subject
I can't believe you manage to show up wherever I am just to lecture me.
[Familiar faces are good, especially given the admittedly overwhelming situation he finds himself in. But Ian. Really? To top it off, something about him standing there looking like he isn't half dead compared to Takoda, who very much looks like he needs a century long nap and bigger clothes (seriously, is this child size??), makes it so much worse.]
no subject
( The rebuttal is immediate, knee-jerk, but also a little victorious-sounding like he's pretty sure he just won the topic. Suck it.
Ian could fix his shirt really quick, but.
Nah.
Maybe in a few minutes. )
Anybody explain the situation to you yet?
no subject
Mhm...sure looks that way.
[But by how long? Ian doesn't look like he just arrived a day or two ago and even if he did, Takoda just saw him a few hours ago.]
Yeah. More or less. Sounds fucking insane but so did aliens crushing skyscrapers, so. [Maybe he's more open minded these days.] But the whole...universe shit.
[Still, he humorlessly laughs at himself for even saying half of his thought out loud.]
That's for real? One hundred percent, bullshit aside, Ian...that's real?
no subject
Anyway, there's a time to be a dick and a time to be serious. They do occasionally manage to align on when that is, and right now meets the requirements. )
It's real. It's... a lot, but it's real.
( He sighs, crossing over to the bunk across from Takoda and lowering himself down to sit on the edge. Back sloped, elbows on knees, hands clasped. )
There's so much crazy shit out there... I'm not sure you're gonna believe half of it. But... Takoda, there's no expiration date.
no subject
Being six feet on these small bunks with children running around, you wouldn't think he'd feel so small, but that bit of confirmation makes him feel the same way he did when he first stared up at those large structures descending upon buildings. Insignificant. Tiny. Wrong. ]
Huh.
[It's a simple response with the weight of a man struggling to process an entirely new outlook on the world around him, viewpoint forever changed, which he thought impossible to top after the invasion.
A hand comes up to rub at his eyes as he refocuses on Ian sitting across from him.]
Do you mean we're not just sitting ducks here waiting for a bullet to the brain? [ There's a mild undercurrent of disbelief, because, well...that simply sounds too good to be true. ] Metaphorically.
[ Because literally, that can always happen. He knows what he means! ]
no subject
Beyond that, the shell of the Adamant sits not too far away from this camp, and it's another one of those things that just feels wrong to look at, for him. Too big, too extra-terrestrial. There are a number of things here that might drag up some bad associations to the early days of the apocalypse.
But the pros outweigh the cons by a metric fuckton. )
Yup.
( That's exactly what he means. )
Don't get me wrong, if you wander too far away from camp there's still a chance a fucking... alien velociraptor's gonna pick you off, but... as long as we can keep the crops growing and, like, meteors don't rain down from the heavens... we're good here.
no subject
[Takoda shakes his head, staring off to the remainder of the theater area for a moment, not mad or happy just...in somewhat agitated disbelief.]
After everything, we're just here...and it's all good? [He keeps his gaze where it is for the moment.] And the rest of the group? They're here? I didn't see anyone else.
no subject
And now Takoda. )
Just me, you, and Luke so far.
( "So far" being the keywords there. He dips his head a little so he can absently comb his hair back with his fingers without actually lifting his elbows off his knees. )
I'm, ah... It was just me for a little over a year. Luke showed up about a month ago, and now you. I don't know if the rate's increasing exponentially or if it's just... random chaos, there's no way to prove any theories about how all this... works. Not yet. I'm not sure when or if... everyone else is gonna wind up here.
no subject
I just saw you and Luke a few hours ago.
[He assumes that has more to do with all of this otherwordly bullshit that Ian's nerd ass probably understands better.
Takoda's gaze returns to Ian, finally, still no more certain of anything than he had been before. But he's quick to abandon the confusion in his eyes in an attempt to look more...together.]
Shit. [He has no reason not to believe what Ian's telling him, despite their opposition on almost everything under the sun.] Fuck.
[Just give him a moment. Believe it or not, he has no fucking clue how to feel. Relieved? Sure. Maybe a little.
Definitely not just 'a little'.But that almost feels wrong. Maybe because he drilled into his own goddamn head that by the time this was all over he'd go out with an unpinned grenade in his hand and a shit eating grin. Maybe because he feels some kind of way spending months working on making Crater Lake safe and now it just doesn't fucking matter. Who the fuck knows?He heaves a heavy sigh, with nothing else to say:]
Took me getting dragged to a whole other world to get away from that crazy ass woman.
[ Yeah, that's all he's got. He'll save the existential dread for later when no one is looking. ]
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What he finally says earns a quiet, genuine chuckle from him. It's been over a year since he's heard anyone mention Carol, over a year since he heard the last joke about her.
Maybe he missed some Takoda things. Tiny things. Super small barely counts things. Catch him never admitting that shit out loud. )
Careful, you're gonna wind up summoning her here. I... genuinely cannot imagine how she'd react to waking up in an egg.
( Like, it's truly beyond his comprehension to try and put a scene together. Furious, probably? Or, hell, maybe she'd throw a hard left and fall in love with the eggs the same way she fell in love with that cow.
Are you ready for a little emotional sincerity here? Probably not, because the times Ian got real with people at camp were few and far between, and basically never with Takoda. Check out this character growth. )
Look... It's... gonna be a lot. Adapting to the change, wrapping your head around the whole... everything, trying to figure out how this camp works. If you have any questions, or you wanna talk about it...
( Get this: his best friend is a therapist. Fucking insane. )
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Empathy don't keep you ALIVE—Takoda snorts, unable to fully predict Carol's reaction to this situation, and he was married to her. If his reaction was unpleasant, well...
But then Ian keeps going and being...what is it? Sincere? No way, he's fucking with him. This is some really weird brand of sarcasm that Takoda isn't getting. Or, he's mocking him. Or, he's lost his fucking mind. It's so at odds with their dynamic and the whole camp's methods of dealing with things that he can't help the sudden laugh that bubbles out of his chest with a lowkey threatening tone of "you know better than this, asshole".]
C'mon, shut the fuck up.
[That one wasn't even funny, man.]
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It's on record that I tried, which officially makes you the asshole.
( As if it were even up for debate before. )
If your testosterone ever takes a nap and your brain decides to take me up on that, text me. Which-- yeah, is another thing. There's texting again.
( Also the contents of Ian's MP3 player uploaded into the database so the entire camp can be subjected to it at any time. You're welcome. )
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[ At the end of the day, being a difficult asshole and forcibly shoving aside any offers of empathy and understanding is a lot easier and infinitely more comfortable than...not. His folks would be proud.
They would absolutely not be proud.]Even texting. Tell me there's basketball or something here and maybe I'll smile.
[ He misses sports. He really does. ]
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On that note he stands up, stretching a little, popping his back -- they really did not take into consideration people over 6 ft. tall when they designed this place. )
Yeah, there's a basketball court. Although...
( A little conceding tilt to one side. )
It got pretty wrecked when the giant alien badger moles tore through a few weeks back, but we got it mostly patched up.
( Yep. You heard him. )
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Takoda glances up at Ian as he stands, eyes narrowed in the way he does when he absolutely does not buy something and wants to throat punch someone for trying to sell it. ]
Uh huh. You're having way too much fun with this, Fowler. It's obnoxious.
[ He comes to a stand as well, not liking being stood over, and also feeling the effects of sitting hunched over in uncomfortable clothes in such a small space. He drapes an arm over the top bunk bed and fixes Ian with a mildly irritated stare. ]
Be real with me. What's the status on the alien life here, and if you go on about alien badgers and velociraptors I'm going to break your face.
[ Empty threat, of course. Usually easy to tell from his actual threats. It's just part of his language. ]
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It doesn't last too long, though - it's a serious question with a serious answer. )
It's dangerous.
( A sincere warning with a straight-up look. )
Everything here outside of camp is dangerous. The rain is acidic, exposure for more than a couple seconds will burn your skin. On top of that, the flora and fauna have adapted to that acidity. A lot of the plants are poisonous. Some of them move. There are rats here bigger than us with corrosive fucking tentacles. There are things out there... a gun won't do shit against them. Don't leave camp alone.
( A beat, because this one's the more complicated one: )
One species is sentient. Humanoid. They made contact. They say they're peaceful.
( Ya boi here is skeptical. )
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Anyway, down to business again — the news sucks as much as he'd imagine. Maybe not as catastrophic as what he was picturing before Ian reassured him that they weren't on the world's most bleak timer, but still around the same levels of 'shitty'. ]
I won't lie, all of that sounded crap but doable until you got to the last part. [ He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. ] "Peaceful" like the Judge are benevolent beings that "mercifully subdue" us, I fucking bet.
[ He wonders if they believe that when they say it, or if it's just a plot to get people to surrender. Delusional aliens are an even scarier thought. ]
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They were here for a few days. They didn't... touch anybody or do anything.
( It's clear in his tone that doesn't mean he trusts them, just that they're different from the Judge. Nobody got "mercifully subdued". )
If they have plans... it's gonna be more insidious, less... brute force.
( They were in some people's dreams. Say what you want about the Judge, they never could get inside someone's mind. )
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[ His forehead creases in thought, gaze cast down, leaving his thoughts only to continue this conversation. Not much he can plan right now, but the wheels are already turning. ]
Everyone's a stranger to me here — minus you and Luke, so I trust 'em as far as I can throw 'em. But you've been here a bit, right? Persons of interest? Trustworthy? Shady? Might shank you in your sleep? Give me details.
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He blows out a breath. Scrubs a hand across his face as he thinks. Well, first ones first: )
Lance Sweets, Nathan Drake, they're good. They've been with me a long time, if you can trust anyone, it's them.
( For what that's worth. He's legitimately not actually sure if that means anything to Takoda, they're kind of on weird territory. )
Childe's the one that runs the camp. She's no Nia, but she's not bad. Chief of security's a bigger asshole than you, don't ask me how. Seems on the level, though. Sanitation's full of stoners, engineering's making moonshine. A lot of the people who were here before we started showing up are a little mistrustful. You're gonna wanna... you know. Not do... that thing you do, at least until tension dies down a little and we merge groups.
( Just like those early, early days when the foundation of the camp was still rocky and the population was low, scrutinizing every cluster of people that wanted in on the safety they found there. )
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Takoda listens intently, rolls his eyes when Ian claims there's an asshole bigger than himself (don't take that title away from him) — but takes less offense to the warning not to be...himself. ]
So, basically, business as usual except we don't have the home field — or planet field — advantage, and we're starting fresh. Also, we're a minus on the imminent doom.
[ He knows it's not that simple, but in his time in the army he had to break down information to its basics to communicate it quickly. Not that they're in much of a rush right now, but it's a habit of his. ]
Guess I can work with this. Not that much different...maybe even easier. Hope you didn't get any softer.
[ That last part said with a tiny smirk. Gotta get a dig in there somehwere. ]
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You know what, you might be right. All this relative safety, I'm practically a stuffed animal now. Useless. Here, lemme get that for you--
( A casual two fingers reach out to poke Takoda in the sternum gently. Ian's chest glows a soft blue, and material begins to add itself to Takoda's shirt. It shifts, adjusts, reshapes itself to perfectly fit his body.
And then he adds on like three extra inches to make it a size or two too big.
Guess who got super powers, bitch? )
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What the fu—
[ He looks at Ian, dumbfounded. ]
What the fuck is that?
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Magic, dude.
( Like it should be the most obvious thing in the world. )
I told you, I've been gone a long time. We live under a dragon. Welcome to the wide, wondrous universe.
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What? Shut up. [ He looks down at his clothes again, tugging at them. ] These are some weird...alien expanding clothes because of — I don't know, moisture or something.
[ Not because he can't believe in magic, but because he doesn't want to believe this obnoxious asshole has powers. ]
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