acatalepsy_ooc | test drive # 2

Entry tags:

test drive # 2

I ▫ main	IV ▫ premise			XI ▫ applications	XIV ▫ activity
II ▫ logs	V ▫ rules	VII ▫ bestiary	IX ▫ canon updates	XII ▫ taken	XV ▫ drop/hiatus
III ▫ ooc	VI ▫ faq	VIII ▫ setting	X ▫ mods	XIII ▫ reserves	XVI ▫ players

test drive meme #2

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 dim, damp, with the trickling of what feels like rain. It takes a few moments for you to gain composure, to 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.

And, of course, because this is just your luck.

It's raining.

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.

For some, this place is home. For others, this strange land is new and dark, like a haze has settled in the air. The creatures in the forest seem to be stirring, and every now and then the sky will open up, and a storm will pass through, in varying degrees of intensity. Some will be easy spring showers, others will be angry, thunderous storms.

Not exactly the most welcoming place, but it's a start.

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. The rain makes everything feel a bit softer, but also eerie, like there is a secret being kept just on the outside of your vision.

Of course, this means you have free reign. This place seems easy enough to figure out on your own, with enough time to take a walk around! However- members who recognize this place may notice the lack of a certain figure, the grounds feeling a bit more empty, more abandoned, than they did before.

IT'S A FIELD OF . . . POPPIES?

The buildings of the Temple of Beginnings span out across a fair-sized field, intermixed with trees, open grassy planes, outside sitting areas, fire rings, and other oddly ancient but somehow structures. With the mist and the rain, everything feels a bit more ethereal, like there is life to every inch of what you see before you. Or like you've stumbled into some kind of alternate world. Around the temple is a ring of stones that do not seem to move no matter what characters may attempt, and beyond that is the forest.

The forest itself is more than just impressive - it is near-overwhelming. An impossibly ancient stretch of woods that crackle with magical energy. Within, there is all matter of fauna and flora, darting from tree trunk to tree trunk. The canopy is thick enough to shield from the worst of the rain, but still the water gets through, dripping down through the leaves and dampening the ground under your feet. While there is always a sense of wonder - and possible danger - in every stretch of this forest, nothing will come any closer than a brief glimpse out of the corner of your eyes.

No matter how you try, you can't quite seem to catch a full glimpse of what is moving about. Some of the creatures seem small, flittering through the air, while others dart through the trees, larger, more imposing. Everything here seems to be looking for some kind of shelter, so be wary of stumbling across something already taken.

There is a particular clearing not too far into the woods that opens up, a field encircled by trees. In the middle of the field there is an odd glow - luminescent even in the darkened sky. Upon investigation, you will find a bush - about the size of a small car - filled with glowing flowers, white, blue, gold, and purple. They all smell faintly sweet, but it's hard to tell with the scent of earth and rain all around you.

if you decide to pick one of these flowers, there will be no immediate recourse. However, the longer you decide to keep the flower on your person - or if, for whatever reason, you decide to eat said flower - the following will start to set in.

White: For whatever reason, you will have more energy than you know what to do with, and will be filled with the urge to shine. Ever needed a confidence booster? To a point that you need to get up on buildings and belt your favorite song at the top of your lungs? Well, now you do.
Blue: After some time of carrying around this flower, you will start to feel at peace. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, is it? Until that feeling of peace continues to grow, and continues, and continues. Soon you will feel so peaceful, it's almost as if nothing matters at all. I mean...it'll work out in the end, won't it? You're no longer missing home, missing people, worried about what happened and what you might fine. Everything is chill. Beyond chill. The most chill. But maybe out in the middle of the forest isn't the best place for a nap?
Gold: Congrats, you've officially become a hoarder! No, seriously, you will have this uncontrollable urge to grab things and collect them. It doesn't matter what they are, or where they are. You need to have them and you will find a way to make it happen. Hats? Rings? People with green hair? The world is your oyster, and that's the key word here - yours.
Purple: Suddenly, and without warning, you find yourself unable to...well. Go on alone, really. The first person you see, or that you come in contact with, will feel much like the savior of your world, and for the next five hours or so, you will be unable to be far from them. Even if you know the fear is irrational, you can't really help it, following friend or stranger alike, always needing to be just in arms reach.

Regarding further exploration of the wood, it will seem to go on forever. Getting lost seems almost imperative to existence within this forest, going on forever in all directions with no edge in sight. You could walk for days, weeks, possibly even more. However, the second that you find yourself thinking about wanting to return to the buildings from before, you find yourself cresting through the edge of the trees, back to your home.

RUN BY THE RIVER

While inside the buildings and in the main open spaces, the water doesn't seem to be building up all too terribly, un an unfortunate turn of events, it all seems to be rolling down a very slight hill, pulling just on the outside of the ring of stones.

The ground here is unstable, wet and muddy from the amount of moisture falling from the skies. So much that in some areas (the fighting area being one), it will start to collect into a dangerous combination of mud and moving water. It's possible to get stuck in it, possible to get lost in the flooding, but it's also possible to...you know. Have some fun?

Mud slides, mud wrestling, mud...castles? Whatever you want it to be, it's at your disposal! While the arena was originally a place to practice your powers, or any of the various weapons that are usually kept here, now you can do the same with a little added obstacle in your path. That, or it's possible you simply got stuck trying to make it back to your room. Hopefully someone will be by to help you!

CONNECTIONS AND COMMENTARY

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! ♥

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

So.

[He clasps his hands, shifting a bit to rid himself of some of the restlessness in his limbs. There are so many questions that haven't been answered, and Cayde doesn't fancy himself a very coy individual.]

They're all just considered criminals, then? I gotta ask, because we've got something a little like that it's just less-

[He pauses, lights flickering as he searches for the most diplomatic term.]

Less outright murder-y and more recursion error-y. And it's totally fixable.

[He'll let that fact hang heavy.]

No. Criminals wouldn’t be the right term. But they’re unpredictable at that point. Better to think of it as recalling something that needs to be fixed.

[Ah, but there it is. That strange discomfort in him that makes Connor want to dismiss this subject as what it is, contrary to his usual explanatory personality. But they’ve tread down this path, and he’ll commit to it for now. What Cayde says hooks into his attentions further.]

What do you mean, ‘something a little like that’?

See, I don't know if I can really think like that. You can't 'recall' a person.

[With ever small sliver of information gleaned, it feels as though Connor is treating his own kind like items, rather than living beings. It's honestly a discomforting thought, if Cayde is being truthful with himself.

But tit for tat, he'd offered his own tidbit up in order to learn more and there's no easy way to dance around the question. So he shrugs in what he hopes is an earnest manner.]

What I mean is the whole, what did you call it, 'deviancy'. Circuits getting fried, things getting...jumbled. Interesting to hear it's a constant, even on other worlds.

[And here it is, that sticking point. What the whole of this conversation was really spinning around, orbiting in motion against what he’s supposed to say, to believe — something that Cayde might already have an inkling about.]

That’s because you’re making a wrong assumption. They’re not people, they’re machines.

[He thinks of his own declarations on the matter, when questioned by his partner. Memory playing in fragments in his mind, even as he continues.]

And how does your world deal with this particular phenomenon?

[Ah, there's the crux of things and something that Cayde had hoped that he was wrong about. It doesn't sit right with him, and it reflects in the way his oral lights flash for a moment before he finds his voice again.]

Yeah, we're gonna disagree on that. People are people, it doesn't matter if their guts are mechanical.

[He's making a big assumption there; for all he knows Connor could be correct and these androids of his world lack sentience and perhaps that's a missing bit of information. But everything that he's gleaned from their conversation so far doesn't lead him to believe that that's the case.

He crosses his arms and shifts his weight to one leg, staring over with the most incredulous look that his race can manage. It isn't much, plates don't lend themselves well to appropriate emotional responses.]

Before I answer that, I got a question of my own: how does your world deal with it? After the whole 'taken in by the police' thing?

[A moment while he delegates which answer would be both accurate and appealing to a rational mind. (The priority of the latter decreasing by small percentages, as Connor takes in what he can about Cayde’s ever-growing disconcerted demeanor. The sound of someone who’s already made up their mind on the matter. The potential for an argument which is an unneeded stressor in these new circumstances, he tells himself.)]

They would be questioned and returned to where they were made and manufactured. Taken apart to better understand the root of the issue.

[A beat.]

Decommissioned, essentially.

Ah.

[It's hard to find words beyond that. The idea is horrid, and something that Cayde finds himself almost taken aback. It isn't his world, not something that he would ever abide in the City, but while there's a sense of anger at the behalf of individuals he's never met he' a realist. Whatever Connor is saying, that's the way things are where he comes from and there's nothing that can be done about that while the both of them have been (apparently) summarily plucked from their respective homes and brought here.]

Yeah, we're definitely going to have to disagree.

[It feels wrong to just settle things at that, but what could even be done? He's not rash enough to try to fight, try to force his opinion (his values?) on anyone in this new world.

It takes time for him to settle himself and refocus at the previous question, but eventually he just shakes his head and looks back out over the field of flowers.]

We wipe. Just....a whole dump of the old systems. Kick out whatever's wrong and start fresh and new.

[Agree to disagree. Fair enough, given that he’s fine with moving past this hurdle in the conversation, leaving it behind to press forward with new information. Connor is of the same mindset; impressing opinions onto others here will prove difficult, even if he essentially encounters other synthetic beings which, by all intents and purposes, might just fit into the category of “deviant” themselves.

It’s a difficult situation that he’s found himself in. Things had been easier, mere months ago, when it all felt so much more straightforward.]

A full wipe?

[Instances of that were not uncommon where he was from either. Androids often had their memories wiped, reset, for a variety of reasons. Damage, usually, requiring a clean, factory restart.]

And something like that is simply... agreed upon? [The last thing a deviant android would want, he knows, is to submit to a memory wipe.]

Yeah. Completely clean.

[Maybe he should take it more seriously, but it's just a matter of life as far as he's concerned. He shrugs at the question though, because it's honestly something he wishes he could answer. Maybe he'll try to jot down the answer in his journals before his time comes.]

Beats me if it's agreed on, I can't remember. It's just necessary for us. Sometimes you see stuff, and that stuff does things to your processors. You know what I mean? Except we're not like humans, we don't deal with the stress.

[He looks back over, one brow plate raised.]

We just kind of...save it all up. Break all at once. The only solution then is a full factory reset, scrub everything clean and start over.

[Interesting.

Connor’s eyes remain on Cayde, though, the lackadaisical sway of the flowers in the breeze nothing more than background noise and movement. He turns this explanation over in his head, seeing how it might fit into his own world. The conclusion he settles upon is unsatisfactory.

Stress could be a factor, of course. It likely was, going by the cases he’s worked in tandem with the police. And yet, a memory wipe, even for a deviant, did not guarantee that whatever flipped that switch would not happen again. If it was a software issue, then the potential still existed; if it was hardware, then the same logic applied, more so.

Ideally, a solution would prevail of a more permanent sort; and Connor’s job would be finished, his mission to aid in this search for an answer complete.]

I see. [-is the only answer he gives vocally, not reflecting all that’s happening in his head, betrayed only by the fluctuating flicker of his LED.

And then:] May I ask you a personal question, then?

I mean, you're already halfway to asking it. Might as well finish.

[There's no guarantee that he'll feel obligated to answer honestly. But they've come this far, and to be quite honest this is the most interesting conversation that Cayde's found himself in in quite some time. Not to mention the first time he's ever encountered another mechanical-type being that wasn't single-purpose.]

I'm assuming it's related to the whole wipe thing? Or am I totally off? Please tell me I haven't completely lost my edge.

It is.

[No hesitance in asking. He was given the ok, after all.]

Have you had your own memory wiped? And if so, do you keep a record of past experiences? That would seem counterproductive if you did.

[The android meant to investigate likes his questions.]

Six times, at least since I first rezzed. Could be more before that, no clue.

[It's not a huge secret, and six was a respectable number as far as he was concerned. Not the lowest, but certainly not enough to do permanent damage like one unfortunate gunsmith he knows. He makes a vague gesture with one hand as he continues on.]

And it's been a while. Past me liked to leave notes, they're pretty helpful. Makes you wonder who the old you used to be, though.

[Clinging to bits and pieces of a past life that he doesn't even remember...perhaps from an outside perspective it could seem a bit pathetic, but it's the only constant that he can assure himself that he has. Even if he's not even sure who he's writing to anymore, at least there's some written record he can fall back on. Even as incomplete as it may be.]

[Six times. Six times sounds like a significant amount to an outsider that doesn’t know any better. Six times where memories and experiences were wiped because inwardly, these same experiences became too much to store and process for a single unit’s mind.

He would have more follow-up questions to this, more relevant to the conversation at hand, but Connor finds himself mentally tripping over the use of one word.]

Sorry. ‘Rezzed’?

Revived? Woken up? Became not dead? It's kinda a thing where I'm from.

[Yes, because that's a perfectly logical and informative explanation that doesn't bring up more questions than it answered. With another flippant gesture, Cayde motions to himself as if he hasn't just opened an entirely new can of worms.]

Long story, kind of complicated. But to answer the other question, I could've been wiped before that. Definitely don't remember, so we're gonna go with six wipes for now.

[Okay, that's enough to derail even Connor's train of thought, which usually adheres to its tracks like it were the last thing holding the whole of the world together. Again, he tells himself that surprise should not register when he hears something like this; that by the very nature of the rules of the universe bending (and a magical witch) to bring him here, he should be quicker to accept ideas that normally sound irrational. Impossible.

So the subjects of clean wipes versus returning from the dead? Suddenly the two concepts are fighting for domination in his head. Probably noticeable by lengthy pause that follows.]

All right. I had more questions for you, but now you've introduced the concept of returning from the dead, and now I admittedly don't know where to go from here.

[At least Connor is honest.]

Okay, fair enough. Think of it like a perk of my job. You do your police stuff? I shoot guys and junk.

[To be quite fair, he probably sounds half out of his mind, but at least he's being honest? Cayde shakes his head for a moment, sparing a glance out over the field of flowers and the trees just off at the edge of the grove.]

So here's the deal: you're not a bad guy. Got a lot of questions, but I get it, I got a lot of questions too because the whole getting dragged here thing is kind of weird. Emphasis kind of.

[He folds his arms again, looking back over at Connor with a casual shrug.]

Now, provided you don't get too personal I have no problem answering questions; it beats the hell out of wandering around. Wipes, rezzing, whatever, that's all fine. But I'm thinking that out in the middle of the woods might not be the best place for it.

[He makes a general motion back towards the temple.]

So I'm thinking we go back to home base, sit down, and have a chat? Hell-

[It only takes a few strides to close the space between the both of them, and then Cayde's offering his hand.]

Haven't even had a proper introduction. Cayde-6. And you?

[He remains relatively unmoving, feet planted where they are, as Cayde closes the gap between them. The questions may continue, but not here; that is the gist of what Connor has gleaned from the many words spoken to him, brought concisely down to a singular point. He sees nothing wrong with that. Maybe it would be more advantageous to have this kind of conversation not out in the wild, surrounded by unknowns.

At least at "home base" they'd be surrounded by less unknowns.

But introductions. Connor thinks himself relatively good at those, and he reaches out to give Cayde a succinct handshake.]

My name is Connor. It's good to meet you, Cayde-6. [If a little... strange.] And I think you're right, it'd be better to proceed with this kind of conversation elsewhere.

[With a firm shake of Connor's hand, Cayde nods once before letting go and wandering back a few steps towards the treeline. Both browplates raise before he makes a grand gesture with arm, inviting his new acquaintance to follow.]

Back at you, Connor.

[He stretches for a moment, as if trying to work out any kinks in his system. It's doesn't really do anything, he doesn't have joints to crack persay, but it's more of a ingrained behaviour than anything else.]

C'mon then. You think they have food and stuff at that place? Think I could really go for a drink.

[And with that he's off, seemingly without a care in the world.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

test drive # 2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject