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acatalepsy_ooc2018-10-19 02:32 pm
acatamods) wrote in acatalepsy_ooc2018-10-19 02:32 pm
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test drive meme # 4
 test drive meme #4 It happens in the blink of an eye. One moment, you are home. Perhaps you are with your family, perhaps you are at work. It's a completely normal day . . . and then, suddenly, your stomach drops. You are overcome with a sudden sense of vertigo. You cannot see up, or down, or where you are. All you hear is a voice -- light, bubbly, warm, soothing, in your ear: Don't worry, darling. This won't hurt a bit~ ♥ For those who recognize the voice, it will sound a bit strained. Possibly tired. But the moment happens so quickly it's hard to pin down, and once that moment is over, you fall flat on your face. It's bright, warm, and humid. It takes a few seconds for you to gain composure and catch your breath. You think, for half a moment, that a hand is on your back, rubbing between your shoulder blades in comfort, but when you open your eyes, no one is there. You are surrounded by ancient stone buildings, with carvings you do not recognize etched into the stone. There's a sense of nausea, overwhelming and sudden, when you realize you aren't in Kansas anymore. Even worse, it looks like Astoria has started to feel a bit festive, maybe even a little spooky.  THE TEMPLE OF BEGINNINGS. Welcome to the "Home Base" of Astoria's Circle. What the actual name of the base is called is lost to the ages, and there's no sense of where you could find it, unless you started asking around. At any rate, this is a central hub of the Circle, a place of powerful magic and mysterious energy. It is a scattering of ancient stone buildings and for the most part, it looks abandoned . . . except for what seems to be a few items, some rooms taken, items moved or organized, even a small garden planted. These are just the smallest hints that there are people here that have been here before you arrived. Overall, it's fairly beautiful. However, it is definitely not modern. Upon exploration, you find that the buildings are kept up by some kind of magic. Some of the rooms have items, things from other Circle members already settled, and others appear to be unclaimed. Pick your rooms, explore the grounds, see the beauty and wonder all around you in such a magical place. However, be careful -- there is some additional movement around the Temple that seems specific to the time of year. THE GREAT PUMPKIN.  Fall has certainly arrived in the Circle . . . rich colors adorn the leaves, a crisp breeze is in the air . . . and in the center of the Temple itself appears to be a massive pumpkin. And, really, the word massive doesn't appear to do the gourd justice. It is nearly twelve feet tall and twelve feet wide, round and bulbous in nature. But what is even more bizarre is that the entire structure seems hollow . . . and the front of it, in a Jack-O'-Lantern facade, has a large grinning face.No one says you have to go inside it, but if you're so inclined to scale through the mouth of the massive Jack-O'-Lantern, you will find a couple of things inside! One, the thing seems to be full of bowls of candy. Some candy might look familiar, but most of it looks a little weird. Two, there are floating candles spread throughout the pumpkin, creating odd shadows that cast about as the sun goes down. Three, the pumpkin changes expressions throughout the day. When you aren't looking, it goes from grimacing to smiling -- and it never seems to happen when you look! Have fun celebrating the holiday, Circle. Astoria is just getting started. SPOOKY SCARY SKELETONS.  If the pumpkin wasn't quite enough of a giveaway that Astoria has become spookily inspired to welcome her new guests, then this will have to do. Because right along the outside of the Temple of Beginnings, there seems to be a somewhat constant and fairly thick fog. It's the kind of fog that makes you think there's something there. And with some exploration, you'll find...there is. Right in the distance there is movement, unnatural and sporadic. Any further investigation into the movement will involve you moving further and further into the fog. But be careful, because this fog is thick enough to lose sight of where you've come from. With enough time, you can catch up with the movement, to find that what you've heard and seen just beyond your peripheral, are...skeletons. Animated skeletons. They're humanoid, almost cartoon, and are moving with little to no direction. They just seem to be shambling in whatever direction they can, with no purpose or reason. They are entirely harmless. Except that if you get too curious, and get close enough to touch them, their heads will jerk towards you. They won't do much more, until you try and step away. It seems that by touching the skeletons, you've attracted their attention, and as you try to move away from them they will follow. And as they follow, they will attract the attention of other skeletons, and others, and others. If you're not careful, you'll collect an army. They will not follow you across the boundary around the Temple of Beginnings, but everywhere else you wander, you will have an entourage. Depending on how long you spend with your skeletons friends, you might even find out that they will answer simple commands. Like dance. FALL FEAST.  No matter how Astoria's thoughts on holiday cheer, she seems to have at least gotten one fall related item down- because on one of the days, you will wake up and find that in the middle of the Temple of Beginnings, where there is usually some green space and open grass, is now a very large table, extravagantly decorated. It seems to go on forever in each direction, which feels...a little impossible (but what isn't impossible here?) with plenty of chairs. The table has been decorated with fall ornaments (anyone familiar with the American 'Thanksgiving' will find quite a few similarities) with the only difference instead being the wide variety of food available. Astoria is not limited to Turkey and Stuffing on this day - but rather, almost any kind of food or drink (minus any kind of magical abilities it may contain) is here on this table. Food and snacks from every reach of every world and galaxy is on display. Maybe you're going to spend some time searching out your favorite from home, or maybe you're feeling adventurous and want to try a piece of whatever is in front of you - you think it might be some kind of potatoes? If potatoes were slightly bioluminescent? Also, did that side dish move just now? COMMUNICATIONS.  Upon arriving, you will notice on whichever is your non-dominant hand, you will have a fairly simply screen. A smart watch, if you will. Upon exploration, you will find that it has a directory of all those here with you at the Temple of Beginnings- names, and access to a direct message to them. The watch also has video, audio, and text capabilities, as well as what looks like a collection of messages sent to everyone who wishes to open them. This is your 'network', and also how Astoria can reach out and communicate with you. There is nothing keeping you from removing and/or losing your watch! But remember that you will not have access to this network without it. OOC: Also feel free to join us and other possible players on our discord server! enjoy! ♥ |
no subject
[He'd been busy asking about muffins and the food she liked. Not the most serious conversation.]
I guess we come from places with very different technology then. I'm not sure about the range on these, but my guess would be you could still communicate with people quite a distance away. At least, if it's anything like the comparable tech we have back home...we can instantly communicate with people all over the world and, with some delay, even into space.
I'm not sure I could demonstrate here. [He pauses, considering something. Then he smiles.]
But I could certainly try to draw you up some diagrams that might help illustrate it a bit better. It might also help if I had a better idea of what level of technological development your world is at and try to go from there.
no subject
[Space. Really? That sounds incredible.
Asami's eyes light up at the idea of diagrams though.] That sounds great. And I can tell you exactly where our level of technology is; my company is right at the forefront of it.
[She might be a little proud of that, okay?]
no subject
[But an even better lead is her admittance to being in charge of a whole tech company. Hunk looks impressed and excited.]
Oh wow you own a whole tech company?! That's awesome! I was studying engineering back home, never planned to own a company, but I did want to work on spaceships and the like.
Have you made it into the temple yet? I'm in the kitchen right now and I just need to find some paper.
no subject
[Which is complicated and then some, but not as painful to admit as it had been once.] But I took it over in his absence, and I've been trying to make it the sort of company that creates things to help people.
[Heaven knows she tries. But now, that light is back in her gaze as she leans a bit closer to the video as if to look at him more closely.]
You really work on ships that can fly all the way to space? Are they like airplanes? Have you been to space yourself?
[Questions. Sorry.] I'm in the Temple now. I can meet you in the kitchen. I'll be right down.
no subject
[Hunk is savvy enough to realize there might be something there about her father, but he's literally only been talking to this woman for a few minutes. If she wants to talk about it, she would. Instead he decides to focus on the thing that they both seem to be passionate about: technology and engineering.]
Well, I did...or was learning to. But that sort of got put on the back burner...but, yeah, I guess they still kind of resemble airplanes. At least the shuttles on Earth did. I'm not sure the same can be said for the transportation in space we've encountered since then.
[The Lions certainly aren't anything like airplanes, though he does make a mental note that she comes from a world with flight. Telephones and flight, but no television. He wasn't great at early-modern history but he was pretty sure that was about where Earth was in the 1900s.]
Originally I never planned to go into space myself, but that changed when I helped my friends track down one of the Voltron Lions. [He looks thoughtful.] It's all a pretty long story. Let me find that paper first and we can reconvene in the kitchen...
[Hunk will probably end the feed after that, he's gotta find some paper. His art skills aren't anything fancy, but he should be able to at least draw some schematics since he had to study several kinds of diagrams for different classes.]
no subject
So you have been. That's incredible.
[But all right, she nods in agreement.]
All right. [Reconvene in the kitchen sounds like a plan. It's only after she's shut off the communicator she realizes she hasn't gotten his name. Or given hers, for that matter.]
action
He sits at a table in the kitchen, apparently having already made a pot of tea and a snack to share with...oh crap, he hadn't gotten her name.]
action
Asami catches sight of him the moment she pokes her head around the door to the kitchen. There. She's heading over and lifting a hand to wave.]
Hi... since I forgot to mention it before, I'm Asami.
no subject
[He gestures at the supplies on the table.] I had some tea going when you contacted me...and some snacks. But I didn't get too far in the drawing process.
no subject
[She is just going to pull up a chair beside him and invite herself to have a look at what he does have down on paper.]
I think I was a little too excited to see what you know before, for manners. I'm still excited. But I'll try to be patient.
[And since the teapot is right there, she'll pour each of them a cup because tea sounds wonderful, honestly.]
no subject
[Hunk takes a sip from his mug of tea and then moves the drawing closer to Asami. He points to one of the sketches.] I was going to try and demonstrate how wireless communication works back home. I'm not sure how similar it is to the watch, since those have magic on top of everything, but I thought that might be a good start...or you'd rather hear about some other aspect of tech.
no subject
[Back home she has... well. Varrick. Which is a different sort of conversation all together. Her friends -- whom she loves with all her heart -- are not exactly a fan of tech talk for the most part.]
This is a great place to start. [She leans over to look at the sketch, reaching a finger out to trace lightly over one piece of the schematic. Okay.]
So it's not that different than how radio waves are transmitted.
I'm lazy and also not sure how to explain this very well...so here we go
Does that help?
no subject
[She nods to herself, considering.] It's like the technology has built on itself. That's really fascinating.
[She smiles at Hunk, all bright and grateful.]
You've really got a knack for this. I'm impressed.
no subject
I mean, once you have the ground work for stuff like this it's not too difficult. I think the most challenging part has always been that initial first step, once you've got that it's just a matter of improving it over time as people build on what's already there.
[Getting to space was hard, according to Earth history, but once they broke through that initial barrier it was a nonstop journey to improving space travel until they made it to the Kerberos mission. A decade ago that mission would have been impossible and now look where they were.]
Thanks. I've always liked knowing how stuff works. This is just the basics though, I'm more of a machine guy, but my friend Pidge is great with understanding communications based technology. Programs and data are more her specialty that mine.
[Of course, he might be selling himself a bit short. He might not be a hacker by any means, but it wasn't like he didn't understand what Pidge was saying about what she was doing half the time.]