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sexyspace2018-07-03 08:30 pm
zhautasmods) wrote in sexyspace2018-07-03 08:30 pm
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TEST DRIVE MEME #2.5 (OVERFLOW EDITION)
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. - THIS IS AN OVERFLOW POST FOR NEW TOP LEVELS
feel free to add a link to your previous top level if your threads reach captcha
no subject
[She might not be able to stop him from picking through her mind, but she will absolutely know if he goes against her request.]
How about the broken rooms? The doors shouldn't be an issue.
Ten minutes?
[Oh bless your adorable heart Charles. He can't see it, but it does get her to smile, which is the exact emoji she sends as a response.
She arrives about five minutes early to try and calm her bundle of nerves, but finds herself preferring to stand and slowly pace the room as she waits. There's a bottle and two short glasses on a nearby surface, but it's untouched for now.]
no subject
I will do my utmost to respect your wishes.
And that would sound agreeable. I shall meet you there.
With best regards,
Charles Xavier
[ And he ends it with a smile, quite pleased with himself.
He'll arrive quite early as well, because he wasn't sure just which room she meant so he gave himself some time to figure it out.
He approaches her carefully but doesn't reach to hold out his hand or attempt to touch her in any way - which probably already tells her he's not blocking her surface thoughts at least - but smiles to her in a readily affectionate way. ]
Do you prefer Rogue or Anna Marie? [ he asks because he actually isn't peeking all that deeply.
He's studying her, though, not inside but outside and it probably should be wrong in so many levels but he finds her quite attractive. ]
no subject
His behavior puts her on edge, but so does this whole place. She's met a handful of people she knew and didn't know her, and it hasn't been just mutants. Avengers she spends time with during 'off' hours and one of the heroing community's on call lawyers didn't even recognize her, never mind the men she's had more intimate contact with previously. Actually, on edge is putting it nicely in regards to meeting an already different, younger version of her deceased mentor.
Her mental guard was up, but the fact that he's already skimming for little details, unable to abide by her fervent request (for his sake no less), has her ready for something unpleasant to happen. Casually, she returns his affectionate smile still shrouded in disbelief, leaning heavily on the actual happy emotions that the Professor is alive through the gesture as she steps closer, opening her arms in a request for a hug as her smile.]
It's Rogue only Professor. [Unless he already knew her, but he doesn't. He's not the Charles she knows. Not at all.]
no subject
The thing is, Charles hasn't discussed his powers with all that many people up to this day. He's made effort to keep Raven out of his head, he's learned how to block, but it doesn't come to him naturally. It's not that he has to go searching, it's more that he has to make a lot of effort to make sure that those surface thoughts do not enter his mind.
One could say he should wish he had gone one way or the other with her, either looked properly or not at all. ]
Rogue it is, [ he says gently as he steps to her and hugs her tightly, taking no caution in the process as his cheek brushes against hers. ]
no subject
It's brief, merely a handful of seconds, but it's enough to drain from him his energy, and along with that his powers and memories. Those voices, the feel of emotions radiating from the common room are overwhelming with the strength of Charles' powers, but that comes as an afterthought, as relative background noise to his memories. They're what cause her to push him away, not because they're all terrible and horrible, but because she has what she needs and knows better than to hold on any longer.
Everything he feels and felt are hers now, forever unless he removes them, but she's never been a fan of telepaths wiping her memories, her life lessons and treasures that made her who she is today. His experiences were no different, no less important and private, and while his powers are still there, they're severely dampened.
Absently her hands press into either side of her head as she tries to make everything settle, everything go quieter so she can focus, her eyes (quite blue now) wide and full of worry as she stares at him.]
Well at least ah know you ain't Evil Professor Xavier.
[Only he hears her voice in his head, not out loud. Her eyes show empathy when she continues normally (for her).]
You don't got full control either.
no subject
He should have known better...
It surprises him to a point where he lets go completely on the control he usually has on his powers and while she's experiencing his memories, so is he. Everything from the stilted childhood, questionable adult relationships included, his bone deep love for Raven, endless years of school and learning and learning, struggling with his telepathy, and then more recently meeting Erik and the rest of the mutant kids. Somewhere in there is Moira, like a glimmering little star. It doesn't end there, though, but she's going to get blasted with Erik's side of the story all the way until Erik's timeline. Great thing about telepathic loops is that there's very little privacy in there...
She's now the person who knows the most about him, including his fears and struggle with his hubris, his pride and stark fear of himself and what he could do if he put his mind to it.
No, he's an evil Professor, but there's that kernel of possibility right there, sleeping within him.
He gives a stuttering gasp as he stumbles back, pushed away and almost falls onto his knees. Had there been no wall behind his back, he would have. ]
...What... did you ... [ He almost asks what she did to him and then struggles to find a different approach. He might not be her serene professor but that possibility is also there, strong and just waiting to be honed to perfection. ]
That is your mutation, isn't it? Activated by skin contact.
no subject
Regardless, she can feel him with her, and the weight of it compounded with everything else nearly brings her to her knees. There's nearly an exhale of relief when she senses his experiences coming to a head, to a present, but before she's able to find mental footing, Erik's memories hit her abruptly and heavily. Hot tears run down her cheeks, but she doesn't feel them, not with the avalanche that's captured her.
When all's said and done, Rogue's full of so many emotions that are both theirs and her own, intense reactions to what she saw and experienced. She'd prepared herself for something similar to her Xavier's history, not Erik's, and there was nothing that readied her for the love they both had for Mystique. Those are feelings she's long since burned and buried for the blue, murdering and backstabbing failure of a mother-figure, and now they're coursing through her.
She should have known better.
It takes everything she can muster to restrain her reaction to merely her fists clenching against her head as her face contorts in a twisting grimace of pain, anger, and empathy. His voice keeps her from sliding back into the depths of the fresh (for her) memories, and she focuses on it while taking measured, steady breaths.
Because it's going to get worse before it improves. She knows what she needs to do, in the end, and that will bring complete understanding. But, only after more pain.]
Ah'm sorry. [The fact that it's said through clenched teeth probably is disconcerting, but she nods in answer to his question.] Ah had control once. You--mah Charles--helped me with mah mental blocks, but... He's dead now.
[Hence the trust issues and wanting him to stay out of her head.]
Ah... [She swallows, opening her arms out as a sign of surrender.] See for yourself... Please.
[To even the field, to apologize with actions, so that he understands her motivations, her struggles, and her relationships with her Charles, with her Magneto, and with the woman who helped put her on a darker path before she met him.]
no subject
And the rest is quite enough, isn't it?
He sees himself as a sage old man with no hair and it makes him both hopeful and sad at the same time. This is nothing but a brief fascination, though, because the issues far more important are not about him and his appearance. They're about the way he's managed to help someone, how Raven of all people has brought so much grief to this same someone, how in the end she had to be the one to see him like that, cut open and cold to touch.
Charles, as much of a prototype he is right now, is still defined by his compassion, his generosity and love. His first instinctive thought is for her, not for himself.
He feels like a roadkill, like her powers sucked him dry of life itself, his nose stinging with the onslaught of emotions, eyes watery and spilling quite uncontrollably. But he doesn't hesitate when he closes his eyes and draws her into his mental landscape where her touch can't hurt either of them, where those seconds can turn into hours and minutes into days. It looks remarkably like his library in Westchester but that's not important.
What is important is him reaching out to her and drawing her into a tight embrace. ]
I'm so sorry, Rogue. I'm not that man that you knew, but if you will let me, I will try my best to be a fraction of that.
no subject
The memories she kept as Legacy during the Age of X universe are protected, but not his son's involvement. There's her time as a member of the Brotherhood, attacking Carol Danvers and consequently begging her way onto the X-Men, her struggles and happiness with Remy, the constant complication that has so much of her love and sadness it's drowning, and of course there's the loss of Xavier and the havoc that's wrecked by the Red Skull. She doesn't omit the happiness through everything, scattered and far too infrequent amidst the constant battles for mutant kind. It's exhausting, she knows, and while having his powers she can't help but ride the emotional roller coaster with him.
To her credit, she's been holding it together relatively well considering the emotional barrage they're both experiencing, but when he makes the effort to use her remaining powers to pull her into a mental hug, the dam breaks and she sobs quietly, falling to her knees and eventually her hands as well.]
Ah ain't askin' you to be anyone but yourself.
[She thinks, unable to form words against the physical manifestations of her emotions.]
no subject
I know. I know.
[ It seems such unnecessary cruelty to put her through this just for his curiosity and he feels a stark sense of regret when he realises that this was exactly what she asked him not to do. To go fishing. ]
I feel so privileged to know you like this, Rogue, [ he starts gently. ] Still, I am sorry for going against your wishes.
no subject
It's the most intimacy and friendship she's felt since she's arrived in this place, and it's both intoxicating and comforting. There's no desire for her to move from his embrace, even as her sobs quieted to intermittent sniffs she still holds him close, her own hands moving along his back in a comforting manner.]
You're the only one who does here. [Honestly she doubts many others could surpass him at this point.] It's done. Ain't no going back.
[She shifts just enough so that she can peer up at him through a mess of white curls.]
Ah forgive you.