test drive meme # 3

[acatamods]

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 #3 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 the tinier inhabitants of the Forest of the Fey are acting a little cheeky. 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 -- the sprites that reside within the Forest of the Fey seem to be exceptionally active, today, and tricks abound wherever you look. KINGS AND QUEENS. Typically, the sprites of the Forest of the Fey remain within the protective canopy of the surroundings. However, there seems to be something different in the air, and these little bastards are flitting about and giving out flower crowns to everyone. They are beautifully made, intricate and gloriously decorative, and most people would be happy to adorn one! There's just one problem, though -- they don't come off. No matter how hard you try, those damn flower crowns are stuck on your head, and you cannot remove them no matter how hard you try. Hope you enjoy being a fairy princess for a day. And, if you are alighted with a flower crown, your skin turns the same color as whatever flowers now sit upon your head. A wreath of blue roses? Congratulations, Violet Beauregard -- you're now as blue as a blueberry. The effect wears off in about an hour, and you can remove the flower crown then -- but have fun being every shade of the rainbow as the sprites take their time to torment the new arrivals. BALLOONS FOR EVERYONE. Normally, there are some animals that wander within the ancient stone buildings of the Temple. Tiny little white bats, sheep that grow on the vine . . . that sort of thing. However, the sprites have elected to add a little bit more flair the Temple, and balloon animals have invaded the living space. Where the sprites got the idea for balloon animals, no one can really be sure -- Astoria seems to think the sprites are waltzing through the spirit realm and seem to have garnered an idea there, whatever that's supposed to mean. So, no matter where you go, there are balloon animals. Little dogs, brightly colored fish, dinosaurs, giraffes . . . except they seem to move, and make noise, and act like their real counterparts. Tiny balloon dogs nip at your heels, balloon fish flicker about in the waters that sprinkle themselves throughout the Forest, and balloon birds float through the skies. Bonus? If you pop them, they explode into (biodegradable) glitter. DECAYED DECADENCE. Despite the shenanigans from the sprites, however, there seems to be something happening within the Temple that may be cause of concern. Flower crowns and balloon animals aside, there seem to be odd spots of the Temple that suddenly wilt . . . flowers that bend over and wither at a moment's notice, saplings that seem to creak as if suddenly dried from the inside out . . . and it seems, oddly enough, that it happens whenever you, an Arrival, get closer to the wild life. Astoria seems to think that something is wrong . . . perhaps something the Circle members brought back from their last trip. An illness, or something more? Care to poke about and see how far you're willing to take it? Or does your magical gift enable the protection of plant growth? Try out your green thumb and see if you can help. 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! ♥

Comments

[fashionabot]

[ An electrical storm sounds unusual. And being an android, thankfully she wasn't there to experience it. Storms normally have moisture from what she's heard, don't they? More importantly, what grabs her attention from his explanation is the mention of the androids and the nonexistent organic life. ]

...Did something happen to the humans?

[bleps]

[He pauses, trying to parse out the most concise way of explaining. The way her attention gravitates towards the lack of organic life is very much noted.]

A long time ago, there was a sickness that spread across the planet. It slowly destroyed all means of organic life, and the natives decided that the only way to "survive" was to upload their consciousnesses to machines. Primitive android bodies, as such.

Society developed from there as predictably as one might assume.

[That is to say, a completely technological, machine-based city.]

[fashionabot]

[ Androids are meant to serve humanity. What do they live for if they're gone? But these androids are different than what she suspected. ]

That sounds... strange. I was created with human memories installed, so uploading a human consciousness to an android body might not be all that far-fetched.

[ There's another thing that's grating her and she doesn't bother to hide her look of annoyance.

One of the ballon animals at her feet lets out a squeaky whine, almost as though its sensing Number 4's displeasure. Never use the terms machine and android synonymous with each other around a YoRHa unit, Connor. ]

And androids are not machines. Don't call us that.

[bleps]

[He wants to ask a question regarding being created with human memories already installed, but her last remark cuts that short. That's a sentiment he's heard before from someone else here that rings rather familiar.

Connor pauses only for a brief half-second, before replying. She's basically confirmed that she's an android, so focusing on that is a moot point. ]

...You're not the first to tell me that. Others here share a similar outlook on the word 'machine'.

[fashionabot]

[ She perks up rather quickly, eyes lighting up— hopeful. Her earlier search on the grounds for her comrades was without any luck. Did they miss each other somehow? It's difficult without having the functions of a Scanner model or Command to assist her in detecting any active black box signals. ]

Others? ...Were they from YoRHa?

[bleps]

[The flash of familiarity -- or the hope of it, at least -- is impossible to miss. Connor offers designations rather than information; the fastest way of either of them knowing.]

9S and A2. Sound familiar?

[fashionabot]

[ There's a pause of uncertainty. Since when did YoRHa start tacking on the letter of the model type to their designations? Her squadron were only known by their numbers. Number 9 should have died during the descent mission, but if Number 4's able to exist here, then perhaps it's not impossible for the rest of her dead comrades. ]

...Kind of. A2— that has to be Attacker 2. I've never worked with Number 9 personally, but... can you tell me where they are?

[bleps]

[Attacker 2. Made sense, if that was the case. A2 did describe herself to be something made for war, and she had been clearly much stronger than himself — even if their abilities had been dampened since their arrival here.]

I don’t know their current locations. Since we’ve all just freshly returned from our mission, everyone is inclined to either rest in their rooms, or explore the temple to see how it’s changed since we’ve left.

If you like, I can show you around the temple, and maybe we’ll be lucky enough to spot one of them?

[fashionabot]

[ It sounds like they're all in the same place, so they're bound to run into each other soon. No need to rush.

She smiles a little. She'll disregard the fact that he used the term machines for androids for now. More importantly, her captain is very likely alive. Meaning her sacrifice in the server room wasn't for nothing. ]

Sure, that would help. [ And she should probably get to introducing herself. They'll be working together on whatever mission Astoria sends them on, after all. ] ...I'm Attacker 4, by the way. Or Number 4 as my teammates would call me.

[bleps]

And my name is Connor. I'm an RK800 prototype.

[This doesn't mean much to anyone here, but it seems necessary to add to an introduction where another android is concerned.

He gestures at her to follow him, turning on a heel towards the temple. Little balloon dogs curiously trail at his feet.]

Would you prefer for me to call you Number 4, as well?

[fashionabot]

[ The prototype mention stings, causing her to briefly pause mid-step. A sad reminder that she's one herself, meant to be destroyed for a better model.

She pushes the thoughts back and continues to follow suit, adding a cheerful step to her gait. Another set of balloon dogs tag along close behind. They have a mini-army going on here. ]

Ohhh... you were given a human name? Lucky~! And calling me Number 4's fine. No one really calls me by anything else.

[bleps]

[The falter in her step is noted, but only in an auditory way. He turns his head just enough to talk to her while they walk, but by then she's already put more energy into her gait. Interesting, but nothing to remark upon right now.]

They often give us human names. There aren't very many who want to call an android by its model number. Names are easier to say, and in a way, easier to relate to.

[Into the temple they go, and down a hallway lined with doorways.]

These are the rooms where we're supposed to stay. If you find an empty one, you can go ahead and claim it as your own.

[fashionabot]

[ For whatever reason, YoRHa androids are never given proper names. She never really understood why. She can't help but feel a little envious. Connor doesn't look like any of the other, non-YoRHa androids she's seen. But he's similar to those other androids in that he actually has a name. ]

"They"? Who gave you your name?

[ She skips on ahead a few paces. At this point, Connor isn't really leading anymore. Still, she's listening as she curiously pokes her head into a few of the open doors. ]

[bleps]

[Connor doesn't remark on how she hops on ahead a few steps, the gentle arch of a brow the only real reaction to it. His demeanor remains friendly enough, and he’ll even pause as she pokes her head into an open doorway or two.]

In my specific case? The company that designed and created me. CyberLife.

[fashionabot]

[ Thankfully most of the open rooms that she's checking are currently unoccupied. No sign of Number 2 yet, however. Quietly, she wonders to herself if she can still adopt a human name...

When she finally stops rudely peeking into the rooms, she pauses in the middle of the hallway, turning to look back at him. ]

What did they design you for? ...Combat? Or are you like some sort of scanner unit?

[bleps]

[A shake of his head, when she turns to look at him. He’s continued to trail a few paces away, stopping when she stops — like a kite led on a string.]

Not specifically, though I do possess a subroutines focused on combat.

[Not much of a police android if he didn’t.]

My purpose, however, is to aid law enforcement. Detective work, investigations. That sort of thing.

[fashionabot]

[ Number 4 tilts her head curiously. "Law enforcement" doesn't strike any familiarity. There weren't any rules on Earth to enforce. The latter part of his explanation is much more understandable. Scanner 21 of her squadron performed work that could be likened to "detective work" and "investigation". She was also the cool and professional one of their team... ]

Calm, cool, and collected in a situation like this. Helpful, too. [ Merely musing aloud her small observations of Connor so far. ] It suits a detective android. Good thing we have someone like you around.