fishesoutofwater | TEST DIVE #3

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TEST DIVE #3

PREMISE & NAVIGATION ✦ RULES ✦ MOD CONTACT
TAKEN ✦ RESERVES ✦ APPLICATIONS ✦ HIATUS & DROPS
FAQ ✦ BASE ✦ BIOMES ✦ URSULA ✦ URSULA CONTACT

TEST DIVE MEME

Reserves open on the 17th
Applications open on the 24th
Check out our ATP/Enable Me meme!

NOTE REGARDING THIS APPLICATION CYCLE

For information about the animals and locations, be sure to check out the BIOME and BASE pages! Note that TDM threads can be used for game canon and several prompts are based on crew contributions to the base that are being worked on this month!

A: There’s a Storm on the Horizon
A brainstorm. On advice about the ingenuity of multi person parties, and from admitted lack of understanding of many needs of organics, URSULA has selected you and a partner (or partners) to go to one of the observatories with food, beds, and recording devices to have a jam session for ideas about missions.

You are not to leave the room until you have some good ones. So get cracking! Start suggesting to one another what the base needs to do.

Or get horribly, horribly sidetracked and possibly a little crazy at being locked up together with the ocean staring at you. Judging.

B: The Abysmal Sea
You’re stranded.

One of the planet’s troublesome signal-interfering pulses has just made your communication devices 100% nonfunctional. No matter how you try to call URSULA for help, she isn’t able to respond. The database strapped to your wrist is just a useless chunk of metal now, leaving you without a useful library of knowledge to survive off. If you were driving any underwater vehicle prior to this point, it’s broken down. And unless you’re a mechanic, it’ll be pretty hard to get it jumpstarted again.

Don’t fret! The communication systems always come online eventually, so if you stay put, it’ll boot back up and give you directions straight back to base so you can finally get home. But can you really afford to stay put? The sunlight’s slowly streaming out of the sky, leaving the waters darker and darker with each passing second. Soon, you won’t be able to see five feet in front of you, and the only warning you’ll get of any approaching threat is through sound, if they even make any.

You have a few choices: take a daring risk and try swimming back to base, but on the off-chance you don’t remember the directions correctly from before you were cut off, you’re going to get even more lost, in the darkness of the night no less. Or, you could huddle in, with any friends if they were unfortunate enough to be with you, and start focusing on getting warm. Because spending the night out here in the vast oceans with the entire world against you is becoming a very, very real possibility.

C: Test Drive Test Dives
The Robotics section of the laboratory needs your help! Whether you were a poor sap who got dragged into it or love working on robots, this is your time to shine!

A few suits need testing to get the kinks out of them. And you know, figure out how they work in general. So be a dear and get in one so the others can watch you flail around and discover how it works.

If you're not into being a crash test dummy, you can help do repair work, analyze blueprints of various underwater vehicles, bring in scrap metal to work with or maybe just try painting the Seamoth neon pink.

D: Camping Trip
Floater Island is the only real land around so even if it's a longer trip, it's nice to volunteer for an overnight mission there sometimes. Who doesn't want to camp out under the stars when you've been living under the sea this whole time? Attempt to make s'mores out of plants and that chocolate bar you have left! Play with Birdogs! Go for a swim in the lake! Try very hard to get some sort of emotional response from a Light Frog!

Well, sure, you're here on a mission but it's okay to goof off and enjoy yourselves with some campfire stories and freshly cooked Chomper kebobs sometimes. Just grab a few samples from the abandoned farm at least so it looks like you actually worked.

E: THE AURORA
Quiet except for the creaks and rumbles as the ship settles and shifts, the sound of Reapers screaming in the distance every so often, the Aurora is a creepy place to visit for a mission. The remains of those crew members not buried, and the belongings of many others, still litter the ship's halls. It might be nice to remove any skeletons you find.

Of course, their misfortune is your opportunity to catch up on some reading, browse whatever video games they left, get medical supplies and enjoy the comforts they no longer need.

But is it possible the Aurora is haunted? Surely not. Except sometimes you might hear voices from far away. It might just be the people you came on board with, unless they're with you. Or it might be a Cave Crawler knocking over some recording device. You're not too scared to check, right?

F: Farmville
Time to tend to the crops! That's right, the underwater farm needs your help. Some trees and plants rest on the seabed under protective covers that allow them to grow their leaves and fruits while the roots firmly keep them in the sand. Harvest some apples, more apples, oranges, strawberries and other delicious produce that sounds much, much better than a regular diet of fish.

And once you've helped get a basket full of crops for the base, it's time to cook them! But what are you going to make? Apple stuffed fish? Orange stuffed fish? Nah, get creative with what you have! Everyone is counting on you for dinner!

BASED ON CODE BY TESSISAMESS AND SUPERSUITS

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b: butler island

[ so. you're stuck on a floating island. the good news is that you are stuck on Butler Island because the population is currently one butler and yourself. and also that broken down vehicle that got you out here to investigate the island. dwyer has sort of glanced over the engine and such but honestly he...does not do mechanical things since he is from fire emblem, aka stuck in the middle ages. he's trying to learn just out of basic self-defense (it'd be stupid not to try when he's apparently Stuck in high-tech landia) but his so far meager skills do not measure up against the whole pulse-breakdown thing. ]

Well, this is a bit of a pain, isn't it? I've spent the night in worse places, though...Luckily for you, I always keep supplies for this sort of thing on me.

Care for some coffee? I can have some brewing shortly.

[ may as well make the most of it, he guesses. ]

e: eh

[ yeah, so. even if it is haunted, it's...whatever? dwyer is methodically checking through the room he's in, and while he hears voices on occasion, he doesn't seem to really react to them. though he does seem to be getting tired...

that last sound was footsteps, though. the butler glances up. ]

Ah...are you getting sleepy, as well? I find the dark and gloom rather calming...though a few people seem to be getting nervous.

[ this isn't the sort of thing that scares him. if anything attacks him, he'll stab it with daggers until it stops the attacking him thing, this is fine? ]

f: fuck this shit

[ how about dwyer takes a nap under one of those trees instead because that's definitely what he seems to be doing...until someone gets close enough to check on him, at which point he'll open one eye. ]

What? [ a sigh. ]

a.

[It's been awhile.

Like.

A really long while, and they're still stuck in here, but they have to remain positive. So if she sees someone getting antsy, Towa just offers a bit of a determined smile, clenching her hands into fists in front of her in a classic DETERMINATION pose.]

Don't worry! I'm sure we'll come up with some good ideas soon, so just keep brainstorming, okay? We'll do it together.

[POSITIVITY.]

c

[This is kind of pitiful.

Towa's willing to volunteer; she'll never shirk from hard work. But... well, the suit is way too big for her no matter how you slice it. She's tiny, and it's big, and she's trying to reach for the arms and it's just not working. She's dwarfed by it and also...she's kind of stuck.

Oops.]

Um... I don't think this is how it was supposed to work.

[A pause, and she tries to get out.

And tries. And tries again. THIS ISN'T WORKING, SHE CAN'T ESCAPE. help........]

( UNDERTALE SPOILERS AHEAD. If you want to avoid spoilers, let me know and I'll accommodate you the best I can! )

D

[Land, after countless weeks spent underwater. There was technically nothing wrong with the base. The architecture was sound, all their needs were catered to. But there was something about the ocean's weight squeezing against base that chilled them. On some nights, it felt like a coffin.

Claustrophobia is one hell of a fear.

But here they are, toes digging deep into the sand, water lapping at their ankles. They've caught themselves a small crab, have rendered it immobile by grasping it by the shell with both hands.]

Look. [They don't like talking much to humans. Towards those who look inhuman, there's a smile accompanying their words to offset their deadpan. With the crab sandwiched between their hands, they flip it upside down, then right side up.] A crabby patty.

[The child shines their light right at a skeleton. There's no reaction on their face, not a hint of horror or fear. Eventually, a small giggle escapes them.]

Looks like someone was tired to the bone.

[Are you enjoying your well-tended crops? Got a nice basket of good fruits? Well, worry not! This awful gremlin is helping themselves to whatever they can find from whatever's lying around! In fact, they may even be sneaking up to shove a couple of fruits down their shirt to run off with!]

Edited 2016-06-15 04:26 (UTC)

[ well, this can't get any worse.

the whole idea of swimming around in the ocean isn't that thrilling, really, for karkat. he isn't a sea dweller, and while he does not give a fuck about troll hierarchy or whatever, it's still kind of weird to be out in the ocean like this. it's not like he makes going swimming a regular thing, and his time here has probably been the most he's been in any body of water.

so this whole getting cut off from URSULA thing? he isn't happy about this. in fact, he's kind of starting to panic a little, and by little i mean he is freaking the fuck out. they are going to DIE or DROWN, which is technically the same as dying but. karkat does not care about those details right this second.

hopefully whoever he is with is taking things a little more calmly. ]

[ karkat isn't exactly big on goofing off when there's work to be done. he usually takes things like this seriously, even though he does have a terrible tendency of getting horribly, horribly sidetracked because his attention span can be shit sometimes but not this time!! this time, he is definitely actually trying to do his job.

... while yelling at everyone who isn't because. that's a thing he does. ]

No I do not want to eat a goddamn s'more, oh my fuck. What even is that? I do not believe for a single moment that is actually appetizing in any way.

[ ok so, karkat is tired of creepy atmospheres where it feels like he might die at any second so he is done with the aurora. after he heard about what the crew had got up to in here beforehand he was even more done with the aurora, which didn't seem physically possible yet here he is. wanting to leave. right now. ]

Can we go now? I think we have already established that this hunk of metal is shitty and useless now, so shouldn't we be dedicating our time and energy on something better? Like leaving? This whole endea-- jegus what the fuck was that.

[ it was probably just a reaper before horrifying out in the distance but no. nope. karkat is done. ]

a: a slumber party!!!!

[ wow okay this is the best job ever???? elise is pretty sure???? she gets to HANG OUT with someone (new friend or old, does it even matter?) and there's SNACKS and BEDS and it's basically a slumber party, right? she's pretty sure it qualifies. the princess is bouncing on "her" bed a little, gleeful. ]

Ooooh my gosh, okay! I've got this! What if we did a team bonding game thingy? I think that could be fun! We could make up a whoooooole new version of tag. Like, a special underwater tag! It could be training for the people who are like "no way, I don't have time to play!" and playing for the people who don't like training, we can trick both groups and have a great time while we're at it! And people can get to know one another a lot better! Wouldn't that be great???

[ all her ideas are being pitched in an uber cheery tone and with great enthusiasm. good luck, sour and dour types. ]

d: camping expedition!!!

[ elise is all about volunteering, so of course she ends up on an overnight camping mission eventually. it's not like she hasn't camped before, even if she's fond of being at the base where it's like an all the time slumber party without private rooms. it's not quite night yet, though, and she's...

trying to teach a horde of birdogs to play fetch. okay, elise. ]

No, no, see, whoever brings back the stick gets a treat! Okay, wanna give it another try?!

[ elise, they can't understand you. ]

f: farmville i think you mean tree climbing

[ so maybe you're actually trying to harvest things! elise has done some of that, if the baskets by the base of the orange tree she's by are anything to go by, but. she points dramatically your way. ]

Hey!! I challenge you to a tree-climbing race!

[ play with her a little! everyone could use a break, right? ]

[Dirk flashsteps RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIS LITTLE GREMLIN wearing a total lack of expression and a pair of shades.]

Hey.

Stealing isn't cool.

Also, the concept's pretty absurd when you consider we're dealing with a commune totally lacking in any kind of economic structure, so it's nonsensical for you to try to take that when you could just get one off a tree. Yes, the situation's pretty resource-scarce in certain departments. But the fact that everything we rely on is relatively renewable negates the pressure.

[Did you want to be a shit in peace? WELL TOO BAD! IT'S TIME FOR A LECTURE ON SOCIAL STRUCTURES AND THE ECONOMY!]

Basically, you're not stealing anything, since there's no true structure of ownership to allow any person to lay particular claims to an object legally.

You're just being an ass.

Edited 2016-06-15 04:33 (UTC)

[The child doesn't like interacting with humans. The less contact, the better. But this base was crawling with them! No matter where they turned, there was bound to be another human being. It made them homesick for life underground. And now? It seems like they're gonna have to deal with being stranded. Together. With another person.

Ah, Butlerby! Ah, humanity!

They kept a distance as they watched Dwyer tinker with the engine, fists tucked beneath their armpits. When posed with the question of coffee, they grunted.]

... black.

[They want it dark and bitter, like their tiny little heart is.]

[They didn't expect someone to move as fast as a monster and it shows with how the kid jumps, hands already clutching at the stolen apples protectively.

Oh. It's a bigger human. Which means even more obnoxious lectures which the kid doesn't need to hear. The child smiles through it. When Dirk is finally done, they throw in their two cents.]

If I were to return an apple to you, what would you call it?

b: stranded

[ hmmm. momo is over by the engine of the vehicle, concentrating, but... ]

My sensors indicate the issue isn't entirely mechanical...before the failure, there was a strange energy reading that didn't match anything I've seen before. I'm sorry, but...I don't think I have any useful data to offer here...

[ she sounds entirely apologetic about the matter. it's one of those moments where the observational realian programming is more apparent than that of a girl lost to her parents, although the sad expression is probably admittedly more of the latter than the former. ]

Um...we should probably stay with the vehicle, right? [ she'll go with whatever you want, even though momo is uncertain of the wise nature of like. leaving the vehicle in the middle of darkening night. ]

c: helping out

[ momo doesn't mind being a crash test dummy, and she's used to piloting mecha stuff anyway! so she signs on to this easily enough. it's probably less interesting to watch her do it since there's little flailing, but after she takes off the suit she's more than willing to discuss things. ]

I'm not sure, but...I think there are probably a few improvements that could be made. Um, that's just based on the things I've driven back home, though. None of those suits were quite like these, but if some of the same things were implemented...it might help out?

f: farmville after

[ cooking? sure, she'll give it a go. momo seems to be trying to make some sort of fruit salad. it's mostly just a matter of cutting them up and mixing them together, right? ]

Oh, hi! I'm sorry, I'll be done making this in a minute if you wanted the kitchen. Or did you want some fruit salad, too? I don't mind sharing.

Giving back an apple. After being an ass about it.

[Duh.]

b.

[Iskierka has no truck with technology as advanced as the database hooked onto her front leg, and does not give a single fig about the lost communications. But she is upset: she's used to being large enough to carry hundreds of men and fly through the night, and finding herself so small she might only be able to carry one a little way is just infuriating. And while she doesn't ordinarily mind water, no one really likes huddling up on a sandbar. Especially not one already crowded with fellow strandees.

. . . so of course the useful thing to do is to fling herself down on the little strip of land in a complete sulk, her scaly, spiky coils sprawling every which way and hissing hot, damp steam, taking up an obscene amount of room for her size. She may or may not have just tripped you doing that, or flopped a loop of her body right over you if you were already sitting down.]

This is entirely miserable, and I do not like it at all. At least on a ship we would be moving.

[At least she's very warm?]

d.

[GUESS WHO'S A FIERCE AND MIGHTY HUNTER

IT'S ISKIERKA, THAT'S WHO!

If you're on the beach on Floater Island you'll see a heck of a sight: a scaly, serpentine red dragon barreling straight through the Birddog flock in a clumsy dive, hot on a hapless Chomper's heels, ignoring the shrieking barks and frantically flapping wings all around her.]

Oh! Oh! You are not getting away! I am so very tired of fish!

[Help? Cheer? Catcall? Rescue the Chomper? Find yourself inconveniently in the way? Your call.]

Wrong.

It's an apple-ogy.

[And with that, Chara throws one, two, three apples right at Dirk's face! DISTRACTION!]

I can do that.

[ dwyer either doesn't notice or doesn't...care...about the child disliking their interaction and doesn't seem inclined to remark on a kid wanting black coffee. whatever? it will be the best damn coffee the kid has ever tasted, because dwyer is the best at brewing coffee.

he immediately sets about setting up a temporary camp site, although he's less rushing and more moving at an easy pace. some of the modern camping tools available to them via the base are quite handy here. like a lighter? saves so much time when you haven't got a mage in your back pocket. ]

There's no telling how long it'll take for things to work again...well, can't be helped.

[It's that same superhuman speed that lets Dirk catch every single apple and put it neatly back into his basket without even seeming to move.]

Okay, that was awful, but also not bad.

Thanks for giving 'em back.

A: brainstorming

[Setsuna's not sure how she's going to fit in here. She's not sure how she's ever going to fit in anywhere, really, but a place like this in particular with so few places to achieve any kind of privacy... it's simultaneously disconcerting and appealing. It's clear life as a well-kept secret is long behind her. Time to set forth into the strange new world of forced socialization.

That doesn't mean she's going to be especially good at it, though. For now she's seated, long legs crossed under her on one of the observatory's beds, and her pen is resting lightly against a still unmarked sheet of paper.]

What about drafting some kind of star chart? I know there aren't many tools but something rudimentary could prove useful.

C: SUIT UP

[While she's not the natural in the water Michiru is, Setsuna's more than willing to try swimming, especially if it means getting out of the cramped space inside for a little bit while also contributing to research here. She never expected to get to try a suit that turned her into some kind of technological mermaid but she's doing her best. Unfortunately, for all that they look flashy, the fins aren't the best for generating speed, or so she's finding.]

Am I doing something wrong? If there's no other way to propel yourself in this then I think maybe some more materials research might be in order.

[Her voice sounds tinny to her own ears as she uses the suit's communicator to speak to the team in the laboratory. If it's feedback they want, she'll offer it as best as she can. Otherwise, she's happy to have some time to really stretch her legs... in a manner of speaking.]

E: AURORA

I'm not sure I believe in ghosts.

[After all, a ghost would be some kind of being displaced from time and space and if that were to happen, surely she'd know something about it. This may not be her solar system or even her universe but some things should remain constant. That means something else is making that noise on the other side of the door, though, and she's not sure if the remains of the Aurora would survive her attack if whatever it is turns out to be hostile.]

We could just check another room. Whatever is in there will probably not survive till the next mission out here anyway.

[There's the technology to be comfortable, at least. Spending a few days on this island won't be too bad, since Dwyer doesn't seem to be one of those chatty, nosy adults. Those sorts of adults were the ones the child hated the most.

They sit on the sand, watching as camp is being set up.]

Can't we call URSULA?

[Please don't let them be stranded indefinitely!]

[Wow! Chara is kinda annoyed, actually.]

Show-off.

Probably.

[He picks up one of the apples. He rubs it on the hem of his shirt entirely because people do this on tv and he assumes it's important somehow? Then he holds the apple out to Chara.]

[Their mouth draws into a hard line. They can't read this older boy's expression behind those glasses. There should be nothing wrong with a kind gesture, but Chara's been living long enough to know nothing was free. Humans will always want something in return.

Even after all they've experienced, it's tough to break the conditioning of their childhood. They look at the apple before making a dismissive gesture]

I don't want it.

[Not anymore. Not after being lectured on communalism and snubbed. Chara adjusts the last two apples beneath their shirt to be more comfortable before starting to walk away.]

[ The man's certainly been through worse, so he shrugs when they're stranded, even getting down from his spot where he had been looking closely at the machine to see if he could do anything with it himself. ]

Wouldn't mind sharing some. I was looking to see if I could get it working -- and with some luck on our side that could happen.

But, taking a quick break is always a good idea.

[ He'll just plop himself wherever there may be a good seat or what he considers one anyway. ]

So, want to take bets on how long it takes us to get off this island?

Edited 2016-06-15 05:10 (UTC)

[Dirk considers it a moment and then makes his decision.]

They're from Dave. My brother.

Try to enjoy them as much as he would.

[There's something about this kid. Unsettling, something that sets the hairs on the back of Dirk's neck standing. Like he should be ready for some messed up shit.

Dirk knows Dave is crazy about his apples, but he thinks Dave wouldn't mind Dirk making this choice. There are still enough apples left to make juice.]

[Chara stops at the mention of Dave's name. Looks over their shoulder.]

I don't care about your brother.

[Looks back.]

I care about these apples.

[Frisk isn't here to guide them into being nice. So why bother putting up an act?]

You say that about literally every human food thing before you try it, man.

[ dave doesn't seem remotely bothered by the shouting because. he is used to it. he continues to try to press the makeshift s'more half into karkat's hands. ]

Look just take a fuckin' bite and if you hate it you can proceed to rant at me for however long you like about how terrible it was, you know you'd like that.

Don't worry about.

I'll fly you out of here if it's a Reaper. That's why I wanted a small team for this excavation. [Because Dave still won't let him Strife Reapers so he might as well make it easier to get away from them.

In contrast to shouty shouty nubs here, Dirk is very calm, and of course pretty much expressionless. He has surveyed the area, figured out what he wanted, and dragged it all into a pile for sorting. Now he's dismantling a large robotic suit so that it will fit into a sylladex. The bit where he can't fit anything larger than himself is a huge drag.]

Could you take half of this for me?

[ nah, chara's just got a fairly un-nosy apathetic teenager. so much better than a nosy, chatty adult. ]

Not currently. Whatever happened, it seems to have knocked out our communicators. Haven't you checked yours?

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TEST DIVE #3

dwyer | fire emblem fates

Towa Herschel | Trails of Cold Steel

The Fallen Child | Undertale | SPOILER-HEAVY

karkat vantas | homestuck

elise | fire emblem fates

F

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MOMO | xenosaga

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Iskierka | Temeraire Novels

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setsuna meiou / sailor pluto // sailor moon (90's anime mostly)

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b

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d

e

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