Test Dive #1

[subnauticmods]

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TEST DIVE MEME


For information about the animals and locations, be sure to check out the BIOME and BASE pages!

A1: Go Fish
You! Yes, you! Your friendly neighbourhood AI has a task she would like to encourage YOU to do! After all, you can’t forget the most important fact: you’re here to make the planet habitable. Which means cataloguing, capturing and studying potential threats to anyone’s life. That includes a swarm of Stalkers that have been hanging around the waters awfully near the base, which presents a perfect research opportunity! At least, URSULA seems to think so.

Don’t go in willy-nilly waving your knife around, though. URSULA doesn’t want you to bring in tonight’s Sashimi Surprise™, she wants you to bring in a Stalker that’s still kicking. Which means you have to capture a live one. So hold back your crazy power or trigger-happy instincts!

How will you take one in alive without ending up dead yourself? You could go in the brute-force way, slamming its jaws shut and bagging it, though it’s pretty strong itself… or you could be a bit more cunning, taming it with bait or giving it shiny metal salvage to play with before luring it into a tank to bring it into the base. You might want to get a helping hand with this task, since it’s not exactly an easy one-man job.

A2: Go With Fish
So, now you’ve got a live and very disgruntled Stalker on your hands! Hopefully, said hands don’t have to be amputated (it’s okay if they have to though, URSULA will fix it. Try not to watch the nanites go). What do you do with it? You could keep it as a pet and observe its growth! You could dissect it and study its anatomy! Or you could… eat it. (After going through all the effort to bring it in alive?!)

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: It’s dangerous to go alone. Take them!
URSULA’s technology is breathtaking. With enough materials, she could make practically anything: weapons, vehicles, all those human comforts and entertainments she forgot to build... or perhaps she could expand the base to give everyone even more leg room. But there’s a catch: you need to get those materials to her in the first place, and scavenging can be a monumental task.

The planet Iniidae has a plethora of materials to provide, but you’ve got to go find them first. Some are easy enough to get, by plucking off the ground or breaking a rock. But some are a bit more challenging, such as Crash Powder, seeing that the Crash defending it will literally explode in your face if you get too close. And then there’s materials such as Blood Oil, only harvestable within the Blood Kelp Caves several hundred meters underwater in the pitch-black darkness… remember, you have to gather resources with your two bare hands. No such thing as driving around and conveniently collecting them within the somewhat-relative safety of an armored vehicle.

Since it’s so dangerous to go alone, URSULA will encourage you all to leave the base in pairs or groups if you’re going to try collecting some of the more precarious materials to harvest. She has heard that most lifeforms find being reconstituted from nanites traumatic, so try not to die in front of each other!

D: Hide and Seek Help
URSULA knows that everyone needs downtime, and no one can go salvaging or gathering specimens all the time. So what do you do for fun on an alien ocean planet when the AI who made your base forgot to make any kind of entertainment room?

Why, play hide-and-seek, of course! There’s a lot of places to hide away from others, and it’s challenging to find anyone. (Sometimes, too challenging to find them… ever… but that’s not the point.) The area around the base and submarine is relatively safe, so anyone can hide away in a coral structure or a cave, and telepathy makes it easy to taunt your seekers without revealing where you are.

Of course, you may encounter a Bone Shark or even a stray Stalker, and you won’t have time to get away or even scream as it attacks you, but hey. What other way to make hide-and-seek more thrilling than to turn it into hide-and-hope-you-get-found-as-you-shout-for-help-to-anyone-who-can-hear-your-telepathy?

E: Toilet Humor
Really, it was bound to happen eventually. Someone's in the bathroom observatory, doing their 'business', and someone is trying very hard to catch a fish for dinner outside. Your eyes meet. Someone has literally been caught with their pants down.

And in that moment your telepathy goes a little wonky, because it's good to have open communication about this incident.

F: The Caverns of Dream
The ocean calls you. Of course, it's much easier to dismiss it as nightmares. You'll probably think that's all it is after you have them. Flashes of screaming sea creatures writhing in agony, pleading for help, but these creatures can't ask for help, can they? Something huge, beyond the scope of imagination, moves in the ocean of your dreams and calls out to you to go deeper into the darkness. It pleads and begs but not with a voice you can hear or words you can understand.

You wake up in a sweat with the unrelenting desire to take a swim, even though it's late and everyone is asleep. Or maybe someone else just had the same nightmare as you? Are you willing to take a swim and try to understand the dream?

BASED ON CODE BY TESSISAMESS AND SUPERSUITS

Comments

[octoroom]

A1 (or 2, he might try to eat it eventually let's just be real here).
[What about one octopus tackling this, though? A human-shaped octopus, mind, but with tentacles included. Fukami is taking a faint sense of enjoyment from wrangling what is, essentially, as shark-esque a creature as he's come across in this world thus far (barring bone sharks, of course).

Actually, it's kind of pitiful for the creature in question.

A Stalker is being held over the surface of the water, and it's currently wrapped up securely in three tentacles, one holding its jaws shut, the others pinning its fins to its body, writhing valiantly against a tight grip. Fukami, on the other hand, is showing just a... impassive expression like this is just another day, his (human) arms folded across his chest.

Yeah, no, that Stalker is definitely the pitiful thing here.

If you happen along to this sad sight, Fukami lets it writhe around in the air a while longer before:] Do you have a bag?

[Apparently he didn't bother to get one.]


B.
[Congratulations! You get to spend time in the ocean with... Fukami, it seems. He doesn't seem to be paying much attention to who's with him, staring off instead over the water. He's not very chatty. I'm sorry. Occasionally he'll bob in it, as though he's considering sinking down into the depths because he's an octopus, being in water is normal.

When the sky begins to dim is when he'll speak up, if the person with him doesn't speak first.]

Let's go back.

[In which direction, aren't we lost??????]

B

[infusion]

((OOC: Basic Info for you o/))

... Easier said than done, hon.

[Iona Oakes has seen a few strange things in her life. Octopus kid-person-thing is probably up there with one of the strangest. Still, he doesn't seem like he means any harm even if they're both stuck in the ocean right now.]

Though, if you don't mind me saying, it seems like you've been in an ocean or two. Got any sense of direction or am I hoping too much?

[octoroom]

[Hey now, he's more than a hundred years old and has been (basically) babysitting several other kids (also more than a hundred years old) for a while now. Fukami shifts his gaze over to her and nods briefly by way of answer.]

I remember where we came from.

[But, he'd given it a small bit of time in case URSULA would contact them. She hasn't. So it seems that it's up to him after all.] ...It's easier to navigate if we're underwater. [So, you know. Dive dive dive?]

[infusion]

[Geez, all these old creature/people...! Iona responds with a chipper tone that doesn't resonate well with the fact that they're stranded.]

Hope you don't mind me tagging along then! Though I doubt my swimming skills are up to par with yours!

[octoroom]

As long as you try to keep up, it's fine.

[He won't ditch her in the ocean, he's not that bad.

With that, Fukami sinks down below the water, blinking his eyes several times. Naturally, he can breathe here just fine. His tentacles twist to give him balance as he glances back, waiting for Iona to join him before he begins to swim.]

[infusion]

Whoop! There he goes.

[And that's her cue to put on her breathing apparatus over her mouth and dive in after him.

Once she's completely submerged and accustomed to the depth, she follows after him. Also, there's this nifty thing she wants to try...]

And talking won't be a problem if we do this right??

Wow this is weird.

Can you hear me?

Testing, testing, one, two three...!!

[She's an adult... Honest...]

[octoroom]

...

[The only answer is silence... telepathic silence. Actually, it seems like he mentally sighs. Who knew you could even do that? Fukami's currently being reminded of Memoca or one of the other energetic denizens of the Sea Kingdom.]

Are you having fun?

[Fukami glances around them, recognising the geography (roughly) and continues onward.]

[infusion]

[His silence is a lot like Oren's; stoic. It's a good thing Iona has experience with this though and isn't put down by it.]

Yeah! I've talked with some telepaths before, but talking with your brain never stops being weird.

Like, what if I start humming a song in my head while I'm trying to talk to you? This takes so much concentration!

[As if to demonstrate how not-still she is, she bobs up and down while swimming and even manages to catch up to Fukami so she's right next to him.]

[octoroom]

[She got it in one! Fukami is certainly the stoic type.]

If you do, at least try not to make it an annoying song.

[He glances over at her-- oh, she's keeping up better than he thought. Fukami moves with all the ease of a sea creature, his tentacles catching rocky protrusions to guide him around them. What he doesn't say is that he's actually concentrating as well, so he doesn't accidentally send her an unnecessary thought.]

[infusion]

I'll try, but I can't make any promises. ♥

[Her curly and unruly hair gently moves in the water along with her and there's a soft humming that can be heard from her thoughts. So yeah, she's holding back, you're welcome.]

Say, what should I call you? And er, what are you exactly if you don't mind me asking?

[octoroom]

[It's not too obnoxious, so Fukami can tune it out well enough as they move along underwater.]

Fukami.

[But the question of what he is earns her a glance.] I'm an octopus. [Like just look at him Iona isn't he obviously an octopus he has the tentacles and everything, he's just... otherwise human-shaped.]

[infusion]

Ah. Right.

[Awkward pause as she looks left and right. No base so far and URSULA has yet to call in.]

... So only eight limbs right?

[Cause yes, human shaped, so does that mean the legs and arms count?? These are very serious questions to ponder for the witch.]

[octoroom]

[In a wordless response, Fukami fans out his tentacles from under his long coat so she can see for herself-- nope. It seems like he has eight tentacles plus his arms (not that you can see his hands within those overly long sleeves) and his legs.

He's pretty handy.

Ha ha ha.]

B.

[undyingly]

[Wait. Has he actually been noticed? Honestly, Shiro has just been following this guy because he looked like he knew what he was doing. He also looked like he belonged in all this water, so he has to be the expert, right? Because his device isn't working, he has no idea which way to go.

So instead he's been trying to casually be a shadow.

He blinks and looks around.] Me?

[Wait. Yes. Shiro perks up with a smile.] Yeah. Let's go back. Sounds good. Lead the way.

[...please?]

[octoroom]

[Oh yes, you. Shadow. Don't think Fukami hasn't noticed him for the last little while, just following around behind him. Humans aren't quiet at all when they're swimming, not like sea creatures.

Shiro gets a long look for a moment before Fukami turns his face away.]

...I imagine you'll be able to keep up. Since you have been all this time.

[Uh-oh. Called on it.]

[undyingly]

[Hey. He's swimming pretty stealthily! Kind of. A little. No all right not at all, but at least he's not being told to go away. So Shiro can make this work. For sure.]

...aheh. [A sheepish laugh.] Guess you noticed that, huh?

[Ah well. He's going to paddle his way over.] I'll keep up as best I can anyway! I'll appreciate the help finding my way.

[He's confused, okay? Navigating isn't his strong suit.] You looked like someone who knew what he was doing.

[octoroom]

[Fukami gives him a look. There's no way that he wouldn't notice, is what it says. Except, that might be hard to read because Fukami isn't exactly the most expressive. He shakes his head, starting to swim again, his tentacles occasionally visible, flickering above the surface.]

I do.

[Yep. Simple as that.] I remember where we came from. [...] You should be able to do the same.

[undyingly]

Everything sort of looks the same to me...

[Water water everywhere yet not a road sign anywhere. Shiro paddles faster to keep up with him. This guy really is part octopus, right? That's kind of fascinating. So no wonder he's better at navigating at the water.]

I must've gotten turned around a little. I'm glad I ran into you. What's your name?

[octoroom]

You need to pay attention to what you see under the water.

[Watch out, Shiro, he's going to get you to go underwater soon enough just to prove his point. For now, he lingers above it, swimming as the sky slowly but steadily grows darker overhead.]

...Fukami.

[undyingly]

That's a little confusing too.

[So much water. Everywhere. He's not used to it at all. And all that looks like a maze, a foreign landscape that he is definitely not quite accustomed to yet.

It is getting darker though, and Shiro tries to quicken his pace to swim closer to the octopus.]

It's nice to meet you, Fukami. I think I'm lucky I ran into you. I'm Shiro. That's what people call me anyway.

[octoroom]

...The hair?

[Fukami says as much with a certain dry inflection. Then, one of his tentacles lifts from the water, pointing to indicate that Shiro should put on his breathing device.

They're going under the water now, after all. He's decided. Fukami is already starting to sink down.]

[undyingly]

Hmm? Ah... maybe that's why!

[It all makes sense now. Shiro laughs lightly enough, before his expression grows a bit more seriously.] Really though, this name is a longer story than that. But I like it, what it means.

[Not it's definition, just the person he became when it was given to him. ...but oh hey underwater. Let him find his breather thing.

Where'd he put it.

Damn it.

OH. Good. Thank goodness.] In goes the breather, under goes the Shiro.

[octoroom]

What does it mean?

[Fukami asks him-- not verbally this time. Hard to do when they're underwater. At least, hard for land-dwelling peoples to do. Fukami could speak but it's likely Shiro wouldn't be able to understand.

So, therefore... Telepathy time.]

[undyingly]

It means that I'm this person, Isana Yashiro. In addition to who else I might happen to be.

[The tone in his mental voice has gone thoughtful really. Shiro does tend to vacillate between the two sides of himself, though they are blurring more and more into one as time goes on.

But he adds, in a brighter "tone"]

But I guess it also might be because of my hair. You'd have to ask Neko about that though.

[He got named by the cat. It happens.]

[octoroom]

I don't understand.

[Simply enough, though Fukami twists in order to look at him. With his odd eyes, with their sideways pupils. He waits for Shiro to catch up to him before he continues down, deeper than before, bubbles occasionally rising up from around him.]

You are more than one person? [Is he not just speaking about facets of his personality?]