TEST DRIVE MEME #1

[space_aces]

WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD

Your journey only happened because of your benefactor, so it begets that it starts at your benefactor as well. SUPERBIA, which is as much of a location as it is an entity, is where everyone's search for Fortuna begins.

There's not much of a welcome party: shortly after their fateful encounter with SUPERBIA, in which they swore to join the quest to find Fortuna, the new Privateers will find themselves afflicted by a sudden change in perspective. See, teleportation is a tricky process, so from SUPERBIA's point of view, why not make the target destination none other than itself? One highly disconcerting moment later, and the Privateers find themselves inside the belly of the beast.

The vast mega-structure is shockingly lonely, void of anyone other than the Privateers. Those who look off the metal satellite and to The Network for intelligence (or take a skim at the Space Wikipedia article) will find out that the surrounding space is clear for lightyears; rumors have it that the place is cursed. It won't take long to understand why.

1

Overclocked

The innards of SUPERBIA are that of an impossibly scaled up computer, and the Privateers start right in the middle of it. You are the spider living in the dusty PS4. Literal rivers of coolant, transistors the size of mountains, landscapes made entirely of circuitry. The sky, bounded by a distant metal ceiling, is constantly alight with coursing electricity that cracks the sky with lightning storms. It can be assumed that the Privateers are the first living things to set foot here, because such a place is not ever meant to be traversed by delicate, organic, mortals that worry about things such as "temperature" or "voltage". SUPERBIA needs not lifeforms to continue its operations; why design for them? Traversal itself is difficult: unscalable walls and perilous drops are common to encounter. The only company the Privateers will find are oddly adorable maintenance robots, which sadly seem too occupied by their directives of maintaining the massive machine to offer any assistance (or even acknowledgement of their new guests).

It is immediately clear that the most urgent priority is to get the hell out of here. Before your adventure ends at the starting line.

2

Skeletons In The Closet

If one stays inside SUPERBIA, either by getting horribly lost or losing all common sense, one will notice a peculiar pattern emerge as one gets deeper into the bowels of the mega-structure. Passages shrink and become more level, and the incredible hostility and danger of the surroundings fade away, until one comes across areas which were definitely intended for humanoid organisms to use at one point.

The construction of these areas is cramped, unfurnished, and dreary; they are reminiscent of artificial environments meant to handle harsh external conditions like a submarine or bunker, but they are entirely livable. One can eventually find distinct rooms, but everything in them has crumbled to dust and their original purpose is nigh impossible to discern. Deeper investigation may reveal the few items that have stood the test of time. While it is more plausible for life to have existed here, that doesn't seem to be the case now. What happened here?

3

The Shipyard

In the opposite direction, when one finally reaches the outer edges of SUPERBIA, they will be rewarded with the place to pick up a spaceship and a stunningly beautiful view of outer space. The outside of SUPERBIA has no atmosphere to get between you and the stars, and they shine brightly, like a beacon calling one out into the first steps of adventure.

The shipyard is already filled with countless space ships of every size, form, and function, all autonomously constructed by SUPERBIA's factories over the countless years. What's the harm in taking one or twenty out for a spin? Even if one has no intentions of permanent ownership of the vehicle, it's not like SUPERBIA will miss it. For a Privateer with a more specific vision, however, there are kiosks around the yard which will allow one to design their very own space ship down to their exact specifications. When the process is done SUPERBIA's matter printers will have it out and space-ready right before your very eyes.

If a Privateer has a ship, vehicle, or large item that they intended to bring with them, they will also find them here, neatly parked in the Shipyard. Why didn't SUPERBIA extend this courtesy to the pilot's themselves? The answer is revealed as soon as the owner makes a closer inspection: the inner contents have been rearranged, like a whirlwind was unleashed inside and assorted loose items thrown around. Now aren't you glad your transportation was given special attention, and the same didn't happen to your innards?

4

Hot Crewmates in Your Area

But how will a single Privateer man an entire space ship? No worries: when one steps into a ship, the strangely endearing maintenance robots will suddenly take acute interest. The robots will follow inside and immediately start assuming the duties of a spacefarer, eliminating the need for extra hands on deck.

Even still, there's just no eliminating the want for a human touch, though. Thankfully even that dilemma has a contingency plotted by SUPERBIA.

Communication devices are easily available on every space ship. They come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from huge stationary consoles to portable smartphone-like screens. But whenever a Privateer attempts to access the Network, a pop-up will appear, obscuring the whole screen.

Tell me a little about yourself. Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER? What is your best feature?
The device will be rendered unusable until one relents to the pop-up's demands and provides answers to its questions. What will these be used for? The mystery will be solved when a social media app mysteriously installs itself on the same device, with profiles preemptively made for every Privateer. Each Privateer's profile consists of their given answers, paired with embarrassingly candid photographs. SUPERBIA has eyes in many places it seems.

Comments

Damian Wayne | DC Comics: Rebirth

[thefifthchild]

i. OVERCLOCKED

[Damian Wayne, the fifth Robin - the fifth former Robin - is a lot of things, but one thing that he isn't is naïve. Or stupid. When he received this invitation to this great Space Race, he of course had to suspect it was a trap.

Walking along the steel supports and pipes of this giant stronghold, he has to question why he didn't pay more heed to the voice telling him that, which could be anyone from Pennyworth to his own damn common sense. Still, he has a responsibility, whether he's Batman's Robin or something else, he still lives by that creed.

And if he notices someone nearby, he will call out, as if from nowhere.]

Have you found anything?

[And then he will drop from the supports he was standing on, with all of the grace of a cat. That's one thing he can do.]

If you can't fight, I suggest you go wait somewhere with other civilians.

[He... he means well.]

ii. SKELETONS

[He is both demon and detective, and this time, the detective in him wins out. He's staying, longer than he should, because something about this entire facility pings his interest.

It's in one of the rooms, clearly meant to be some kind of residential area that he is crouched down, gathering bits of dust and putting them in small containers.]

This used to be lived in by living beings. Probably aliens. Something happened. [A DNA sample would be next to impossible... still, he's going to at least try. It'll be useful down the line.]

iii. THE SHIPYARD

[The robots are working on a ship he designed using the frankly very cool and very handy ship builder, and he's looking at it as it's being built. It seems like it's been designed with stealth and speed in mind, and isn't designed to hold a huge amount of people. He will regret this as soon as he sees an animal he likes and needs space for it on his ship, but for now, it's about the size of a submarine, with room for two or three people.

He's one of the last of the Privateers out here, due to having spent so long investigating the facility, and if it looks like there's anyone else out here unsure of what to do, he'll purse his lips and sigh.]

Do you have a ship? [He would really prefer to be alone rather than leading or part of a crew (this is of course a horrible idea and he would go mad and die), but he's not going to leave people stranded either.] I can make more room if you don't. But I'm driving.

[He is absolutely not old enough to drive a car, let alone a spaceship.]

IV. SPACE TINDER

[His answers to the questionnaire are simple.

Tell me a little about yourself.]

No.

[Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?]

Neither. But leader if I have to pick.

[What is your best feature?]

My unwillingness to play along with stupid introduction games like this one.

Skeletons

[somuchshipping]

[Let's be honest here. Hermes has no idea where he's going, nor does he care. He's only sticking around to assist other people. It's what he knows how to do.]

Yeah, like maybe some plague wiped them out, but I don't see any skeletons around. No trinkets, no knick-knacks, no sentimental photos left behind, nothing. You'd think there'd be at least something... Lame.

Ari Tayrey | original character (SF)

[astrogator]

ii. Skeletons in the Closet

[This place reminds Lieutenant Arilanna Tayrey of nothing more than the innards of an antiquated, long-deserted ship. One of the slow ships, from centuries back. She’s not fazed by the bare grey walls, or the empty rooms, and she strides along as if with some purpose. As if she knows exactly what she’s doing.

She doesn’t.

Still, she might find something useful if she keeps looking. Some record, designed to last. A message. That’s her hope, at any rate. In the meantime, walking the corridors is helping her to get her bearings. Ari’s an astrogator, with an astrogator’s sense of direction, and she has – arbitrarily, out of necessity – designated one direction forward so that she can start to mentally chart the area.

It's a pleasant surprise to turn a corner and find she’s not alone.]

I wonder how old all this is. It isn’t exactly what I was expecting.


iii. The Shipyard

[Ari gasps when she first takes in the sight of the shipyard. She has never seen one so large or so varied, not even in-system among the central worlds. Some of them are vast, beyond the wildest dreams of any aspirant Tradeliner. Some are armed to the teeth. Some seem to make use of materials or technologies she can’t even guess at. Yes, she’s very out-of-sector now.

Can she really choose any one that she wants? Despite what she was told before agreeing to all this, in the moment it simply doesn’t seem real. Ari’s a lieutenant astrogator with all of six months’ seniority, why would anyone want her for this mission?

She stands there for a moment, a motionless figure in her bright blue Tradeliner uniform, and then she glances over her shoulder, looking to her closest companion.]

So what do you think? What’s the catch?

iv. Crewmates

[Ari chooses a portable device. It might not be exactly like her slate computer from back on her last ship, but it's damn close. The questions make her roll her eyes, but she taps out quick answers.]

[Tell me a little about yourself.]
Lieutenant Arilanna Tayrey, of the Tradelines, lately second astrogator on the TS Prosperity.

[Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?]
My ambition is to lead, but I do what's necessary. I can take orders, and I can give them. No trouble. Everything runs smoothly when there's a clear line of command.

[What is your best feature?]
I'm very competent.

[The sight of the accompanying photograph makes her scowl. That is not a flattering angle. That had better not be what they publish on the newsnets in the event of her (heroic? hopefully heroic) death out here.]

III

[freearcadia]

Aside from putting our trust in the AI not to turn on us once we find the treasure it's looking for, we're probably going to be thrown into situations where angels fear to tread.

[Answers the man that's walking from the long blue spaceship with the back end of what looked like a 16th century earth galleon, resting a hand on his hip]

infel | ar tonelico 2

[lyalyuma]

a. overclocked
[Infel isn't a stranger, necessarily, to massive computers. She's spent the past 450 years or so inside a giant floating server - perhaps in a less literal sense than this one, but she's definitely been physically inside the floating server, too, back before her sublimation. She's used to navigating messy circuitry.]

[Infel Phira absolutely had better heat dissipation capabilities than this????. Having a physical body after 450 years is terrible. She would not recommend the experience.]

[The dim glow of overheated components reflects off Infel's face as she pulls herself up a particularly thick cable; her feet slip off the metal surface of the cliff, then plant themselves again, then slip again. It seems to take ages for her to make her way up, and it gets more and more nerve-wracking as she inches and inches away from the crackling landscape below her.]

[At the top, she collapses in a heap... But then she raises her head to look in wonder over the face of the cliff. The view, treacherous as it is, is brilliant - almost akin to looking out on a built-out desert, it pulses with "life" even in its colorlessness.]

[Despite it being the Worst Experience Ever, she's smiling.] Field research, after this long...

b. skeletons in the closet
[Mentally, Infel's more stimulated than she's been in years. Physically, she's dead exhausted. For so long, she's been doing whatever she wanted without regard for things like "hunger" or "exhaustion" or "aging"; the ceiling has fallen in on her now, and she's really feeling the years.]

[Yes, she only looks in her twenties, but third-generation Reyvateils don't usually live past forty anyway.]

[Thus, she sits on the floor as she opens a console in... What seems to be the first interesting room in the twenty or so she's entered already. As she attempts to turn it on, she remains sitting. The "on" switch refuses to budge, even as she leans her entire upper body into it, ]

[In a soft soprano, just in case:] jYAzLYAtA/. [With my respect towards you and towards this whole place, execute my command. The console does not respond.]

[SIGH.] I don't know what I expected.

c. oh god oh no
[She likes this one, she's decided. It's not huge, but is enough to have a little lab for herself. There's a second seat in the cockpit, into which she's strapped a purple stuffed rabbit for now - but for Nenesha, when she comes back. When I get her back. We don't need Metafalica, or anything to do with that dying husk of a planet; we can find a place just for us. Everything has always been for her research and for Nenesha. This is no different.]

[The Heart of the Land tucked away in her lab - a massive blue gem, surrounded by gold scaffolding - spins, as if in agreement.]

[As she turns on the tablet-style communicator with that wish deep in her heart, it presents her with what appears to be a... A request for a personals ad? Mortified and baffled, she drops her head into her hands and groans aloud.]

[In fact, that's the photo SUPERBIA chooses for her profile! Other greatest hits include: a photo of her shrieking as her footing slips on a steep slope, slipping her ever closer to a river of glowing coolant; a photo of her hugging aforementioned Heart of the Land, with the same tenderness she might hold a lover; and a photo of her looking deeply unimpressed.]

Tell me a little about yourself. I'm Infel, a Wave Theory researcher.

Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER? What? That's too much personal information. [When the system refuses to accept this as valid:] I follow my ideals, and nothing else.

What is your best feature? I'd tell you, but I don't want to be featured on the next episode of whatever this is. [ZING??????.]

b

[miraclekiller]

[ Carol on the other hand, was coming in from the other direction, not particularly impressed by room after room of dusty nothingness which had so far dominated the once-living quarters of the space station.

The cold steel of the facilities have stories to tell, but none of it is as useful as actual data.

The first interesting thing she finds is the older looking woman sitting on the floor, trying to get a console to turn on. Not many living things in here for a start, and a computer which might still be in working condition is a huge bonus. However, that's not what catches her attention first. The song reaches her before the visuals. ]

I do not believe there are computers which respond to songs, and in any case without putting some spirit into it you're not going to get enough Phonic Gain.

[ Songs. It always comes back to songs. ]

chibi | islands of wakfu

[manolia]

[[with the understanding that he will likely not be apped (if at all) until the release of the oropo OVA next year, because we.... still don't know why he's alive and i would like to find that out before i play him in a game!!]]

a. overclocked
[Chibi, for his part, isn't having trouble navigating the internals of this giant computer... Nor does he feel particularly pressed to leave, for that reason. He'd rather portal around to every little spot he can find and marvel at its scope, its construction... Maybe he can even try to intuit how it is all connected, if he spends long enough here.]

[A crack of lightning mere feet away from him reminds him that he's on a timeline here. He startles, yelps, and then a look of sheer disappointment passes over his face. How rude, forcing him out like this--]

[If he's next to someone, he'll hold out a hand and offer:] Care for a lift? [You might get nauseous with all the portals, but it's better than dying, perhaps?]

b. shipyard
[Anyway, there's a fucking mountain in the shipyard.]

[Chibi knows, as the (former) king of his people, that this mountain was once a spaceship. Tragically, its reliance on wakfu as a fuel source cost the lives of countless planets and their inhabitants over a span of thousands of years. This Chibi has never sat in the cockpit of the Zinit, only in his more modern sanctums within it, but he knows that it is his.]

[He would do it, with great sorrow, only for the safety of his people. He has, before, in a life he does not remember. But now... Now they have other sources of fuel, so he does not have to fuel the ship on wakfu, does he? He will have to check if it has been retrofitted later. He'll retrofit it himself if he has to; he will find a way.]

[When he gets into the Zinit and finds it trashed, he's not going to be able to do anything but laugh. Qilby would have a stroke. (--And he hopes Qilby doesn't take the same bargain he did, because after all that has happened... That will be an awkward conversation to have, and he's content to put it off as long as he can.) For now, he stands at the base of that great mountain, in the same wonder he had the first time he laid eyes on it.]

c. crewmates
[Chibi has adopted the maintenance robots as his own at this point; his profile photo is a candid shot of six (!) of them climbing over him while he grins. Other greatest hits include him taking a nap on the floor of an abandoned room; him yelling as he almost gets struck by lightning; and him attempting to closer examine a maintenance robot, to its loud and catlike protests.]

Tell me a little about yourself. My name is Chibi the First-born, of the Eliatrope people. I am an inventor and a poet; the rest is immaterial here. Despite the obvious competition, I hope we will find a way to come together for the love of our shared goals.

Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER? I am a follower of the Goddess and Her benevolent lead as Mother of all. [Didn't get the question, or intentionally evasive?]

What is your best feature? [??????] Ah. That's what this is about. [Not the smartest genius the Goddess ever did produce...] I, ehm... I am told I have a way with words.

[retributing]

01a. It's a Gundam! [Shipyard]

Gaelio Bauduin is somewhere between being disgruntled that their gracious host dumped him in a less than gracious location upon arrival, and admitting to himself that he enjoyed himself just a little bit in making his way here to the shipyard. Still, he wouldn't say no to a shower.

First things first, though: there are other mobile suits (Gundams?) here he does not recognize, but his own is the most important. Getting into the Kimaris Vidar's cockpit is admittedly a lot easier in zero gravity, but Gaelio manages. Only, he finds the interior in an incomprehensible state of disarray. Gundams are meant for active and highly mobile combat, there isn't exactly much that can be thrown around.

Anyone walking by might hear Gaelio's dismayed voice. "Ein! What happened to you?" followed by a miscellaneous bit or bob that Does Not Belong being haphazardly tossed from the cockpit. Uh, look out below?

01b. It's all about the details! [Shipyard]

Once Kimaris Vidar is in satisfactory order, Gaelio can finally work on what he's meant to do here in the shipyard: finding a ship, obviously.

The existing ships get a cursory glance, but the moment he discovers a kiosk where he can customize his own ship, Gaelio opts for that immediately. He has settled hunched a little too close to the screen for his own good, swiping through technical specifications with a very critical eye for someone that only really knows a tiny bit more about spaceships than your average joe.

He's also alternating between quietly talking to himself, the display, and someone who definitely isn't there. "It's fine if it's not too big. Armor and speed are the necessary things. As long as there's space for you, right Ein? ...Eh? Something this size can only have one weapon? There's definitely room. How big can these be?" He got teleported here, a technology people have only conceptualized. Surely SUPERBIA's space vessel capabilities aren't that primitive, right? A little morosely, "The Sleipnir has missile launchers and anti-air cannons on top of the main guns." Sigh.

02. Popup ads? In current year? [The Network]

The little helpers are strangely endearing, even if it takes Gaelio a moment to realize what they're doing. It's strange, though. He's used to a crew of trained men and women, not robots. Which leads to... the Network! And a popup that will not go away. Finally, Gaelio relents, opting for speech-to-text.

Tell me a little bit about yourself.
"My name is Gaelio Bauduin. ... That's all."

Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?
"That depends, doesn't it? There's a time and a place for both. Knowing which is the important part."

What is your best feature?
"Ah? Well—"

It seems Gaelio has paused long enough that his best feature will never be known! You could ask him, if you like. Or just ask him about the blurry photo of him clearly quipping at someone just off-screen, mouth open in an unflattering way and one eyebrow that you can just tell is twitching.

03. Choose Your Own Adventure!
{{ Pick something else, or message me on this journal or ricorori to work something out! I will happily match prose or brackets. }}

[futuradelita]

[ It was a good thing Adelita was a short woman, because she has enough time to stop after seeing a heat sink fall from above and crash loudly against the ground. So of course she looks up to ask him not to drop stuff. ]

¡Fíjate de lo que tiras a lo pendejo, pinche baboso!

[ It was something too rude to translate. ]

[ But, the thing it dropped from, it makes her pause. Her eyes widen. Is that a... no, it's better maintained and way too big to be a WildCat Mobile Suit, or even a 'Spearthrower' Mobile Artillery Walker. ]

[ Is it a suit from Terra itself? The people that exiled them? ]

[ Her expression softens for a moment in shock, before she tries to find a lader to climb up, and ask questions. ]

Adela Pérez | Original Character (Mexican Space Opera)

[futuradelita]

1.Overclocked

[ Second Captain Adela realized there was something wrong with her 'verse the moment she was within the innards of a gigantic, dangerous starship... and she walked through as if it was no different from having to maintain some Federal ship sporting a non-regulation fission reactor. ]

[ She was cautious, though. She slung forward a heavy machinegun as big as herself, heaving a bandolier for whatever as many rounds as she would need. And mind, while she was rather chaparra for some of the people here, the monstrosity she wielded was a heavymachinegun meant for stationary positions. As it turned it, said weapon turned out to work the best towards shredding infinite masses of insectoid chillones, or to vanish hardlight shields into submission to drill .50 cal rounds into some three-meter tall plate-armored alien brujo. ]

[ Fortunately, he instincts take over. She didn't know how much could she trust these people, as she's been screwed over many times ever since she enlisted into the goddamned army, but she heaved her HMG with skill, moving behind her companions to cover them from whatever was out of the door, and stepped in through the moment she had to aim for her companion. ]

Aguanta, [ She spread out a hand to her companions to stop them in their tracks. She waited for a line of electricity to go through a wall coiled to all hell with supertransistors the sizes of columns. She nodded, and urged her companions to move forward. ] Move.

2. Skeletons

[ Once the group reached relative security, Adela Pérez finally let down her gigantic machinegun with a loud puff, and let it make a loud, metallic thump against the floor. She had seen the suspicious elements within the ships. Hints of previous inhabitants. But as paranoid as she was about this whole thing, she wasn't surprised. A lot of gear in her part of space was meant to be reused and repurposed. ]

[ So instead, she tips her cowboy hat up, and turns to her group to chit-chat, now that they got a place to rest. She popped up a bottle of water, as well as some dough surprisingly well-preserved within in corn leaves, that she unravels to eat. ]

Are any of you from the Rural Worlds, [ Adela asked with a hispanic accent, ] none of you look like you're from where I am... and you're not from whatever wacked 'Citizen Republic' exiled a mi Nana and mi Tata long ago.

3. Shipyard

[ She didn't know whenever if to be honored or to take it as an insult that her ship was relatively unmodified when it was brought here. On one hand, the IAS Pochtecatl was a marvel of engineering not due to some rich weapons manufacturer ensuring it was the biggest and baddest ship to face the alien powers, but that it was easy to maintain, and that it was a great mixture of both speed and firepower (at the cost of inner space, of course). ]

[ On the other, the fact that it looked like it only held together by the will of the Padre, el Hijo, y el Espíritu Santo said far more than she wished about the state of her galaxy. Everyone here had top of the line equipment. Instead, all she had was a goddamn clown car. ]

On behalf of my 'verse, [ she mumbles, ] I am so sorry.

[ A plate section clanked upon falling off. ]

4. Hot Crewmates in your Area

Tell me a little about yourself.

I am Second Captain Adela María Pérez Gonzalez, Commanding Officer of the-- [ she pauses as simply naming the unit would be inaccurate, given the events of her sector. ] Independent 43rd Mobile Infantry Regiment. Currently fighting against the remnants of the Grupo Unido Mercantil, the newly formed United Free States of Nueva Aztlán, the bioharzadous lifeform codename 'Tzizimime,' the extremist alien threat of the Pillar Empire...

[ God damn it. It comes with the realization she made far too many enemies back home. Reason she accepted this deal, really. ]

Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?

Tried being a follower once for the Colonial Governments. It didn't work. Tried leading my unit towards a revolution. Turns out we only traded one tyrant for another. I'm used to leading, but from now on, I'm only taking people as my equals.

What is your best feature?

Any piece of chatarra that you have, I can fix it right up and keep it operational, even WildCat Mobile Suits or starships. You learn that when all the government gives you to supply your men is rusting powered armor and naves with leaking reactors.


(( OOC: Image ref for my character! Just finished drawing her, more will come soon for her.

2.

[astrogator]

[Ari Tayrey's been keeping an eye on the woman with the hat and the big gun, because... well, that's a big gun. Enough to make her nervous. She's reserving judgement, though, and when the group she's recently fallen in with stops for a rest, Ari stays there with them instead of pressing on alone. She takes a couple of deep breaths. It's been a long day, and it's probably not even half over. Her uniform jacket is unbuttoned, and she's looking a little dishevelled.]

I think I'm way out-of-sector here [she says in response, her clipped Cardalek accent sounding distinctly foreign.] I'm originally from Cardalek. One of the Company-owned colonies. I was invited here from Siduri Station. Unless by 'Rural Worlds' you mean the old frontier, I'm guessing we're not close enough to be familiar.

[Still, no reason not to be polite, no matter how many light years separate their homeworlds. She sticks out her hand.] Lieutenant Tayrey, of the Tradelines. Peace and prosperity to you.

john constantine | dc comics / vertigo.

[strewth]

a. OVERCLOCKED.

You might here a wheezing cough-- the sound of over forty years of chain smoking, now running full tilt. A man, six foot nothing, trench coated, is trying to avoid some lava-like substance spilling over a fuselage wayport riverbath fuck if he knows. John is running, speed owing more to long legs than general health.

"Bugger off!" may sound more like burgov or any assembled oath, John essentially pushing whoever is in the way, out of the way. It's a team building exercise in narcissism; catch yourself.

b. SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET.

Looks a bit like fuckall good's happened here. You know the feeling you get when a room's had murder done in it? Not quite like that, but a cousin of a cousin. Something happened here.

John'd scry for it, if he could be arsed.

He's got a lit cigarette between his lips, and is speaking through it to study a series of smudges on the wall. "Modern art, ey?" Hehh, heh heh, his laugh is the an atrocious wheeze of a lifetime smoker

Then, to no one, or you, or maybe just himself, "reminds me of Crete."

c. THE SHIPYARD.

John ignores the stunning view, straight off. That's not what he's here for. Now-- spaceships. That's something.

Up until very fucking recently, John has lived a largely analog life. This whole hi-tech future suits his general refusal to die, but he hasn't exactly put in the hours to gain a base understanding, much less something more complex. Luckily, he's conversant in wealth and style. The ships can, at least, be organized this way.

Too large, too flashy? Ostentatious, making yourself a target. Too small, too dull? Suspicious in their lack of flash.

"Now," he says, to no one in particular, "you'll be wanting something that says the right things, innit."

John, a trenchcoat-wearing scarecrow, coughing out his lungs between huffs of a cigarette, points to a ship that looks like a soda can, crunched in some places, with fading colors. "Classic, that is."

d. NETWORK.

He's used to having a phone that does what he tells it, which gave him the sense he knew phones. 'Kinell.

Tell me a little about yourself.
shant. you lot hired me i reckon me cv is up to snuff

Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?
careful now i burned a copy of how to make friends and influence people for starting that line of talk

What is your best feature?
me winning personality

e. WILDCARD.

[do whatever man im down.]

c.

[jumpedship]

There is just... so much to take in...

The view, the lights, the sights, the sounds, the smell of unfamiliar smoke in the air, the lilt of an accent from a place farther than the Riverlands. In an ideal world, Laenor would have the good sense not to simply stare, but there's a lot to work out. Is he common-born, with his flat coat and lifeless sense of fashion? Is he foreign, smoking something from a tiny tube rather than a pipe?

"You're certain? That steel beast in particular is best for sailing the skies?"

As if Laenor has anything to compare it to. If this guy says so, who is Laenor to say he's wrong?

lu bixing ★ can ci pin / the defectives

[engineers]

1. through SUPERBIA

[ this is

actually kind of incredible. if you're lu bixing, then spaceships, space stations and all sorts of other tech aren't even remotely unfamiliar, but being inside of a supercomputer of some kind is a new one. perhaps you're trying to get out, or at least trying to investigate a little, and along your way, you may see a young man leaning way, way too close to a gigantic wall of circutry, his hand on his chin, peering from connection to connection as if he could, well, understand all of it.

this is definitely a place uninhabitable, and yet, when realizing that someone else is nearby, lu bixing turns and spreads his arms out wide, gesturing at the entire of everything. he's like one inch from falling into a coolant river of hell probably but that doesn't seem to bother him at all.

beaming, he crows: ] Isn't this fascinating? [ is it, lbx? is it ]

1a: robots

[ or, alternatively, you might find him following the path of one of the maintenance robots, reaching precariously out for one of them when it turns its back, muttering quietly to himself. it's something along the lines of really, if i could just get a handle on its paneling... surely, it wouldn't be that hard to get into its system... ]

2. onwards to the edge

[ later, you might find lu bixing in the spaceship area, cross legged in front of one of the design panel kiosks. the ship he seems to be working on is lovely, sleek and dark, and he's working on outfitting it with some kind of shield, typing rapidly into the kiosk until it looks like its just lines of code. he seems perfectly at home doing this, vibing, working very hard on the ship he's creating.

if you seem like you're struggling to design one or use the machine, eventually, there's a friendly voice from over your shoulder - lu bixing's standing at a respectable distance, and he offers a friendly smile and a tilt of his head. ]

Need any help? I know it seems a little overwhelming.

3. age / space / location?

[ lu bixing is never one to miss a chance to talk about himself a little. somehow, in his profile picture, despite it being from an odd angle, he's managed to turn towards the camera and give it an absolutely radiant smile. how? who knows

his answers go something like this: ]

Tell me a little about yourself.
My name is Lu Bixing, former headmaster of the Starry Seas Academy, current resident of the Eighth Galaxy. I like cooking, engineering, and, of course, long walks through the city. Is this that kind of app? (>ᴗ•) Nice to meet you!

Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?
I like to think I'm a leader. I'd have to be, right? How do you educate kids if you can't be a leader? Well, at least I'm a leader in training, nowadays...

What is your best feature?
I've been told I have great hair. And a nice smile. :)

I wonder if we could update this app to add emoji or improve the user experience. Maybe an option to upload photos? What do you think? What might make this easier for you to use? Let me know, and I'll do my best to implement it!

[ lbx this isn't your program? ]

3

[astrogator]

[Is it his program? Ari Tayrey doubts it. But as he's asking, yes, she does have a suggestion.]

Peace and prosperity to you! How about an option to remove images we don't want? And to add holovids instead? Flat images are very old-fashioned.

Laenor Velaryon | House of Dragons

[jumpedship]

overclocked.

( go off an adventure, they said. find treasure, they said. perhaps his greed is what's gotten him into this mess. truth be told, laenor has no want or need for treasure. he's wealthy enough to live in a comfort that most men could ever dream of, so treasure wasn't his motivator for agreeing. adventure, though. that's what his life been missing. ten years spent playing the part of a house-husband to a princess has left laenor jilted and restless. he loves rhaenyra and wishes no ill upon her or her children, of course, but laenor is a knight. he wasn't built for the cushy castle life.

all of that is to say that the fact that he's pointing a sword at a very tiny robot isn't without reason. back home, things don't just move on their own. it must be magicked. )

You'll stay behind me.

There's no telling what manner of bewitching has been put upon this creature.

shipyard.

a. explain like i'm five
( it's going to take a while for laenor to get up to speed. like, a long while. people of his world don't have electricity, let alone cars, let alone spaceships. so to tell him that he'd spend the last day or so trapped inside a computer only to come out to a yard full of metal creatures that sail through the stars... you'll have to forgive if he spend hours, or even days bumbling around, wide-eyed and gape-mouthed.

anyone who's kind enough to explain has his rapt attention, but also his intense confusion. )

No, apologies. Go back to the bit about the , err... comperter? If you will? What are these things meant to do? I imagine they come in different colors and sizes, like horses. Are they quite fast?

b. test run
( once he finally accepts that the world as he knows it doesn't exist anymore, he's ready to throw himself behind the wheel — wheel? do spaceships have wheels? — of a starbeast. SUPERBIA may have been too generous in their decision to allow anyone from any creed to jump into a space ship no questions asked, because laenor should not be anywhere near the controls of this thing. he doesn't have the knowledge to declare whether this ship is a porter, or a fighter, or a delivery ship, but he knows it's big, and that's enough for him. )

What do you suppose this glowing bit does?

( he's talking about a button, one of many on the central control panel. he's still looking for a steering wheel, like one you'd find on a boat, but this thing only has glowing screens. what's he supposed to do with that? )

crewmates.

( oh, now he's being followed by one of those creatures he'd tried to kill prior. he can only hope there are no hard feelings there. when they gesture him towards a device, it takes some time for laenor to follow. smartphones, at least, are rather intuitive. reading questions off a screen and answering them with the glowing letters makes much more sense than these giant ships as a whole do, even if it takes quite some time for laenor to hammer his answers out. )

Tell me a little about yourself.
I am Ser Laenor Velaryon, the son of Lord Corlys Velaryon and Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, heir to Driftmark, keeper of the seas, husband of Rhaenyra Targaryen, father to Jacerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey Velaryon.

Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?
I follow the lead of my wife, the Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, who I am honorably bound to.

What is your best feature?
I place duty above all else.

While I have you:
How did you retrieve that portrait of mine?
I never posed for such a piece.

Additionally, have you found any pubs? I'd like to try the stout this land has to offer.

shipyard, a

[braidedwonder]

Computers are uh.. processors. [ Duo provides, probably unhelpfully. He isn't the best one to be explaining something in caveman terms when his giant mecha isn't too far off in the shipyard and he's itching to get his hands back on it. But, well.

He'd have to be blind to notice him stumbling around like a deer with new legs, and he may feel a little bit bad. ]

So they take whatever you put into them and uh.. help the ship or gundam or whatever you have make that in to data that becomes a command. I don't... know if that helps at all.

I was raised in space so this is all kinda uh.. what I'm used to.

Elfnein | Symphogear

[alchemists]

1. Overclocked

[ Even though the situation screamed you need to get out of there asap, Elfnein couldn't help but look at all of the technology and odd structures. Even the robots doing their own tasks meant someone had a big plan in place or at least automated it enough to go on without humans. It was all quite fascinating. ]

I wonder what happens to the robots that are out of service.

[ She's just standing in the middle of the open hall looking at the cute bots go past without a care in the world. ]

2. Network

Tell me a little about yourself.
Hello, um my name is Elfnein and the best way to describe what I do would be scientist.

Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?
I.. don't really know I'm used to working in a team.

What is your best feature?

I can complete most tasks quickly and I don't really sleep.

3. Wild card

( Feel free to shoot me a pm or contact me at dmails )

1

[kid_devil_you_dont_know]

Hey, uh... I don't know if you want to hang around here for too long. There's a big electrical charge that seems to be headed this way...

[It's a helpful warning, coming from a young man dressed in a suit that resembles a horned red devil. An odd combination, perhaps, but he doesn't seem to think there's anything strange about it.]

Red Savarin | Solatorobo: Red the Hunter

[mech_and_mutt]

2 - Coming In Late
At first, Red was taking all of this... relatively well. All things considered.

Gigantic otherworldly supercomputers unfathomable in scale and function weren't anything he could claim to have understood, but he had, at least, encountered- if not stared down or delved into- similar entities before. He knew through experience that they were a 'thing'.

But once he'd found those old dwellings- and within, what was plainly an old capped-off glass beverage bottle, full of some unspeakable liquid clearly aeons past expiration that no supergiant supercomputer could have any practical use for- that familiarity started feeling sobering.

Was the end of an entire civilization just... common? Common enough to see remains of it twice and nearly witness it firsthand? He sighed quietly, tapping the bottle against his hand in thought.

And then a sudden, sharp hissing sound. He glanced down to see the bottle's cap loosened, its contents spilling across his hands.

"...oh, furballs."

---

3A - Customization
Whatever melancholy he'd had in the lower layers seemed to have left him outright; now he was bright-eyed and wag-tailed as he mixed and matched and experimented with all the different ways he would soon be making his very own spaceship. His own spaceship!

His own spaceship!! This was going to be amazing. His first take was a deft little starfighter brimming over with weapons; flashy red paint on one of its wings, massive missiles at its sides and a huge forward-facing laser pod on top.

...But, wait, no, if he just went with something that small he wouldn't be able to put in a decent lounge. And it wouldn't be able to carry all those weapons, either... okay, he could fix this. He'd just get a <>big craft, instead; an airborne fortress, complete with a proper bridge and a lounge, with big burst-missile ports on top and a landing bay for fighters and--

--Hold on, that would be slow as heck. And it'd probably need a small fleet just to refuel it. Okay. Starting over... and the process repeated several more times, before he'd just ask the nearest passerby for guidance.

"How many bathrooms do you think a good spaceship needs?" Clearly this dog was in the weeds, now.

---

3B - Faithful
There was perhaps only one thing that could pull him from the promise of a new, custom-made spacecraft... and that was his old, custom-built mecha, the DAHAK Mk. II. wasn't very big, being a single-occupant vehicle, and didn't seem particularly battle-ready at a glance, either, so it could have passed for some sort of spaceship drydock cargo loader.

Unfortunately, it also look like it had arrived at its destination after falling down a massive set of stairs and then handled by a disgruntled deliveryman. Half of its limbs were bent out of place, and half of his tools were wedged in the joints.

Suffice to say, once he'd finished muttering weirdly family-friendly curses, he had to set aside the glamor of spacecraft ownership to spend a while fixing up the thing on the docks...

---

4 - Pet Photos
Eventually, his answers joined the others on the app.

username: RobotRiderRed
Tell me a little about yourself.
I'm Red Savarin, robot pilot and hunter-for-hire, and that treasure's as good as mine!

Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?
I think I'm a natural born leader! But I usually just end up taking whatever jobs I can find.

What is your best feature?
I don't know when to quit! Once I get down to work, there's just no stopping me!

What followed was a photograph of a bipedal dog-man, dressed only in a pair of jeans, and hanging up his coat, work shirt, and several sets of underwear to dry on a bespoke laundry line strung across the back of a spacecraft's helm. Whether or not it was 'flattering' was probably up to the personal tastes of the beholder.

---

X - Wild Card
Got an idea? Hit me up at Metafive and let's talk.

Customization

[somuchshipping]

Hermes had generally been sprinting across the station here and there. Since others had had their spaceships bought, maybe... just maybe Hermes had his bought in as well. Oh, wait, someone' talking to him. Hermes skids to a stop and jogs into talking distance.

"Oh, well, mine has only one in it, with five toilets inside, three sinks. Why do you ask?" It was a question with an obvious answer, but Hermes still needs to find a captain.

Maul | Star Wars

[last_son_of_dathomir]

Overclocked

Maul will be damned if he's going to fall before he's even had a chance to set out, and for someone as accustomed to horror, the insides of SUPERBIA hold little terror for the Dathomirian; go deep enough down Coruscant's levels and even the grand capital of the galaxy becomes as life-threatening as any Outer Rim hellhole.

And he has the Force to help him.

The climbs are not difficult, not when he propels himself upwards to grab handholds higher up than he could normally reach. You might see him go flying upwards, past you. He spares you little thought as another jump takes him close enough to the top, and he scrambles over, metal legs clanging against the technological cliff. He quickly disappears, apparently leaving you to continue the climb alone..

But after a minute or so he suddenly reappears, and kneels down. He offers you a hand, flesh and blood, unlike his lower body.

"Come. I believe we may be close to the end of this maze."

Shipyard

It is a truly stunning array of ships; a fleet to be the envy of any in the galaxy. But none of them draw Maul's eyes; it's to the kiosks he goes. This is a journey that will require speed, and perhaps a degree of stealth. He had a vessel once that fulfilled those needs, and now, it will again.

The kiosks are very helpful, and Maul had familiarized himself with the technical date of the Scimitar, the modified Star Courier that had been gifted to him by his former Master. Familiarized enough that Maul can make some improvements, designing a ship for longer voyages, as this journey promises to be an extensive one.

The Crimson Scimitar, once SUPERBIA's matter printers have finished constructing it is the same dull red of Dathomir's skies, and larger than the original ship, with the bridge, cargo bays, and living quarters expanded. He has not discounted the possibility he may need at least a small crew to assist him on this trip.

That it might also be simple loneliness that compelled him to do so is a thought he does not entertain.

There's someone behind him; he felt them—felt you—coming while he was putting the finishing touches on the Crimson Scimitar. Now that he's finished, he steps aside, gesturing to the kiosk.

"You may proceed now." He has some pre-flight checkups and diagnostics to run, to make sure his new vessel operates the way he needs it to. And to check for anything untoward SUPERBIA might have tried to hide away inside its systems; after all, a gift like this? There's always a cost.

Network

Tell me a little about yourself.
I am Maul. A traveler.

Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?
A leader. I followed once. I will never do so again.

What is your best feature?
Experience. Knowledge. And I am accustomed to hard living.

Overclocked

[astrogator]

[It's a long, slow climb for Ari. She thinks she has the physical strength to manage it, as she might be small, but she's spent an awful lot of time lifting weights in the gym aboard her ship, trying to counteract the effects of gravity fluctuations on her bones. That doesn't make it any less tough, especially in this heat. It especially doesn't help when others seem to go effortlessly flying past her. Ari has no technology or special abilities to assist her with this test - and it is a test to weed out the weak and incapable, she's sure of it. What she does have is grit, and dogged determination. She won't fall, and she won't give up, no matter how slow the progress.

She's nearing the top when she sees another figure leap past, hears the clang of metal. Ari doesn't waste her energy on envy. She reaches up, tests out another hand-hold, pulls herself upward. Almost there. Just a little higher.

It's a complete surprise when she sees the man - outworlder, very outworlder from the look of him - reappear and offer a hand, but Ari takes it without thinking, gripping his hand tightly, letting him help her get over the top. She stands, rubbing at her aching arms, catching her breath.]

Yes. I caught sight of the exit, from over there. [Ari gestures vaguely towards an even higher platform, far behind them. She'd used it as a vantage point to mentally map the area. He was right; they were close to the end now.]

Thank you. For the assist back there. [She doesn't want to delay him now, so she doesn't prolong her rest, but starts walking beside him.]

Cagliostro | Granbluefantasy

[transcutation]

1. Overclocked

There's a crackle of electricity, one unlike the lightning running across the distance ceiling. After the flash, a sickly, snakelike figure rises up over what appears to be a young girl carrying a large grimoire. After a moment, it crumbles to dust and she lets out a noise of annoyance.

"Tch! Not enough organic material in the area...." Muttering this, she snaps her fingers and there's another crackle of electricity as the metal ground rises up into the form of a high-backed throne that she casually throws herself into, a motion of her hand pulling the top of it over into a makeshift ceiling as a spray of burning sparks nearly hits her, bouncing off the metal awning. "You'd think they'd better consider where to bring us if they want us to do anything for them..."

3. Shipyard

Rather than the many ships around the yard, Cagliostro is staring out into the vastness of space, a look of contemplation on her face instead of childlike wonder one might expect from how she looks. A snap of her fingers, and a spark of energy leaps out beyond the protective barriers at the edge of Superbia, only to fizzle out.

"Nothing, huh? So we really are in space," she muses, before turning back away from the endless, empty view. A slow, almost sinister grin spreads across her face. "And here I thought after that moon mission, I'd missed my chance to explore outer space."

4. Crewmates

She'd never seen a device like this before, but she wasn't a genius for nothing. Not that it prevented her from having to answer the pop-up answers before being able to access the rest of it. Still, she's chosen to go all in on the answer, recording video and everything.

Tell me a little about yourself.

"Hi~! It's me, Cagliostro! The world's cutest genius alchemist girl!" She winks and there's a shower of sparkling hearts and stars. It... doesn't appear to be a simple filter. "My interests are cuteness, adorableness, and the truth behind the creation of the universe!"

Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?

"Tee hee~ Well, I am the founder of Alchemy and all, but leading big organizations isn't really my style! Does anyone out there want to be my captain?" She flutters her eyelashes and poses cutely.

What is your best feature?

"My cuteness of course!" She gives a little twirl. Her outfit sure has a lot of frilly bits to flutter about when she does that. "You can't just make me choose one part though! Do you know how hard Cagliostro worked to make every single part of this body absolutely perfect?"

After these messages play, there's another video, clearly taken without her knowing, of the adorable girl the other videos turning into someone a lot scarier.

4

[miraclekiller]

"Cagliostro." A video message is sent in reply, another blonde girl(?) on the other end.

"Last we met you preferred your body more... Full figured."

If Carol Malus Dienheim had a nickel every time she met an alchemist named Cagliostro who had given themselves their own vision of a perfect female body and took every opportunity to flaunt her own so-called "perfect body"... Well, she wouldn't know it yet, but she would have two nickels. Weird that it's happened twice.

Agnes Tachyon | Umamusume

[tach_nology]

1. Overclocked

There's a strange girl in a labcoat standing out in this dangerous wasteland. Animal ears and tail aside, the strange part is how she seems to be laughing at the situation.

"Ha ha ha! Truly fascinating! I wonder if this is supposed to be a sort of test? Or perhaps a hilarious oversight? Truly, they don't think on a human scale here!" The danger seems to excite her, if nothing else. Until a bolt of lightning lands a little too close by and she gives a yelp, ears and tail standing on end before she runs off.

And boy can she run. Fast as a horse, one might say. Catching up with her might be tough - unless you were in the distance and now she's running right toward you?

3. Shipyard

"Really? This?" The incredulous remarks are coming from one (1) Agnes Tachyon, waving an overlong sleeve at a rather fantastical looking space ship. "This thing is truly supposed to be spaceworthy? It looks like a child's drawing, or from a scifi cartoon! You're truly trying to convince me that this isn't an elaborate and humorous deathtrap?"

The maintenance bot that she's interrogating just beeps and shrugs.

"Can I get the opinion of someone who needs oxygen and stabilized atmospheric pressure to live?"

4. Crewmates

While not a huge fan, Tachyon is no stranger to social media.

[Tell me a little about yourself.]
Agnes Tachyon, scientist and student of Tracen Academy. Seeking the outer limits of horsegirl potential, and I suppose the universe while I'm at it.

[Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?]
I consider myself a pioneer in the field, though I'll admit my focus is neither on diplomacy or delegation. Take that as you will.

[What is your best feature?]
My mind, of course. It's irreplaceable.

Then there's also a completely unrelated concert clip attached.

Vikala | Granblue Fantasy

[yincapacitated]

1. Overclocked

Feeling scared? Confused? Lost? Have no fear, for Vicky is here! The bright and shining Micky Mouse gijinka mascot of Yutopia, Divine General of the North, Year Spirit of the Rat is here to save you! Despite the hellish surrounding, this girl with the homemade rat ears is giving a brilliant smile and extending a hand.

"Hey there! No need to look so scared! What do you say we work together to get out of here?" The silver haired girl is like a star of optimism. "Say it with me: Lucky! Cookie! Vicky!"

2. Closet

There is. A very gloomy, black-haired girl wandering the corridors, obviously lost. Though the white rat with her squeaks encouragingly, she can only shake her head and mutter to herself.

"No way, no way, no way... I came here because it seemed quieter and safer... but there's really no one here? And I can't find the way back out either... am I lost? Ooh... of course I'm lost, that's just what would happen to a useless, no good gloom-and-doomy character like me..." She sighs, leaning a hand against a wall. "G-getting all blued out down here isn't going to help but... I can't help it..."

4. Crewmates

[Tell me a little about yourself.]
I'm Vicky! Leader of the Eccentrical Parade and Divine General of the Rat Temple, Guardian of the North! Thank yew, thank yew! I look forward to meeting everyone here!

[Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?]
A leader of course! Whenever anyone's lost, stressed out, afraid or confused, it's up to me to show them the way to fun and happiness!

[What is your best feature?]
My smile! Why don't you try giving a smile too?

And then there's a short clip: a campfire lighting disaster in progress, followed by one very sad girl.

1.

[unnecessities]

It's the rat girl from the Grandcypher...there might've been a time when he ignored her completely but the least he can do is acknowledge that she's trying.

"...I appreciate the support, but I'm not saying that."

That said, it's not like he's good at this sort of thing just yet, especially when he doesn't have people like Lennah around to help bail him out like last time he had to handle one of the Zodiac girls.

Tok || D&D OC || OTA

[statictunedintoreason]

▶ THE COMPUTER IS YOUR FRIEND

New horizons

---

Among the smallest of the new visitors was a little rust-colored reptile. Just under a meter in height and dressed simply, in heavy cotton with thick leather gloves and boots, a welder's apron covering her front and smoked-glass goggles resting, for the moment, atop her head- and she was nothing short of ecstatic.

There were things she'd thought about here, conceptualized, dreamed of but completely lacked the knowing to acheive- there was gold here, used to conduct lightning, without so much as a spark of magic needed- aluminium in spades which boggled the mind-

Rivers of liquid that had to be colder than any ice she'd ever seen, liquids her arcanist's lenses identified as nitrogen- nitrogen! In liquid form! The things she could do with this, the things she could make.

The kobold wandered, instead of any particular direction, following whatever piqued her interest, sketching and noting everything in a grease-stained little notebook, only for a shriek to pierce the air (and ears of any unfortunate bystanders) as a little construct zipped by her feet-

And far from fear, the noise was clearly one of glee, as she bent down to scoop up the little robot with an expression not dissimilar to that of a child having found the world's most interesting toy. "Look at you! what d'you do, an' who made you- an' the legs! Look at' little legs, ohhh, you're a precious little construct, aren't ye-"

This could go on for some time.

▶ KOBOLD SPACE PROGRAM

The universe's biggest candy shop

---

Tok had been at this for hours, and she hadn't even got to the building yet. Her little leather notebook was rapidly running out of room, and she was absorbing the information being presented faster, almost, than it could be presented-

These were ships. Ships that could fly through space, thousands of times faster than even elemental airships could fly, made of materials and using fuels that threw every calculation and formula she had out of alignment. And they were going to let her just... have one?

As many as there were, the impossible amount of resources this all would've taken to make, it threw every expectation out the window. Things to take into account- engines, fuels, the shape of the crafts themselves-

She flipped a page in her journal and found- nothing. The back cover. She'd used the last page.

"Anybody got a spare notebook? Few pages in't back of a journal? Bit o' napkin they ain't used yet? Bugger me, I left all me spares back at 'ome..."

▶ CYBOLD CENTERFOLD

Top 10 photos taken seconds before disaster-

---

Working out the tablets had taken a minute, but to her credit- Tok was a quick learner.
Tell me a little about yourself.
Ey up, all! My mates call me Tok. Anybody else from Sharn, or is that just me?
Anyroad, I'm an engineer. I build things- mostly clockworks and golems, but I'm all over, me. Never thought I'd be building an airship as could see the stars, but just goes to show you, I suppose. Even if we don't find this treasure, I tell you, I'm going home with enough knowing to revolutionize just about every field I could touch, once I work out how it's all done.

Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?
I'd prefer to work with folk what are on equal standing with me, but when folk don't know what to do, I don't mind taking charge. Sometimes you've got to lead by example!

What is your best feature?
I'd have to pick the ones I built myself, if you take my meaning.

What had followed, unfortunately, was a three-image sequence-
-A rust-scaled kobold in her underthings, both arms and one leg crafted, seemingly, of brass and steel, moving like clockwork, with a second leg on the table in front of her, seemingly under maintenance.
-The same kobold frozen mid-shriek, reaching out of frame for something.
-The very same kobold pointing an almost comically-oversized cannon at the camera, a crackle of electricity running the length of the barrel.

And, not much later, another post.

Anybody know how to erase this? I'd have liked to be told, if anyone was gonna be taking a portrait of me in my knickers.

THE COMPUTER IS YOUR FRIEND

[somuchshipping]

It may take a minute or two, but Hermes eventually hears the talking and jogs closer to inspect where it's coming from. What he sees brings a giggle out of him, tinking his screenface as if to cover up laughter coming from the mouth. To such a small kobold, this seven-foot-tall AI in a shell could seem like a behemoth.

"Yeah, those little things really are adorable, aren't they?"

Quatre Raberba Winner | Gundam Wing

[fourhope]

I - Overclocked

Quatre's certainly been to nicer places, but while the terrain is perilous at least it's not actively trying to kill them. A passive threat is preferable to an active one. The young man moves with quiet determination taking each obstacle in stride one by one. It's not easy, exactly but he handles it all with a quiet, unflappable confidence.

He'll succeed, no matter what.

The heat of this place is noticeable, oppressive. It bakes along the skin, drying the air to an uncomfortable degree. And yet? He's experienced worse heat, Quatre's not even sweating yet. Which is good, because it's not like he can easily replace any water lost right now. Since, it's not like it's too hot to sweat or anything outrageous, right?

Strangers will be met with politeness and offered aid if they should want or need it. Friends will be met with a warmth that's no less noticeable than their current environment, regardless of the current precarious situation.

"Are you alright?"

II - Skeletons In The Closet

[Quatre's not lost, far from it in fact. He's looking for answers. Where is this place exactly? Why is there no one here? How is there no one here? Picking through bones of a place long abandoned, he's trying to find anything left surviving that makes any sense of this place.

Though the design gest more familiar as his search continues. Things are more human sized. More... usable? How strange.]

This feels vaguely familiar. [Quatre makes a face as he muses to himself.] But I can't tell if it's because it's almost exactly like the last room or because of something else.

[Hearing a sound, no matter how slight, he looks up, blue eyes focused and sharp for a brief moment before smoothing into something much more amiable and open.]

Oh! You startled me! [No, you really didn't.] Are you looking for clues too?

III - The Shipyard A

[Quatre, despite how it might appear, isn't actually a bastion of unflappable calm. In fact he's about ready to vibrate out of his skin, all too eager. Darting through what seems like row after row of ships and mobile suits, he pauses again to take stock of the row. Face falling slightly.]

He's not here either.

[The disappointment in his voice is heavy, how many rows has it been? Maybe Sandrock isn't here after all. No. No. He's got to keep looking! Closing his eyes he takes a deep breath, centering himself. Focus.]

Alright. I'm not giving up just yet.

[But seriously, how many rows of ships and mobile suits does this place need? Just how many people are searching for Fortuna???]

III - The Shipyard B

[Dogged perseverance does, in fact, pay off. Quatre running the last distance to Sandrock's side. It's not even been that long, but seeing his gundam again is reassuring in a place brimming full of unfamiliarity and uncertainty. Laying one hand on the familiar machine Quatre pauses before he leans forward pressing his forehead against the hull for a moment in communion. After all, this giant machine is his most loyal companion. That comes with a certain amount of attachment and respect.]

I'm so glad you're here, old friend.

[And then Quatre's off, clambering up the tall frame with ease. No wonder he hadn't struggled that much with the terrain here. Though he'll have to make sure there's a much faster way to access Sandrock's hatch next time. Now the question is this - Quatre's found Sandrock, but has anyone else found it first?]

IV - Hot Crewmates in Your Area

[Tell me a little about yourself.]
Very well, since you insist.
My name is Quatre Raberba Winner. It's a pleasure.
While it is my understanding this is to be a competition of sorts, I hope that we can do so peacefully and on good terms. I feel there's been enough fighting in the universe already without us adding more to it, wouldn't you agree?

[Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?]
A good leader knows how to be a good follower and understands when it's the right time to lead or not.
Now, I can't say for sure if I'm a good leader. All I can say is that I try my best when the need to lead is present and pray that it's sufficient.

[What is your best feature?]
...I've been told I have nice eyes?
Once, I probably would have said my hands. The hands of a musician, of a creator, but now?
Well, I guess my smile isn't bad either.

IV

[astrogator]

Your name's Winner? I like that. Not a bad leadership philosophy either, and I'm with you on keeping it a peaceful and fair competition.

Dawn | Pokemon Diamond/Pearl

[sinnohcoordinated]

I.) Overclocked

[Dawn loved electronics. Probably the only other thing she loved outside of Pokemon. So, it wasn't a surprise as she realized that she was wandering around what appeared to be a gigantic computer of sorts. Of course, despite everything going on, this was not a place she should be staying at. As well as the person by her side.]

Hey, we shouldn't be here. We--

[She yelped as an electric burst struck near her and her penguin companion, Piplup]

We REALLY shouldn't be here! C'mon, let's get out of here!

III) Shipyard

[Spaceships. Honest-to-Arceus spaceships. These were things you'd probably more see in sci-fi movies or cartoons or whatever scheme Team Rocket was cooking up and yet here were so many of them ready for the taking!]

This is incredible! Look at all of these ships! Oh, gosh, do they work?!

[And like a little kid at a candy store, she's running up to check them out]

IV) Hot Crewmates

Tell us a little about yourself
I'm Dawn from Twinleaf Town. I'm aiming to be a worldwide champion Pokemon Coordinator like my mom! I'm here to help find that Fortuna and make my home a little safer for everyone!

Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?
Hmm, I'm a leader, honestly. I gotta direct my Pokemon in contests and battle, so they need me to make sure I make the right decisions. So... yeah, leader!

What is your best feature?
I really don't like saying so, but it's my looks, honestly. I gotta look my best for events. Put your best foot forward and all that!

[And of course, despite the honest answers, there's the unflattering pictures of Dawn, mostly in a panic from the running, but others, too]

IV

[statictunedintoreason]

That's all well and good but I have a question

what's a pokemon when it's at home

Elle Vianno | ZZ Gundam | OTA

[shangrilady]

1 - Overclocked

Elle wants to just lay down and scream.

She had half expected this to all be a dream - there were a handful of experimental true AIs and frankly Elle wasn't aware enough of any of them to expect one like SUPERBIA. Hey, why the hell would it pick her anyways? Sure, she was cute, kinda smart, a decent pilot, enough to survive a whole war, but that was the limit of it

"How is this place real?!" Well here she was in a structure that made humanity's greatest achievements look like Legos. It was panic-inducingly real if she wasn't so good at keeping her cool, and it looked incredibly deadly.

And that meant... Fortuna might just be real, whatever it exactly is.

And while she maybe wasn't the most worthy of having it maybe that's exactly why she needed to get to it. Every time people who wanted power got it they turned around and whaled on the rest of humanity with it, so maybe, just maybe, she could resist that temptation.

"Now where do I even go...?"

3 - The Shipyard

On a lark, Elle had asked for the Gundam Mk-II. It was a bit behind the times in a lot of ways but it had held up really well, right up until the end when it was probably mostly destroyed, but if she was dreaming then she could have it. And all the accoutrements that were in the manual that hadn't been replaced by the time she started piloting it.

Well. Uh. There it stood in pristine condition. With the Flying Armor atmospheric unit and the hyper bazooka packed right along with it.

There wasn't much to fling around inside of it, but all the manuals and a lot of loose bits still managed to be strewn around, and Elle cursed out loud as she tried to be orderly about gathering the whole mess up.

"This SUPERBIA sure is generous. I wonder if it could cook up more gear for it if it can make ships though." Just idle speculation, haha, she totally wasn't going to just take the thing apart and soup it up a thousand percent.

4 - Hot Crewmates

Well, these cute little phones are convenient. And the fidelity is great!

Tell me a little about yourself.
I'm Elle Vianno from Shangri-La at side 1! I was in the AEUG until recently so anyone who has a problem with that - I quit, please don't fight me :P

Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?
I can take charge when I have to but I'm probably even better at support!

What is your best feature?
I'm spunky AND gritty

[ Ooor drop me a pm and come up with something else? ]

4

[astrogator]

What's the AEUG?

Cila | Synergia

[escila]

[1]
[It's difficult, but Cila's able to scale and navigate the terrain with enough care and patience. She's more fit and nimble than her physique would suggest, but even with those advantages, this is clearly not a place she should be. Getting out as quick as possible would be in her best interests. Preferably to somewhere with less... everything going on. While her own safety is top priority, she can't help but to take a pause whenever someone's stuck.]

Need some help?


[3]
[For someone with the opportunity to literally build their own spaceship, her expression definitely doesn't show any level of... excitement. Honestly there's not much going on there at all. It's almost like she's just going through the motions. This isn't really her area of expertise, after all. Her choices are all dreadfully utilitarian.

Function over form, essentially.

Eventually, Cila just sighs.]

Maybe I should just take one of the pre-built ones instead...


[4]
Tell me a little about yourself.
My name is Cila. I worked as part of a security team whenever androids would start acting violent.

Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?
I've done both.

What is your best feature?
How much bullshit I'm willing to put up with for how little I get paid for it.

[Don't share too much about yourself, now. People might start getting the wrong idea.]

3

[futuradelita]

[ Mind, spaceships are always valuable, no matter which part of the 'verse you are in. It grants you freedom to explore and find new worlds to to settle in. Or claim. ]

[ After the (fixable) junk that her own spaceship was in comparison to others, she got around looking for parts and options... when she comes across someone the least surprised by the presence of spaceships. And then tries numerous options not like someone in a candy shop, but as someone who's done this many times. ]

[ Adela lifts her cowboy hat to see Cila better, before stepping forward to watch her own options. ]

No te ofendas, [ 'No offense,' ] but those look more like prison ships rather than carriers. Un bar y unas mesas go a long way into making a ship feel like home to its crew.

[ Bar to collect all booze bought from multiple worlds, and tables to cook and eat. ]

Della Duck | DuckTales 2017

[nothing_can_stop_me]

1)

[Now, here's a sight someone wouldn't expect - a 3 foot female duck with a makeshift flipper and wearing aviator gear easily making her way through the strange computer-like terrain like it was a day in the park. It shouldn't look easy, but she made it that way]

C'mon, everyone! Just follow Mama Della and she'll get ya to safety!

[Is she for real? Yes, she's for real.]

3)

[Spaceships. Spaceships as far as the eye can see. The premade ones looked so promising and yet...]

Nope. Nuh-uh. No way. I need to make my own. Not that these are cool, but I do NOT trust them at all. No way.

[And Della goes for the ship fabricator and starts looking it over aaaaaaaaaaand...]

Nope, back to the premades.

4)

Tell me a little about yourself
Della Duck. Pilot, adventurer, mother, and the COOLER sibling. Sorry, Donald.

Are you a LEADER or FOLLOWER?
I move at my own pace, but I guess I can be a follower if need be.

What is your best feature?
Uhhh... my tush? I guess? Look, you try laying on eggs for awhile. Wow, I should ask Donald one day how he handled it...

1

[shangrilady]

Did I hit my head...?

[ But sure, follow mama duck. Just call her a little duckling. ]

Eddie Bloomberg (Kid Devil) of Earth-One | DC Comics

[kid_devil_you_dont_know]

[[OOC: Hey kids! Do you like words? Well, ol' Vonn's got plenty of them for ya!]]

1) Overclocked

"Note to self," Eddie mutters to himself, "add temperature controls to the suit at first opportunity."

It's a feature that he probably should have thought to add before, but... if yesterday is the best time to do something, then the second-best time to do it is today. He grips his rocket trident a little tighter and walks forward from the teleporter dock within SUPERBIA.

--and immediately ducks his head down to avoid collision with one of those maintenance robots zipping by. Eddie frowns a little and breaks into a jog to get away from the apparent travel path utilized by the 'bots. Okay. Get out of this extreme environment, avoid creating any interference with the automated maintenance, and figure out how to start the quest.

The pace at which he moves through 'the belly of the beast' may be a little slower than most, at first. He's both curious and cautious when it comes to his surroundings -- skirting around any gatherings of the robots, inspecting the various pathways for any sort of signage that might provide a clue for what built this place and where to go. If any such things existed at some point, they're gone now.

When he comes to a large 'river' of coolant with no obvious bridge across, Eddie twirls his trident in one hand and grins behind the facemask of his suit. "Good thing the A.I. let me keep my toys." He moves back maybe six feet from the edge to give himself a running start.

The rocket propulsion of the trident hums to life after he flips a switch, and then he darts forward. When the rocket trident fully engages, he rises in the air and easily completes the long leap across the obstacle.

Eddie chances a look back from where he's come -- is someone lingering on the other side? Perhaps his stunt caught their eye, and perhaps they'll need help to get across. The distance itself was so short, compared to what the rockets can handle in a single go, that he's not opposed to repeating the trip to help someone else.

3) The Shipyard

Once in the shipyard, Eddie immediately makes a beeline for the nearest ship creation kiosk -- ignoring even the stunningly beautiful view of outer space for the moment. Vagaries of space travel being what they are, he'll have plenty of time to contemplate the sparkly void later.

He leans in and speaks into a small microphone beside the main screen of the kiosk. "Hello, SUPERBIA? Are you aware of the Space Cab from my home universe?"

The kiosk gives a drawn-out, two-note whistle of acknowledgement for the request, and -- after a moment of processing time -- displays the basic specifications for the space vessel. The written information included on the screen is in English, even though the craft itself is of alien origin. Eddie finds that the nearby keyboard input also has a layout familiar to him, and types in a request for the blueprints. The craft resembles nothing quite so much as a bright yellow 1950s taxicab of Earth.

"Perfect, thank you," Eddie says. "I'd like to make a few modifications... I don't want to change the volume of the hypercubic interior, but how doable is a double-decker version of the 5000QV Countach for the exterior? I just think it might be less disorienting to actually see that there's more to it than just the ship's bridge before entering..."

He makes a few more verbal inquiries and uses the keyboard to enter in modifications. The ship is fairly small, with only a single 'extra' room. The layout is optimized for the necessities, and that 'extra' space is soon designed into a laboratory where Eddie can tinker with his gadgetry or study things found on the journey.

"We can only support a single weapon? Well, that makes sense... let's go with a laser array." Tap tap tap. "I can't have it looking like a Lambo and be slow, now can I? Of course not..."

Speaking of lasers, Eddie is laser-focused on customizing his ship. Luckily, this isn't the only kiosk for ship-building in the yard, because he's there for a while, weighing his options. Anyone who took the time to watch him probably wandered away in sheer boredom before he finalizes the design and sends it to the matter printers.

4) Crew Who?

Eddie startles a little when those oddly adorable maintenance robots head into his ship, and follows after them in time to see how some take up stations on the bridge and more spread out to the lower deck to tend to the atomic engine and miniaturized reactor.

The robots have left the navigation console free. Eddie slides into the seat and opens the 'glove box' to pull out a tablet device. As soon as it boots up, he tries to access the Network and is confronted by the series of questions.

At first, Eddie tries to minimize the window or move it aside to do more research first, but new windows pop up and fill the screen whenever he tries. Eventually, he sighs and actually reads and responds to the questions:

Tell me a little about yourself.
My world was destroyed by the Anti-Monitor years ago. I've been dodging the possibility of being erased from existence ever since. When it comes to tech, if you need it, I can build it. Or I can figure out how to build it pretty quick.
Drop me a line if you recognize any of these names: Blue Devil, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman. We should touch base even if we don't form a crew together.

Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?
Needs must when the (Kid) Devil drives, you know. I may have started out as a sidekick, but I know what I'm here for and I know what I want. I can fill either role.

What is your best feature?
Most useful? My adaptability.
I also have a sparkling personality and sense of humor, but you're not looking to date me -- you're looking for a team to help you find Fortuna.

Eddie watches with bemusement as those answers are transferred over to the social media application that installs on the device. Embarrassing candid photos, hm? How about this one of Eddie inexplicably hanging onto the outside of a train? That gets him to roll his eyes before he stows the tablet away again.

Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik | Sonic the Hedgehog (Game Canon)

[meggalomaniac]

Overclocked

[Time may be of the essence in escaping this flaming metal death pit, but the good doctor is no fool. Speed has always been that annoying blue rodent's prerogative, not his own. All things in due time. After all, this entire structure provided him with a near infinite supply of metal and the means with which to utilize it effectively. That was the one true way to get out of here alive, at least for a man like himself. Though more physical fit than his rotund form gave him credit for, such physical traits might not be enough. Though that hardly mattered when he had his notorious IQ and unrelenting will.

As one goes a little deeper into the innards of SUPERBIA, they may very well notice some strange occurrences. Those oddly adorable maintenance bots? Instead of repairing or maintaining the areas around them, they seem to be stripping it for parts and carrying them off somewhere. Maybe you choose to follow. Or perhaps you happen upon a strange man in the middle of his work. The figure is tall, with a pair of goggles atop his bald head. His attire consists of a red coat with yellow cuffs, white gloves, and black trousers that flow seamlessly into a set of boots. But the most outstanding thing of all has to be that, frankly massive mustache on his face.

Initially it doesn't seem like he's noticed the fact that he has some company. Indeed, it seems like he's completely absorbed in what he's doing. And what he's doing is building...something. It's difficult to tell, with his large frame hunched over it. But it's obvious that he's building something, alongside the robots he seems to have reprogramed.]

Here to admire the craftsmanship of a true genius? [He says aloud, not even bothering to look up from his work.]

The Shipyard

[With all that unpleasantness, what with the humidity and physical labor beyond him, Eggman is more than happy to enjoy the simple things. Like geeking out about the various ships lining the yard. Oh sure, he's build armadas of his very own, but this is a veritable legion of varying designs and focuses made by, presumably, other lifeforms. Arrogant though he may be, even the good doctor can acknowledge what can be gleamed from seeing another's work.

Currently he's standing in front of a panel, looking over the schematics of what appears to be a massive flagship.]

Though I've always been a fan of the consistency a full forcefield provides, I must admit, a customizable laser shield capable of being positioned anywhere at a moment's notice does have its merits. Especially with a weaker, though still potent forcefield as a backup.

[It's hard to tell if he's trying to make conversation or if he's just thinking out loud.]

Hot Crewmates in Your Area

Tell me a little about yourself.
Ivo Robotnik, but my friends call me Dr. Eggman. I'm an engineer and a scientist by trade, though I admit to having a fondness for geology in my spare time.

Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?
A LEADER, certainly! It might be a bit presumptuous of me to say, but things tend to work smoothly when I'm in charge of an operation.

What is your best feature?
Not to brag, but I'd have to say my wits! It's certainly gotten me out of a few tricky situations.

Shipyard

[somuchshipping]

[Hermes is going to assume this portly human is talking to him, most likely the clanking of metal feet on metal kind of gives someone away. The AI takes a quick look over the shoulder of Robotnik and emits a whistle.]

I gotta say, that looks as badass as an Admiral, though the color scheme is waaaay off for a Poseidon ship. I also like the redundant shield idea! But how fast is it gonna be able to go?

LT Commander J. Shepard | Mass Effect (Vanguard, Paragade, War Hero and Spacer)

[notacaptain]

[OOC: What do you mean late? IDK what that is. :D]

1. OVERCLOCKED

[By all accounts the terrain should be seen as perilous. And for most, it probably is perilous. Jenn Shepard on the other hand, can be basically flying through the air as she uses her biotics to fling herself over one obstacle and then past another in record time. So far there's been nothing to worry about damaging and no people to worry about running into so for once she can really cut loose.

Even now she's not fully letting loose, because she's very aware that running into someone would be very, very bad. Luckily, she's got very good eyesight and so manages to stop just short of collision. A whipping of wind and the flickering out of biotic blue energy is all that remains of her dashing around.]

Sorry about that. You alright? [A smile, slightly rueful, because you'd think she'd know better by now. But apparently no. As soon as she's left to her own devices she's as reckless as ever.] Probably should have been looking a little more closely.

2. OVERCLOCKED

[How strange. Shepard can't help but feel the need to explore. It's an unfamiliar place in what's probably an unfamiliar galaxy after all. Not taking the chance to map it out a bit and see what there is to see feels like a waste.

Unfortunately, all her attempts to scan things for information turn up with... absolutely nothing. Maybe she'd know more with EDI present, but then again odds are EDI wouldn't know anything about this place either.]

I've been to some pretty old places, but I can't say I've ever seen anything quite this derelict before.

3. SHIPYARD A

[She's not even in the ship, she's just sitting outside the SR-2 completely lost in thought. Because how on earth is she supposed to fly this thing with just her? Even Joker'd had EDI as well as the crew. There's.. probably no way to fly her ship without a bunch of other people involved.]

..... think this is the first time I've wished the Normandy was smaller.

3. SHIPYARD B

[After sitting and thinking for too long, Shepard has gone inside to see what there is to see. And it's... a mess. There's even one of her model ships randomly hanging out in the airlock with a bunch of other goods. Swearing under her breath, Shep is trying to organize everything out, but after several minutes of this she stops.]

Don't tell me. [Utterly defeated, Shepard sits down with a rather loud thump, kicking out at a box as she goes down.] Are you telling me I spent all that time chasing down Mr Hammy just for some computer to randomly let my space hamster loose all over again? It took me days to hunt him down last time he got out!

[... She's not even thinking about what might have happened to her poor fish. That might actually break her. As it is, after this she just kind of sits there yelling curse words at a SUPERBIA that can't hear her, but it'll eventually make her feel better. Maybe.]

4. HOT CREWMATES IN YOUR AREA

Tell me a little about yourself.
I'm Commander Jenn Shepard of the Systems Alliance. Captain of the Normandy SR-2. Biotic and a soldier. But honestly, you can just call me Shep. We're pretty far from the Milky Way right now.

Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?
I didn't really set out to be a Leader at first, it just kind of happened. But I'm pretty used to it now.

What is your best feature?
Depends on who you ask. The Krogan seem to think it's my thick skull. Others my apparently uncrushable spirit.

Me? Well, I've never really thought about it.

1. OVERCLOCKED

[somuchshipping]

[Hermes neglects to answer the question in favor of asking some of his own.]

What was that? Wait, were those the powers of a Drakon? Can humans even have psychic powers like that?