TEST DIVE #2

[subnauticmods]

≡U.R.S.U.L.A. NAVIGATION

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

TEST DIVE MEME


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

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: 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: Almost, but not quite, Entirely Unlike Tea
The droids, URSULA promises, will do their best to make anything you want. Go on! Ask them anything! She’s excited. This seems like a great way to test out their capacities.

Of course, you need to be very careful what you wish for. Maybe you ask for Hamlet by William Shakespeare, and they do their best but only know so much, giving you a book with some… creative changes. Maybe you ask for a puzzle box, but you weren’t specific enough and things went awry.

Maybe you made the mistake of asking for tea..

No matter what, you were given something that was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike what you asked for. Now what do you do with it?

E: CREATURE FEATURES (possible body horror)
As more data is collected on the creatures of the deep, DNA can also be gathered to allow URSULA to research how to integrate it into her crew members in useful and hopefully unintrusive ways, unless of course permission is given first for more obvious or exhausting additions.

Well, that's the idea, anyway.

Unfortunately, something malfunctioned while URSULA was researching. Her incomplete serum was injected into you through your devices while you slept (or maybe you were knocked unconscious by the sudden change to your body). Now maybe you have the temperament of a Stalker or the thirst of a Bleeder or Gasopod pods on your back that trigger when you're startled. How this genetic malfunction works and what it is can be up to you but while URSULA assures you it's only temporary, you're stuck like this for now.

Have fun?

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

neil josten | all for the game

[transited]

c

[ neil isn't entirely sure of what he's supposed to be looking at here.

alien technology is still-- well, alien to him. he isn't entirely certain if he can spot something that's actually considered useful, and he refuses to risk his life over something that ends up being just space junk. honestly, he refuses to risk his life over this expedition at all. it all seems rather pointless to him.

so, unluckily for whoever is paired up with him, neil is going to spend most of the way to their destination silently brooding over this setup. if anyone is going to speak first, it'll have to be you. ]

d

[ there is a fox chewing on his shoe, and neil can only blame himself.

he asked for it as a sort of joke. the team he plays for in college are called the foxes, so that's what he asked for. and instead of getting his teammates, he... got an actual, real fox. this was the really obvious conclusion to his wish, he knows. as soon as the creature appeared, he thought, "wow, yes, why did i think this was a good idea?"

maybe the fox saw a kindred spirit with him, or maybe it just wanted something to chew on, because it immediately went for neil's foot. he sacrificed the shoe, and he is not standing a few feet away from the animal, watching it ruin the adidas sneaker. great. ]

This sucks.

D

[bajkaiskierki]

[there's a wash of heat and steam from behind him, and a spiky, horse-sized, red-scaled head poking over his shoulder in an interested sort of way suddenly. yes, a dragon wants to know what's going on in this thread.]

I do not see anything sucking; it is only chewing. Would you like me to eat it?

[transited]

[ a dragon.

this... seems to be some weird mixing of genres. a dragon on an alien planet? okay. maybe the dragon is actually from here, or something, unless it got brought here the same way neil did. there's about a million damn questions neil could ask in this situation, but he is already so tired from just the fox that maybe he can save that for another time.

so, instead, he answers... the dragon. the real, breathing dragon. yeah. ]

No, don't. I've seen enough dead foxes. [ then again, maybe he shouldn't take food away from a fucking dragon. ] Unless you're hungry?

[bajkaiskierki]

[she sounds contemplative more than anything; she's not actually going for the fox, just watching it, content to use his shoulder as a chinrest while he lets her.]

I am not really hungry, merely tired of fish and having to swim to catch food. Why could there not be sea cows here?

[transited]

[ sea cows? those are manatees, right? neil squints, trying to figure out if those were endangered or not. not like that would really matter here, though, so he doesn't bring it up. ]

Maybe you can try asking for a sea cow later when you are hungry?

[bajkaiskierki]

[Iskierka actually just means cows, but in the ocean. they can have fins and tails if they need those to get around, but she is a simple soul in some ways and also doesn't know all that much about ocean life. also god, does she want to eat beef right now.]

Asking who exactly? Is there a herdsman about, or a rancher? It seems a very strange place for them to be.

[transited]

Ask the drone thing, and see what happens.

[ granted, that probably won't work. neil is starting to think that this fox is probably a robot? a very realistic looking one that won't stop chewing his footwear, but. still a robot nonetheless. it's not like he can really test this theory out without resorting to drastic measure. ]

Or there could be space cows?

c

[parodeity]

[ Dave has never had any problem with speaking first. Or, uh. Thinking first? A dive makes the whole telepathy schtick sort of necessary. It's not something he's entirely used to yet, but Dave's at least used to weird as fuck shit happening to him, so telepathy falls in that category now. ]

Yo, you sure you're up for this? You're being like, super quiet. Gonna need you to be on top of your game for this whole monster-battle supply-gathering thing, bro.

[ Also, he feels super awkward saying nothing at all... ]

[transited]

[ he visibly starts when dave speaks. thinks. whatever first. hearing someone else in his head is freaky, and neil isn't sure he'd ever get used to it. he can't really be mad at this guy for initiating it though.

(he's still a little annoyed at dave for initiating it.) ]

Just thinking of all the ways that this is a bad idea. The list is pretty high so far.

[parodeity]

I've been involved in way worse ideas, no sweat.

[ Dave says, like that is any consolation whatsoever. ]

...Anyway, if you aren't a fighter, just be sure to stay back for support?

[transited]

[ in all honestly, the only use neil is in a fight is instigating one. if anything, he'll probably manage to somehow piss off some random sea monster, so it probably is best if he just stayed behind dave for this (not that he will, but whatever). ]

How will we know when we're done? There's only so much shit we can carry around with us.

[ at this point he's just poking as many holes into this expedition as he can because he is annoyed and wants to leave. sorry dave. ]

[parodeity]

Nah. I can carry a shitload more than my hands. So fucking weird most of you don't do sylladexes.

[ hammerspace inventory systems are great????? even though he doesn't have as much room in there as like. jake. or john's wallet that he gave away. dave emptied most of his cards before coming out, save for some weaponry. ]

But we're done whenever we feel done, I guess. If you get tired, lemme know, and we'll book it.

[transited]

[ he just gives dave a look; 'sylladexes' sound fake but okay. sure.

but as much as neil does not want to do this, he also is annoyingly stubborn so he probably won't decide to quit until dave wants to. ]

I just hope we're both strong swimmers. I kind of doubt they'll be sending any help if shit hits the fan.

[ dave kind of implied he can right, so... hopefully they'll be fine. neil really hates having to rely on some guy he barely knows though. ]

d

[splinten]

[Holy shit. It's a fox.

Dirk has never seen a fox in person before so this is actually really exciting? He is virtually ignoring Neil's stress by approaching the little guy.]

Did the droid spit that out?

[That is beyond what he thought they were capable of. Impressive.]

[transited]

I... kind of think it's a robot?

[ a robot fox sounds like it'd be fucking amazing, but he just sounds disappointed. he really wanted to see his friends okay, although it probably would have spat out some weird, shoe eating robot versions of them. it was probably better this way.

speaking of, the fox is now staring at dirk's feet. ]

[splinten]

[Oh. That is a little disappointing to Dirk as well. He would really have liked to have seen a real fox.

Oh well. This kid seems really down, but the fox doesn't, and Dirk finds his shoes victim of its intense stare. He blinks.]

Chill it, bro; have no fear;
Gonna drop him my duds gone god tier.

[And out from the sylladex pops Dirk's god tier hoodie, poofy pants, leggings, and of course the important item: the little god tier slippers.

He holds one out to the fox.]

Go for it, little dude.

[transited]

[ there are a few things of note from that little exchanged.

a) did this guy just... rap? that was a rap, right? neil spends about zero time listening to his music, but he thinks he can recognize the genres. unless it was poetry. that's still weird though, right?

b) what the fuck did an outfit just appear out of thin air and also what the fuck is that outfit.

he has so many questions. ]

That's... nice of you.

[ no, really, what? the fox doesn't seem to be that confused though, because it claims the slipper. ]

[splinten]

Magic immortal pajamas. It can chew on the shoes for eternity and they'll just fix themselves up.

[With the robofox busy with his ridiculous slippers, Dirk'll just make an attempt to flashstep Neil's shoe away from it so that said shoe can be returned to its rightful owner.]

[transited]

[ he accepts his thoroughly chewed on shoe and just... puts it back on. he's worn worse. ]

I'm guessing you can't buy those at Sears.

d

[ninepercent]

[Of course by the time Andrew catches up with Neil he would find him in such a stupid position. One glance at the fox and any mild relief he may have felt upon finding Neil is crushed under the wait of his utter disdain.

Not that it's easy to tell since his face is its usual blank stare. But Neil's been around him long enough that he may be able to detect it all the same. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what Neil had been going for.]

You can't go five minutes without your precious Foxes around to hold your hand?

omg.....

[transited]

[ he doesn't look at andrew right away, but his head does turn very slightly towards him at the words. instead, he focuses on the fox that is still in the process of making neil's shoe unusable. ]

I wasn't being serious when I asked.

[ it's a half truth. he didn't actually expect anything to come out of it; it was just the very first thing to come to mind when he tried to figure out what he wanted it to make. but neil can't pretend that he doesn't miss them deeply, and he knows andrew wouldn't believe it if he said that, anyway. it's not really a secret what neil would do for his team. ]

We finally have a proper mascot.

I'm not sure if I should apologize for this or not....xD

[ninepercent]

[He scoffs. Whether a partial truth or an outright lie, Andrew isn't delusional enough to believe that some part of Neil hadn't wanted it to work. He's incredibly devoted to their teammates after all. It's not a devotion Andrew shares, but he supposes Neil's wish to surround himself with familiar faces is a step up from his original flight response.

Not that he'd have anywhere to run to here.]

Your 'mascot' is ripping your shoe to shreds. [A riveting analysis, but underneath his bored tone there's a hint of questioning. You made this mess, Neil, what are you going to do about it? If the fox gets tired of chewing on Neil's shoe and goes for one of his...well, it won't be pretty.]

noooo you're good i was so surprised

[transited]

[ neil just shrugs at the comment. he has never been, and probably never will be, overly concerned with the state of his clothing. even if it has a few holes in it, as long as it's still usable, it should be fine. it wouldn't be the first time neil has worn shoes that have gone through a lot.

still, he knows that andrew probably won't let this matter drop as long as neil stays idle about it. he kneels down so that he's at eye level with the fox before slowly, slowly... reaching over to grab onto the shoe.

unsurprisingly, it turns into a tug of war. when neil speaks, he sounds more amused than annoyed at the situation. ]

He's kind of stubborn. He really would fit in with the team.

I saw Neil while snooping around and I had to so this is really a voice test for Andrew here

[ninepercent]

[For someone who wants to appear disconnected and fresh out of fucks to give, Andrew does actually care about his appearance, from the clothes he wears to the flashy car that he drives. But it's not out of a sense of pride and is instead just another way that Andrew exerts control over himself and his surroundings. After years of foster homes and hammy-downs, he's grown to appreciate the ability to buy what he wants and to own it outright.

Which is why Neil's lack of concern is aggravating to him. That he would have more care for a stalker binder of Kevin than items of actual use, such as clothing. Neil's priorities are in clear need or reorganization. (Not that he cares of course.)

Andrew watches Neil unsuccessfully struggle with the fox over the shoe for several minutes before finally making a move. Walking right up to them, he leans down, and attempts to tear the shoe out of both of their grips.]

I don't need another Fox too stubborn and stupid to live depending on me for survival. You're more than enough. [There might be a compliment in there? Somewhere??]

that's fine pls voice test all you need i'm still happy

[transited]

[ neil snorts. he knows andrew well enough to understand that the fact he's even attempting to intervene means more than what he's actually saying, so neil relents and lets andrew take the shoe. the fox struggles for a few more short moments, but it must have sense that it's somehow outmatched here, and lets go.

neil holds his hand out for the shoe. from what he can see, it is heavily chewed up, but it looks wearable? the sole doesn't look damaged, really, so that's good news. ]

You're surprisingly good with animals. Ever considered getting a pet?

[ he thinks he already knows the answer, but it's still an interesting visual. in any case, wymack would probably murder them if they brought an animal into the dorms. which, in retrospect, would be one of the tamer things they've done. ]