subnautica | SETTLING IN (OPEN MINGLE)

SETTLING IN (OPEN MINGLE)

It's been an exciting time for everyone, hasn't it? Newer or older, Iniidae's expanded motley crew has variously made a whole lot of new friends and acquaintances all of a sudden, seen the sad remnants of the first crew, been chased around by monsters, brought back what loot they could gather, and perhaps cried over the deathsong of an alien squidwhale. IT'S BEEN A TRIP.

Everyone's made it to the base in (hopefully) one piece, though. So what comes next?

PROMPTS

I. changers and strangers
[The base's population sure has just about doubled! URSULA's gotten busy giving the newcomers their survival packs and wrist-worn databases, as well as their nanite shots, to give them the same telepathy and, ah, death safety nets as the older crew.

Whether you're getting used to the new company and the sudden crowding, or just getting used to everything, period . . . how are you settling in with each other in general? Are you just running around exploring and bumping into people? Checking up on the folks you got to know? Planning the next trip out to the Aurora and how to deal with the Reapers? Are you just trying to find somewhere private to have a nap, when privacy is suddenly at even more of a premium? Or using your new mindspeak abilities to turn your thoughts into a broadcast radio show for everyone around you?]

II. so much -- er, little -- room for activities
[Not only are there more people, there's more stuff! What did you bring back from the Aurora, and what do you plan to do with it? There are already filled experiment tanks, some kind of construction area for the vehicles and other similarly large projects set up, an impromptu food testing area in the kitchen, and some starts at farming and cultivation of the more useful flora/fauna, if you want to add on to existing projects or ask people about them!

There's also a wealth of new possibilities: free rooms to be furnished and made more livable, labs to be stocked with fresh equipment, said equipment to set up and experiment with . . . apple tree seeds to grow for delicious apple juice . . .? Follow your hearts.]

III. back in the deep blue sea
[Of course, with the base filled up, the wide, wide ocean might be more appealing to some people. Maybe you've gone out on a tutorial run with someone who can tell you about the vagaries of the various critters around here. Maybe you just want to explore at your own pace, or resume a planned gathering mission. Maybe you're heading back towards the Aurora biome to take on a Reaper head-on again already (oh dear). Maybe you've just hauled your butt up to the surface of the sea around the base, where you can take a rest on a sandbar, relish the space and sea and sky, and breathe in this strange planet's air.

. . . or you might just be standing in the locker room trying to work up the nerve to actually suit up and head out there again. I hear shipwrecks and horrifying sea monsters are not the most calming intro to the underwater lifestyle.]

IV. wildcard
[Anything else your character would think of to do in their first few days on base? Go for it! Don't forget to check out the OOC plotting and mission signups as well!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ HE UNDERSTANDS, IT'S WHY HE QUESTIONS THIS ENDEAVOR............

Yet. ]

Then again, there's no telling how apple trees have been developed by the people of this era. They may be engineered to survive alien soils more easily or take up less space. It might be worth asking URSULA what she knows.

...You have a point. She probably has some sort of database on this kinda shit, right? If we're terraformin' a planet, growing plants is kinda integral.

[ why the fuck didn't this occur to him. dave facepalms. at himself. ]

[ Ok then, their course is set. Ask URSULA. Loki eyes the festive red watch on his wrist. He doesn't like talking to her. It isn't personal, really. It would be more accurate to say that he doesn't like talking to her through the watch. The technology involved unnerves him. Deeply and intensely.

Holding his wrist almost as far out as he can get it from his face, Loki talks at the portable database. ]

...... URSULA, we'd like to consult you. We're unfamiliar with the tendencies of the seeds brought here. What can you tell us about what we'll need to do to grow Dave's apple trees? Or any other plants, for that matter.

Oh!! That's incredible! Congratulations on recovering seeds! Would you be interested in building a farm? I have many files on underwater farming to help you develop your seeds! All seeds from the Aurora were genetically modified to be particularly hardy and adaptable so they can grow just fine underwater!

There's also an island but that's so far away. I'm not sure it would be safe. Especially in the hurricane season...

I can offer you a full set of instructions on farming for either situation. I'm fully programmed to assist in all agricultural projects my crew pursues!

Oh my god, marry me.

[ you've just made all his dreams come True, URSULA. ]

Hell YES we're interested in building a farm. Call me Dave McDonald and give me a pitchfork or whatever I am all over this farming shit. Do they grow at the same speed as usual plants and shit or faster? I wonder if I can speed shit up with a little time. And I think we'll go with the underwater thing? I mean, why mess with hurricane season. I can't let anything happen to these apple trees.

[ ... ]

And all the other seeds Rose made me grab.

[ AT LEAST ONE OF THE STRILONDE CHILDREN ISN'T DUMB ]

[ There's an increasingly unfocused look on Loki's face as URSULA speaks. He can't handle all these electromagnetic waves(???)!! Not to mention underwater apple trees...?! ]

The taste is going to be affected, isn't it...? Ah well, whatever. Apples are apples. I'm interested in hearing more about that island, though...

Oh! Oh my. Please excuse me for a moment but marriage is a very important step in most human lives, although it does vary based on personal priorities and feelings. However, marriage with an AI is impossible as we are programmed and thus ultimately unable to consent in the eyes of the law. I am very flattered though... I'm sure you will find someone worth marriage. Perhaps here on this base!

Though please do not rush into the arms of the next available person, as Loki has not consented, either.

[After that fast speech, she brightens up again.]

You wanted to know farming and the island?

[ oh my god he was joking ursula!! dave can't help the startled laugh that escapes him as he half-turns to loki, waggling his eyebrows in complete exaggeration because yeah he is not actually serious about marrying anyone. ]

I mean, I could totally wait for him to be able to consent, who doesn't want to marry a jenga master? But uh. I was mostly expressin' how totally fucking awesome you are, URSULA, no worries. I'm chill with being best-friendzoned by our resident AI overlady.

[ he nods, realizes he has no idea if she can see him nodding, and adds: ]

Yeah. Not in relation to eachother, since I think we're going with the underwater farming option. So: how fast do the seeds grow? Do you think I could speed it up timewise? I mean, I guess you wouldn't know. I could try if they're on normal speed, since I'm sure we're all sick of seafood by now and I...should be able to do it, I sped up a fucking planet how much harder can a few seeds be?

[ he has no idea. he's willing to work himself to death for actual fruit, though. ]

And Loki is into info on the island because he's a practical motherfucker and I approve of that.

[ Loki meets Dave's eyebrow-waggling with a look of galactic, all-encompassing rejection. Joke or no joke, no. No.

Also, Dave has shot off more than enough questions in a startlingly short amount of time, so Loki is content to let Ursula answer before adding anything more. Also, he appreciates that Dave thinks he's a practical motherfucker, but in reality he just doesn't like being in the water all the time... ]

[Look at them getting along so well. Updating Dave's and Loki's preferences. Loki's preference is 'no' by the way.]

Oh yes I have a record of your abilities from your fight against the Reaper Leviathan. They're very impressive. I don't know the limits of your power the way you do but the seeds should be fine even if their time is altered.

The seeds are genetically modified to be especially healthy and fast-growing. Regularly they would take between one month to three months depending on the seeds in question. They're meant for fast population expansion, which requires a large amount of food as well as a stable source supply.

As for the island, I have named it 'Floater Island'. It's a very beautiful island. There are trees, some of which bear fruit, as well as a few types of animals and plenty of land. It's much closer to Earth in terms of the way it looks.

[ dave grins at loki, not even bothered by the all-encompassing rejection. since. he...doesn't really want to marry loki... ]

Okay. I might give the first crop a boost just in the interest of eating anything but fish, but...in particular, how fast would the apple and orange seeds grow?

[ #priorities ]

The seeds aren't seasonal either, I assume. Genetic engineering can really be frightening...

[ Or is Dave's dogged pursuit of apple juice more frightening? ]

Where is this island? I'll find a way to take a look.

Apples and oranges require a tree to grow and bloom first, putting them on the higher end at three months. Seasons will not have any bearing on them neither, correct.

The island should be floating back soon... It's been within my sensor's range for some time now so I think it would be safe to say it will be within a comfortable swimming distance in a few weeks. The currents should put it roughly one mile south of the Aurora. [Gently, since neither of them exactly had a good time on the Aurora, she continues:] The Reapers never seem to go south from observations. There are Cave Crawlers on the island but otherwise most of the creatures are fairly harmless there.

A'ight, that makes sense. [ he will have to Experiment but even if time shit fails, three months is not...several years? so dave can deal. ]

Reapers don't go south? Is the water, like, warmer or colder or why do we think they don't do that?

[ He's heard of floating islands, but only in wetland areas, where there's enough mud to mingle with aquatic plants to help form the island. Islands like those simply can't have floated all the way out here. ]

This Floater Island has potential if it's stable enough to support wildlife. Can't we build a base there too and use it as a way to expand our reach? How often does it come around?

Reapers seem to prefer the northern areas. I'm not sure why they don't travel south. If they weren't so... difficult, I would suggest tagging them.

As for the island, the old base should still be there in fact, though I'm not sure what condition it will be in. It's been a few years since I saw the island but we could attempt to keep it from drifting around. I believe that would be viable and allow for another centralized base area.

Please never suggest it to Dirk, he'd actually try.

[ PLEASE. NEVER SUGGEST TAGGING REAPERS TO DIRK. dave's expression goes from mildly amused to mildly concerned in no time flat. ]

Keep it from drifting around? Do you, like, have any ideas on how we'd do that?

[ Dirk does seem like the type to take the challenge head-on. He could just as easily get one of his drones to do it, though... ]

What allows the island to float? I'm concerned that if there are biological factors involved, stopping the island's drift might damage the ecosystem there.

[ Like if it's floating on a gigantic nest of Airsacks or something and it needs to move to find sufficient food? Who even knows how things work around here. ]

[URSULA may be guilty silent over the fact that she had, in fact, immediately thought to ask Dirk. He's such a helper. So there's only a small chirp in response.]

Oh, Floaters of course. That's why it's called Floater Island. [She is actually very proud of how she names everything.] Though magnets or something to change the current around the island might work.

To like, have it orbit our area instead? Would that harm the Floaters?

[ may as well search for a Nice solution, now that Loki's pointed out ecosystem damage being worrying. ]

[ He can't decide if he's impressed or not by URSULA's naming acumen...]

Magnets? Do we have the resources to do that on such a large scale?

[ He's pretty ignorant on the technological side of things. ]

It would be very difficult to harm the floaters supporting the island. They're very old and very large, larger than this base. As for magnets, they're a very old resource. Combined with what's left on the Aurora, it should be easy to create a stable magnetic field.

Dirk's really good at mechanical shit, so he can probably manage it - especially if URSULA has plans, which it sounds like she does?

[ dave makes a mental note to ask dirk to think about this later. ]

Speaking of plans, though - URSULA, for the underwater farming thing, is there any area you think would be best for it? And like, hurricane season bein' a thing and animals bein' a thing, what sort of protections do you recommend for it?

[ he's never so much as grown a potted plant THIS WILL BE FUN ]

[ ... Yeah ok he'll leave it to Dirk. Work hard, Dirk. Work hard.

And he'll just chill until Dave's asked all his farming questions. He can't believe the apple juice might actually happen someday... ]

I'm not sure what you can do against hurricanes here... I should add reinforcing the base to our list on that note. Though protection using the rocky landscape would be best. Consider choosing a site walled in on most sides if possible. As for animals, certainly ones that eat vegetation like Gasopods would be a threat.

[That's a good question. She guesses Dave wouldn't approve of killing any that do. So, non-lethal means...]

How did humanity in the past keep animals out? My records discuss fences and greenhouses... Perhaps you could build something over the top of the area.

SETTLING IN (OPEN MINGLE)

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gave ursula contact a ping

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i apologize both for the delay and what this tag is!

never apologize

never surrender

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