// TEST DRIVE MEME_

[eluviomods]

// TEST DRIVE_ Welcome to Eluvio's Test Drive Meme! Whether you'd like to try out a character in the setting, get some samples for your application, or just mess around and have fun, this is the place to do it. If you're getting samples together, remember that you need at least four comments made by you in the thread for it to count. Pick any of the scenarios below or make up any of your own. This is space! There are infinite worlds and possibilities. If you'd like to thread out hijacking a ship, do it! If you'd like to get stuck on a remote planet with only one other person for company, do it! Take the wheel and guide your own adventure! The most important thing is to have fun! ➣ SCENARIO 001. Welcome to Oros! It's no vacation destination and you're in for an interesting ride. While the planet is big, there's not much to explore beyond the vast, stretching reaches of a boiling hot, red desert. Which means it's fun for the whole family! There are hostile aliens on the planet who aren't taking kindly to you, an alien on their planet. They're stronger than you and you're out numbered. Likely out gunned, too. But, really, good luck! You'll be coming back alive. For more information on the planet and things that may be found there, please go here and give it a read! There you can also find the missions completed in game should you need any additional prompt. Whatever you can imagine that fits with the setting itself works! [ PLEASE NOTE: Threads taking place on Oros cannot be used as game canon, as they required prior signups to participate, but the setting is provided so that you can get an idea of just one of the kinds of events that will be in game! ] ➣ SCENARIO 002. Congratulations! You've been selected to be part of the team being sent down to the planet around which the fleet is currently orbiting. Initial scans of the surface show that oxygen is in abundance, temperatures support carbon-based life-forms, and there aren't any large quantities of poisonous gases that might pose problems. Your mission is to secure a landing site, set up a camp, and locate edible flora and fauna. Stores aboard ship are running a bit low on food and it's projected to be another three weeks before the fleet reaches a station large enough to replenish supplies. Once identified, larger parties will be sent to the surface to help hunt and gather. The good news is, scans show fruits, vegetables, and animals are plentiful. The bad news is that once your ship lands on the planet, everything goes sideways. An unexpected ion storm sweeps through the solar system, shorting out communications between the fleet and the team. It wreaks havoc with the electronics planet-side too, temporarily shorting out the smaller craft's navigational array. Until it passes, about six standard days, you're stuck down there. And the bountiful harvest isn't without its dangers. Even the most docile looking animal will attack. Sampling the fruits and vegetables will cause temporary paralysis, hallucinations, and psychosis. Inhaling pollen will bring out a person's baser instincts. The planet itself is predatory, you see. Everything on it has evolved to entice visitors from nearby systems and kill them. And the fleet's unwittingly taken the bait. ➣ SCENARIO 003. It's been a rough day. Everything's going wrong. Machines are breaking down everywhere. The owner of your favorite business wasn't there today and the store was closed when you stopped by to pick something up. A coworker didn't show up for work, leaving you with an interested workload. And now it feels like you're being watched. It started about ten minutes ago, but whenever you turn to look, there's no one there. The feeling doesn't go away, though. No matter where you are, it feels like eyes are watching. Did you hear something? A quiet, scuffling scratching sound just for a second? Maybe you did. Maybe you didn't. But it came from the misshapen monstrosity that just punched a hole through the bulkhead right beside you. The creature makes a low, wet gargling noises and darts toward you: six to seven feet tall, vaguely humanoid, and covered in strange growths over which is stretched bubbling grayish-brown skin. Maybe you notice tatters of familiar clothing hanging off of it. Or there's enough left of its eyes to recognize the shape and color. Or maybe something about the noises it's making sound familiar. It's your missing coworker and it looks like the unfortunate soul ran afoul of that weird slimy creature the science team brought back from that jungle planet a month ago. The good news: you can kill it. The bad news: it can kill you. It's fast, it's hungry, and it reproduces at an alarming rate. A single bite can transfer the parasites in its bloodstream to you. Then you'll be just like your buddy. And that shop owner you like so much. And all of the people on Level 12. And... ➣ SCENARIO 004. You're welcomed and encouraged to make up your own scenarios. As you can see, there will be a wide variety of the types of things your character will encounter in this game. So feel free to make your starters as horrific, sexy, lighthearted, action-packed, or slice of life as you'd like. Make up a planet, make up a location on the Eluvio, make up a ship in the fleet, fight off a zombie alien invasion, there's no limit to what you can do on the TDM.

Comments

[coran]

[ Allura's fortitude in the face of this fleet's sensible-yet-hard-to-reconcile shifting of responsibilities is no less than admirable. While Coran is of course absolutely not old, he's made his rounds of acquaintances (or... did, back before everything went sideways), and he can say with confidence that handling circumstances like these takes a certain natural grace.

Allura has grace in spades, and he's not about to begrudge her a frustrated sigh where one makes sense. She's still here and actively trying, after all.

Many a dignitary would've thrown a fit about being downgraded to sample collection. ]

I do think so, Princess. [ He crouches down to dig a little at a suspect spot in the sand. Look, there could be plants anywhere on this weird hot rock. It's all part of the mystery. ]

You can't even outline a treaty without communicating! It takes days of paperwork and discussing terms, drafting things up in front of the right witnesses... Without communication, it would be an awful lot like two species conveniently deciding to leave each other alone for a while, for no particular reason!

[ And who ever heard of that kind of nonsense? ]

[juniberries]

[And it's precisely his...(ahem) centuries of experience that makes Allura certain this mission will go with little to no issue. Assuming, of course, that this planet didn't have any seedy underbelly of black market trades and goods, or gambling dens. But considering the desolate wasteland and lacking language of its residence, she feels this will be straightforward.

She kicks a rock with her toe, upturning it and frowning when nothing comes of it; just dust.]

You know, I am starting to think it was just that. [She turns to face Coran a bit better, seeing him already digging at a spot in the sand. Moving to join him, she crouches at his level, resting her arms at her knees.] Perhaps we should try to communicate, with the Feks at least. I know it is not part of our mission, but--

[It still feels wrong to simply peruse and gather information on this planet without so much as reaching an accord with its citizens. And, as large as they are, the Feks seem the friendlier of the two supposed intelligent species of the planet. Plus, they live in huts.]

I believe I saw that there was a village about three kilometers or so from the landing zone.

[coran]

[ There's the "but". He expected something like it. And damn if this dirt patch isn't quite taking him where he'd like to be foliage-wise. Coran gives Allura a semi-scrutinizing look, letting her get her thoughts put out there.

She doesn't entirely finish after establishing that she knows it isn't part of this mission. Something is bothering her enough to make her bring it up in the first place. In the moment, he mostly wishes he could pull on his moustache. On the one hand, this is a high point of interest and he'd love to get to know the planet. On the other, they've got a job to do and the natives aren't necessarily friendly. Can protecting Allura properly and satisfying curiosity coexist?

Of course, she's going to be here on the planet either way, and she might just decide to sneak off on her own if he tosses a wet blanket onto the fire. ]

Well, provided we still get our mission done in time, I don't see why we can't tread off the beaten path a bit in the process. Who knows? The Feks may be able to point us in the right direction, if we're lucky!

[ It's life experience. ]

But if things start looking unlucky, we'll need to be prepared to make a quick exit. I'd much rather avoid any trampling incidents.

[juniberries]

[It's a mix of curiosity and boredom that makes her want to head elsewhere as opposed to scrounging around in the dirt for who knows how many quintants. Seeing the creatures of this land in their villages and homes, perhaps seeing signs of some form of written language to try to translate and communicate with...it suits her expertise and expectations far more than, well, picking up samples of dirt and dried up flora.

Sure she has the drive and the sense to want to complete a mission to help whatever cause this still-questionable fleet has, but not until she gets to try to know the natives. See what they think of the matter. Even if communicating with them still seems night impossible.

Plus, she's a bit stubborn and hardheaded even though she does her best to appear the epitome of regal leadership and sensibility. And she's not stuck on a ship simply waiting for people to return from Oros. So she'll ignore the scrutinizing looking Coran is giving her, even if she trusts him completely.]

How long can a mission of scrounging for flora and digging up dirt last, Coran? I am sure we will be able to handle ourselves and the Feks.

[She rises from her crouching position, brushing the dust off her knees.]

Besides, perhaps it is important to see why the natives chose one area to settle over the others. There may even be more flora we can examine near the village.

We will be fine.

[coran]

[ She is the princess and most-trained resident diplomat on Team Forage. Advising is a role relatively true to its title: guidance to be taken into advisement during the decision-making process. Allura, much like her father, can always be trusted to follow that general lead. ]

-- alright. To the Feks it is! [ A planet and people that he doesn't have 10,000-year outdated knowledge of, that's also completely unconnected to Zarkon. This never happens. He springs up to join her, dusting his hands off on the legs of his suit. ] What better way to get to know a planet than to give it the old look 'round? Especially a planet we've never even heard of! Aimless digging might still eventually get results, but it's. Well, it's not very exciting.

[ Coran: Allura it's dangerous, I swore to your father that I'd look after you and I plan to keep that promise.
Coran, five minutes later: I hate sand. It's irritating and it gets everywhere. Let's find the mud huts. ]