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sexyspace2018-06-25 07:10 am
zhautasmods) wrote in sexyspace2018-06-25 07:10 am
Entry tags:
TEST DRIVE MEME #2
Awakening
The multiverse is sick. It’s dying. And it’s up to you to save it. Or, at least, that’s what the Zenith Corporation had told you when they announced their search for a cure across the multiverse. They hand-picked individuals to be "volunteers" for the next stage of experimentation. Maybe they made it sound dire, maybe you already had your mind set to help, or maybe the specifics of how you could help was vague. Considering the alternative was wasting away on your home planet with no promise of when this cure might actually come to fruition, it ultimately wasn’t much of a choice either way.
Everything comes to life the more awake that you start to feel. "Good morning, volunteer," sounds a synthetic, feminine voice in your ear. That must be one of the fancy features they advertised about the chip that was injected just beneath your skin. A projected HUD above your torso displays and scrolls through several readings about the state of your being. "A scan of your vital signs show that everything is functioning as normal." There’s a small pause. "Wait-" The spike of alarm that should follow that single, distressed-sounding word is accompanied by a light chime. "Emotional responses are still accurate, too. Thank you for your cooperation!" Without any further explanation or allowing for protest, she continues on. "I hope you enjoyed your nap! We’ll be descending to planet #05031941 - common name designated as Zhautas - in approximately three hours. There will be a brief orientation for all volunteers exactly one hour before landing. Due to potential unnatural stress levels upon awakening from stasis, I suggest a relaxing trip to the garden beforehand."
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
My name is R.O.S.I.E. and, on behalf of all of us at the Zenith Corporation, we’re happy to have you aboard.
Code CreditMy name is R.O.S.I.E. and, on behalf of all of us at the Zenith Corporation, we’re happy to have you aboard.
Say Aloe (Prospective Players Only)
Red lights lead the way to the gym, green will be your path to the gardens, ostignuh is- Wait, what do you mean the color ostignuh is burning your eyes? Huh. They must have over-corrected for your species. Oh, well. They’ll fix that for the next trip. For now, don’t worry about it. It probably didn’t lead to anything important anyway!
- The staff is much more attentive this time than they were with the first wave of volunteers. Poor feedback and the threat of losing their jobs if they don't improve their standing will do that! Unfortunately, it isn't just the colors that have been over-corrected. Despite how many times you tell the very helpful staff member that you're fine, they won't leave you alone. Are you sure? They can walk with you if you'd like. They can even hold your hand if you're overwhelmed! If there's anything you need, they're here for you.
Maybe if you find a buddy to walk you to your destination they might divert their attention to a different volunteer. The buddy system is pretty fool-proof, after all. - As you draw closer to the gardens, the lights in the hallway begin to dim. In fact, the only available source of illumination for a small distance is the thin green line across the floor guiding your way. Careful not to trip! There's handy railing to hold onto or maybe you accidentally grab the arm of that (hopefully) cute person nearby. It's kind of hard to tell and green isn't really a flattering color anyway.
Suddenly, you're stepping into a wide open space of twilight. Iridescent flowers dot the landscape for as far as the eye can see. They come in all different shapes, sizes, and glow softly in this simulated night-scape. Trees of shining magenta leaves and blue bark wind up to the stars. Or, at least, the viewing panels that allow the stars to be seen from inside the ship. Not to worry, it's entirely safe and beautiful!
The featured flower of this month is the Nykt Blossom. Be warned, however, that inhaling its pollen causes increased levels of oxytocin. This will cause you to feel compelled to bond socially with others. That is, you might find yourself a lot more friendly than usual! Maybe a little too friendly, even, if you're especially susceptible to its effects. - It's very easy to miss the warning signs in this dark as you step into the section of the garden that houses the more alien plant-life.
They'll fix that for the future, of course, but for now many volunteers are likely finding themselves subject to the same unfortunate circumstances. Coitendrils are in abundance here; they're a pretty touchy feely species.
It's a plant that thrives in warm conditions and grows at an incredibly fast rate to seek out these cozy spots. As it turns out, your body warmth is the highest temperature around and exactly what it's looking for.
Before you know it, long green tendrils are suddenly growing around your arms or legs in speedy spirals. They get everywhere in a matter of mere seconds. Their growth is aggressive, finding ways beneath the fabric of whatever clothes you happen to be wearing and to the skin below. The only way to reverse their growing hold is to cool yourself off and fast. Maybe someone can grab you some ice?
Orientation (Prospective Players Only)
Around an hour before landing, an announcement is made to everyone aboard the ship. It’s time to find your way to the amphitheater for orientation. If anyone gripes, they are reminded that it has mandatory safety information that the Zenith Corporation is legally required to cover. In fact, there's even a quiz at the end to make sure you understand all the technical ins and outs! The Zenith Corporation only has your best interests at heart. They also can’t afford another lawsuit or PR nightmare but who can, really? It’s only a half an hour long and R.O.S.I.E. reassures everyone that it will go by faster than they think.
- Are you way too cool for school? If you try to play hookey, the crew members of the spaceship are already on guard. You're not the first one to try this and they doubt you'll be the last. Try as you might to super sleuth your way around, there’ll be someone at apparently every single turn and twist you try.
It’s also very likely that in scrambling to find a place to hide you’ll run into someone else breaking the rules! Perhaps great minds think alike and you decide to try to defy the system together. Or maybe they’re totally just getting in your way and you decide instead to throw them to the wolves to give yourself a better chance at escaping certain boredom that is an informational seminar. The choice is yours, volunteer! - Whether you come to the orientation willingly or are dragged in by one of the staff, you’ll quickly realize just how bad R.O.S.I.E. lied. A half an hour feels almost like ten hours instead. The last time you checked your watch, it was somehow later than when you check it now. Is time going backward? It sure seems like it the longer you listen to the monotone voice read over colored flavor text clearly meant to engage but missing its mark stupendously. Even the motivation of a quiz at the end that needs to be passed in order to disembark seems to do little to nothing for your dwindling attention span.
Finally, there’s a break in the bureaucratic monotony. The faceless, droning voice introduces one of the staff currently on Zhautas, Jeneviere. He's assistant to the head scientist, Professor Quintalian, and freshly assigned overseer of new volunteers. He also looks like he absolutely doesn't want to be the one doing this seminar.
"Come now, Jenny," says a masculine voice off screen. "You promised."
"I know what I said," he snaps, glaring off camera and not seeming to care much for the fact this is a live feed nor that these new volunteers are expecting something a bit more professional.
"Then what's the problem?" the voice asks again. As it does, a tentacle wiggles into view and gives a reassuring pat on the deerman's shoulder. "I know for a fact that you like being filmed, Jenny, so really this shouldn't be so daunting-"
As he speaks, Jeneviere's cheeks suddenly burn red hot. He stands forcefully out of his chair and uses one of those hoofs to kick harshly at the source of the tentacles. There's a very undignified squawk at the attack before the video feed cuts out and a technical difficulties sign is displayed.
"... Right," the narrator from before says to break the undeniably awkward silence. "Just give us a moment, volunteers, and we'll get a pre-recorded seminar ready for you instead. In the meantime, let's open up communications with the facility and allow you to discuss with those already on the planet about what they've enjoyed most about their time on Zhautas so far?*
- Hopefully, you didn't forget about the quiz! The staff certainly didn't. After the pre-recorded seminar is run, papers are handed out. A quiet shuffle carries through the room as people pass them to and fro down the aisles. It all seems rather arbitrary and tedious but remember! You have to pass in order to disembark.
It isn't too hard. Or maybe it is. Perhaps it's just the pressure that you only have fifteen minutes to complete it. What was the professor's first name again? How many research facilities are there on the planet? Staff are scrutinizing your every move now, it feels like. Do you take the risk and try to whisper for help to the person next to you? Pass notes? Do what you must to succeed! ...Or you can just shamefully take the quiz again and again and again until they're legally obligated to let you off board. - Hopefully, you didn't forget about the quiz! The staff certainly didn't. After the pre-recorded seminar is run, papers are handed out. A quiet shuffle carries through the room as people pass them to and fro down the aisles. It all seems rather arbitrary and tedious but remember! You have to pass in order to disembark.
Welcome to Zhautas! (All Players)
Finally, it's time to disembark at the research facility. This time they have the right coordinates so it's as easy as stepping off the ship and to your new home away from home. Or, at least, it should have been that easy...
There's an awful lot of construction going on around here. Several beings with hard hats, power tools, and ridiculous amounts of glue are rushing about. They're shouting orders and saying "excuse me" where they remember to. Still, it can be hard to get a word in edgewise about the fact that you're new volunteers here to check-in. In addition to the construction, there's also an awful lot of important-seeming people walking throughout the facility as well that staff are far more attentive to than you.
In short, it's borderline chaos as you try to get your bearings.
- "Bad news, new volunteers," says R.O.S.I.E. in the midst of all the commotion. "We have your housing assignments but there have been some... technical difficulties in preparing the new rooms." There's actually been a lot of technical difficulties, period. Maybe you've already noticed with the lights randomly changing color or dimness, the vending machine that launched your drink at you, or R.O.S.I.E. herself glitching out periodically when responding. The problem with the rooms is that the doors won't open. Or they won't stay closed. Or that they open and close constantly and forcefully so it's a safety hazard. As if everything else going on with all the construction isn't.
"We're working on it as fast as we can, but for now, we've set up a temporary sleeping situation until its resolved." Everyone will be directed to one of the larger common rooms in the east wing of the facility while the rest of the volunteers are still awaiting their new housing as promised.
Mattresses are laid out in rows on the floor. There's plenty of blankets, pillows, and even some LED lights strung around the room to provide some nice ambience.
Additionally, there's a screen covering one of the walls for a movie to be projected on before bed. R.O.S.I.E. has chosen a thematically appropriate film that was approved by Professor Quintalian himself. Snacks are provided too! It's an old-fashioned sleepover, volunteers. Make a blanket fort, enjoy what's on for your viewing pleasure, and have - most of all - have fun. - What's a sleepover without scary stories? Flashlights have been provided and it's time to get spooky. Here's your chance to share that real thriller that you know from back home. Maybe another world has a similar tale! Either way, there's nothing like bonding over a little healthy fear. Right?
Or maybe terrifying strangers isn't your idea of a good time and you'd rather make shadow puppets instead. That's also an option! In fact, some people are trying to start a contest out of it to see who can cast the most creative shadows around. - The night staff comes around for one last security sweep. Get some sleep, they say. It's been a long day. Tomorrow might be even longer if they still can't figure out the rooms or where to put all these new volunteers for the time being.
As nice as that sounds, it's a little easier said than done. Whether it's the construction noise, the person next to you snoring, or late night existential thoughts it's difficult for sleep to find you. Maybe talking to someone might help? Or maybe you just need to go to the bathroom. Good luck crossing the swath of bodies, in the case of the latter, and who knows! You might find someone else having as much trouble sleeping as you that you can commiserate with.
Or maybe you're the one snoring. Do you happen to kick in your sleep? How unfortunate for the person assigned to the mat next to you. They might be courteous or they might tell you just how obnoxious it is. Whatever the case might actually be, you're likely in for a long first night here at the research facility.
Network/Bangr (All Players)
During all the goings-on, R.O.S.I.E. will prompt you to set up your presence on the network. Pick a username, a profile picture, and commence to shitposting immediately if you so desire! Additionally, if you want to get a headstart on your contribution to the volunteer program, why not set up your Bangr? R.O.S.I.E. even has an icebreaker question ready for you! They change every month. This month's question is:
(*Despite what you might actually put, know that R.O.S.I.E. is a little glitchy. What you wrote might not actually be what's displayed! I.E., you can totally use this as a misfire type deal in case your character wouldn't answer this question.)
bangr
Professor Quintalian | 35
Wake-up sex is the best, in my opinion. Hormones are more haywire first thing in the morning; it's just scientific sense to get your bang in during wake-up time.
| ✓ | ✕ |
| YES |
NO |
Extra Notes
- The BANGR code only works in comments, there is a separate code for entries!
If you're testing this code before posting it here please do so in a comment to an entry for accuracy! - TDM top levels are allowed for current characters and/or new characters!
However, current characters can ONLY interact with the following prompts:
WELCOME TO ZHAUTAS where new characters are on the planet AND/OR the network options available if they want the thread to be considered game canon.
no subject
The plan was to retreat and lick his wounds but even acknowledging the wounds are there and need licking is proving more difficult than he anticipated. So he continues to ignore them.
His lips curve slightly at the greeting. ]
I think you may be overestimating just how sweet I am, my dear.
[ He shifts over, giving her room to sit and rest her back against the wall, as he is. If she wants. ]
no subject
[She agrees with a wry smile, taking the offered seat with an ease that has the feeling of something else to it. The ability to fly has its benefits, and while it's a card she's keeping closer to the vest, she's not about to shut out all the subtle advantages it provides her.]
But ah ain't always rainbows and sunshine neither.
[Even though she's next to him, Rogue angles her body in a manner that she can speak with him without craning her neck awkwardly, but not so much that he might feel cornered.]
You remind me of someone from home.
[If it is him, even another version of him, the mutant knew better than to lie to him, or try and trick him.]
no subject
Which is also interesting. ]
That's for the best. Women as beautiful as you need at least a bit of an edge. Otherwise you might fall for any smooth-talking scoundrel.
[ His mind wants to wander to thoughts of Raven but he refuses to do anything but focus on this very interesting young lady. Who says something he very much did not expect. His eyebrows raise slightly. ]
Unfortunately, I can't say the same. You seem like the sort of person one would remember fondly.
no subject
Who's to say ah only got one edge? [Bantering with him feels comfortable, that pull of familiarity almost as intoxicating as it was worrisome.] And perhaps ah'm the smooth-talkin' scoundrel.
[Her grin widens as she tucks her legs beneath her from the side, settling in a little more comfortably.]
Name's Rogue. [Which doesn't sound much like a normal name, but there are few that call her Anna or Anna-Marie. He's technically a stranger, he's said as much and she could still be wrong.] An' thank you, for the compliment.
no subject
I said a at least a bit of an edge. Not only. The more the better.
You're welcome, Rogue.
[ He rolls her name over his tongue. Sounds like a codename. Or true name. One taken after events drove one away from that first name, that first identity.
He takes a gamble and offers his hand. ]
Magneto.
no subject
[Her grin hits her eyes, lighting the green of them up even in the dim light of the common room.
Her name started as that, all those years ago, and since then it's gained and lost meaning depending on the situation. It's too late to change it, and she has no desire to re-brand herself so to speak. Like Magneto, Rogue finds it suits her far too well at this point.
She takes his hand, grip firm without doing damage, but the moment he introduces himself, her breath catches and her grip tightens slightly as her eyes widen. While she's definitely surprised, her lips soon curl into a smile, eyes a mix of both happiness and disappointment.
He's not her Erik, but he's still Erik, right?]
Seems ah wasn't wrong. [She tilts her head, smile widening cautiously.] Hello Erik.
no subject
I'm sure you are.
[ He leans a little closer and lifts his hand, long fingers splayed. ]
I can handle a lot, though.
[ He isn't quite sure what to make of her expression, and his expression grows considerably more guarded in time to hide his reaction to her use of his name. He should have seen this coming. She knows him from the future. That's the only explanation.
He hates time travel. ]
You're a friend of Logan's, I take it.
[ No longer friendly or flirtatious. He hasn't gone cold, exactly. But he has closed off. ]
no subject
But then she watches the wall slam into place with frustration and hurt lingering on her features, her own playfulness diminishing.
At his words, her jaw tightens stubbornly and her eyes practically roll out of their sockets as she sighs.]
You bet your britches ah am. [She gives him an admonishing glare as she points a finger at his chest, moving to poke him in it.] Ah'm also a friend of yours. At least in mah universe.
[She sighs in frustration, hand dropping back to her lap as she glances away to try and quell the emotions wrestling within her. When she finally speaks, her voice is soft and betrays the sadness she's trying to bury.]
Do you think this is easy for me? To find a friend--someone ah care about--here? [Her voice becomes harsher, but the hurt remains audible.] Then to have them reject me for bein' honest with them? [She straightens, eyes narrowing, tone all strength at this point because she knows she's right.] Sweetheart, it ain't like ah came at you with malicious intent.
no subject
I'll be honest with you. [ He says, his tone clipped. ] I don't know about different universes and I don't care about the future. I'm done jumping through hoops to solve the problems that you couldn't solve for yourselves. I came here to get away from you people. Go find Charles if you're so helpless. He's dumb enough to fall for it again.
no subject
She's about to tell him all about how he's the one on dangerous grounds when he starts ranting. Her own brow furrows and she looks at him as though he's grown another head.]
What even are you goin' on about?
no subject
I'm talking about Logan and everything he's done to us the last few weeks. His heroic journey from the future to make us change things because of the war that he was too weak to win. How he disappeared and I still don't know if any of that actually did anything. And now I'm here and I'm not doing it anymore.
[ It's not just his sneaking suspicion that they failed at whatever it was they were supposed to do. It was the rejection. Charles had rejected him a decade ago, but Raven had been the thread that tied him to the rest. You are not alone. That didn't last. But what did? Why would that be any different? ]
no subject
Sugah, ah ain’t got a clue ‘bout any of that. Not from mah memories, nor from anyone else’s ah got knockin’ ‘round my head.
no subject
[ He sighs softly before trying to put the events of the past week or so in some kind of logical order. ]
I was in prison. I had been falsely convicted of assassinating the president. Charles, Logan, Hank, and some boy they called Peter broke me out of jail. They told me we had to go to Paris and stop Raven from killing a man named Bolivar Trask. Trask was developing the Sentinel program, which essentially are massive robots designed to hunt and slaughter mutants. Logan claimed to be from the future, and said that if Raven killed Trask it would lead to all mutantkind being wiped out something like fifty years later. Because after she killed Trask, the other humans would subdue and capture her and use her DNA to make the Sentinels unstoppable.
So we went to Paris. I realized that what we needed to do was kill Raven to prevent Trask Industries from ever capturing her. The others did not agree, and attacked me. After the ensuing brawl I was able to go off on my own. I found the Sentinels as they were being shipped to D.C. for an unveiling in the Rose Garden. So, I decided to override their A.I., which was much easier than you'd expect, and use some local landmarks to set up a public, nationally televised, execution of President Nixon.
Again, the others disagreed with this course of action and prevented me from carrying out this goal. At that point I decided to leave, as clearly...
[ What was clear about any of it? Just that every other mutant he knew had rejected him. ]
My ideas on how we ought to proceed are not in line with the rest of the mutants, and it would be best to reconsider some of my decision-making process.
I was able to make a public address, though. The world knows we exist. That is a good thing.
[ He is emphatic about that. Living in the shadows was not good for anybody, and only made them more vulnerable to abuse. ]
no subject
Until then, she respectfully allows him time to speak, trying very hard not to react negatively to some of those really dumb (in her mind) plans that he clearly thought were right. Murdering willy nilly just wasn't the X-Man, or Avengers, way of handling things.
A few things spark familiarity, such as Bolivar Trask and the Sentinels, the latter of which earning a very keen look of displeasure.
There's also a scowl at the mention of Raven, which turns to something a little more conflicted when he mentions his plan to murder her.
Her and Mystique had a complicated relationship, but she doesn't know what to think of Erik wanting to murder her adoptive mother.
One thing's for certain is that this Erik is certainly, without a doubt from another universe, and for the most part, she's left looking rather stunned at the whole thing. He's right about the mutant address, but his methodology, per usual, was quite extreme and non-conducive to peace between the species.
There's a moment of additional silence as she considers his recent experiences, and she certainly can understand why he went a bit off the handle at her.]
Well sugah... [She starts carefully, voice genuinely empathetic of large chunks of his experience.] As it turns out, mutants publicly executin' humans doesn't shed a positive light on mutants as a whole. [Because honestly Erik? Murdering the President?!] Even if bigots like Trask deserve that and worse.
[She gets wanting anyone consciously involved in creating mutant-hunting murder robots to suffer and pay for their actions.]
Bits and pieces of that were familiar, like people and the Sentinel Program, but otherwise it don't sound a lick like my universe. For example, the Bolivar Trask in mah universe ends up seein' the error of his decisions and dies while destroyin' the Sentinels and his lab.
[She tilts her head as something else cliques, her expression curious.] You know what the multiverse is, right?
no subject
It wasn't about improving relations. It was a show of force in response to their show of force. [ He falls quiet. ] Doesn't matter. It didn't work, anyway.
[ His brow furrows, and he gets the same feeling he got when they started talking about time travel. ]
No. I don't suppose you'd be willing to explain it to me.
no subject
It rarely does. Violence tends to encourage more violence, no matter the species. [Spoken like someone who's experienced this first hand, and repeatedly.]
Ah should make you say 'please' for bein' a jerk earlier. [Rogue comments with a tilt of her head, a slight smile quirking on her lips. It's an attempt to reinstall some of that playfulness into their interaction.]
Now ah probably ain't the best to explain this, but we're each from a universe, right? We all are. [She makes a motion to the common room.] Which means there are multiple universes.
[Now how to explain further? She hums and chews a bit on her lip before a grin splits over her features.] Think of how evolution splits and over time, species grow further apart. Now imagine that evolutionary tree splits in one place in one Earth, and a different place in another. Perhaps the split's the only thing that changes, or maybe there are cascading effects that cause the second Earth to be completely unrecognizable from the first.
Now imagine the trees are timelines and the splits are major events. Sometimes the same people exist but have led completely different lives, or other times there ain't much of a difference.
[She pauses, doubting that she's explaining it right. Hank would have done a better job.]
Ah just know they exist, and that friends have met alternate versions of themselves before--been to other universes. Then there's this place. [Oh hello frustration. She looks away as her voice betrays her emotion.] Ah've met people ah know here who ain't got a clue who ah am an' some ain't even heard of mutants. Teammates and past romances lookin' at me like ah'm a stranger.
no subject
Do you want to make me beg?
[ He listens quietly while she explains, his expression growing serious. It's logical enough, and if Hank had tried to explain it they may have come to blows so this is just as well.
He's quiet still for some time after she finishes her explanation, digesting this information. ]
I can see how that would be disconcerting.
[ He muses, blissfully ignorant that he's included on that list. ]
How do you know it's only the major events?
no subject
Patiently, he's given time to process all that she's said, quietly running through ways that she could have explained everything better. Technical descriptions were never her strength, not like Hank or Tony. She also resists the urge to reach out and gently touch his arm or knee. It's not her place, and his next words cause her to look away to try and cover up the hurt that swells in her chest. She reminds herself that it's not his fault, not a malicious comment, but it stabs her heart nonetheless.
Better to focus on the topic at hand. Rogue pretends to scan the crowd to hide her recovering expression.]
Ah'm sure it ain't just major events, but it's difficult to prove. Too many variables an' not enough observable facts.
no subject
He doesn't miss the pain that flickers across her face, either, but he can't imagine the cause for that. Maybe somebody she expected to recognize her who didn't--
Oh. ]
I see. [ He keeps focused on her, searching her expression for some kind of clue, though he remembers the way she approached him and it seems to be enough evidence. ]
Forgive me for being forward, but are you acquainted with my counterpart?
no subject
But she has no desire or plan to lie to him.]
Quite intimately.
[He proposed and she declined. It may have been complicated after that, but she still cares for him.]
Don't worry. We ain't together anymore.
no subject
He has my sympathies, then.
[ His smile is faint, but it's there. ]
no subject
[It's genuine and heartfelt, having wished her Magneto the best on countless occasions, but ultimately, he made his own decisions that pointedly diverged away from her own. Regardless, Rogue has experienced enough alternate universe versions of people and friends to understand that they are not the same people, as much as they may want them to be. Old Man Logan being an excellent example of this.]
Ah know you ain't the same person, even though part of me hoped you'd know me in your universe, for better or worse.
[Because they haven't always been on the same side.]
no subject
I'm afraid not. There's only a handful of us, and most are dead anyway. And the rest are not interested in my company.
[ You're not alone, Erik.
What a joke.
How stupid he was to believe it.
His mouth settles in a thin, hard line as he stares at the moviescreen, not really seeing any of it. ]
no subject
There's only a few moments where she considers that touching him might make things worse, but she knows that look. She's been that look, and she wants to be supportive. It's evident that his actions have ostracized him from those he cares about, something that doesn't surprise her despite causing her heart to ache, but he's clearly suffering from those choices.
With the fluidity of confidence, she slips her hand over to rest on his shoulder, gently squeezing it.]
Do not dismiss the resiliency of our kind so easily, nor the stubbornness.
no subject