March Intro: Head First

[subnauticmods]

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Arrival!

It was supposed to be a routine mission. Maybe you think you’ve been here for a bit or maybe you just arrived. Either way, you know there was supposed to be a completely normal underwater mission, probably just gathering resources, unless you just arrived, in which case welcome!

Unfortunately, somehow you’ve been dumped somewhere you shouldn’t be. A woman’s voice can be heard, robotic in tone with hints of emotion. That emotion mostly seems to be mild surprise.

"Life signs detected. Life forms are non-native to this planet. They... oh. Oh dear, I wasn’t prepared after all. Please refrain from dying for a moment. Your things are incoming."

Your eyes open underwater. At least you're near the surface. But the moment you break through you'll notice one thing: the ocean, stretching out for miles around you in all directions with no end in sight and only a very distant gleaming metal structure in the far distance. You're not alone but this surely isn't what you expected. In fact, you really can't understand how you managed to get from where you were to underwater so fast.

None of your belongings are with you save the clothing on your body. And the depths below you offer no comfort, the light engulfed before it can reach wherever the sea bottom is.

Somewhere, you hear a sound shaking through the water, like something between a whale and a foghorn.

No turning back now.

Prompts!

A: WHALE OF A TALE
As it turns out, there is hope for those who can't swim or get help from someone who can. Something emerges from the depths, a massive bed of coral that makes that strange sound, allowing people to climb on top of it. Of course, that bed of coral is actually the back of a massive creature that moves how it pleases and occasionally dives back down underwater.

There is a pod of them around the area calling to each other. They're friendly, or at least they don't seem to mind any poking or hangers on. But one of their long tendrils may still give you a good whack on accident.

If you’re really lucky you can probably ride one all the way back to the base. Wouldn’t that be a fantastic entrance?

B: HELP ARRIVES
At least, some assistance arrives. Strange little robots on propellers arrive fifteen or so minutes later, rushing to the scene carrying a floating bin of some sort. They drop it into the ocean and buzz excitedly around it in the hopes of luring people over.

Inside the bin are goggles, breathing devices and knives enough for the new arrivals. The knives have a compass on the hilt that has a marker for the direction of the base. One robot will play a helpful recording from the robotic woman for those getting their gear:

"Please deposit any articles of clothing getting in the way of swimming in the bin. We will be sure they arrive safely at the base. Do not try to swim in anything that will bog you down."

A pause.

"Swimming nude is not recommended. There can be... unpleasant issues. For future reference, please consult me before going on missions like this."

C: UNDER THE SEA
Of course, there's no reason to rush right to the base. This place is certainly beautiful in its own right and has a few caves to explore - watch those stingers hanging from the ceilings - with an abundance of strange and wonderful fish eager to either play with you or dart away as fast as possible. Of course there's plenty of Reefbacks still calling to each other and a large amount of floating rocks with Floaters attached.

D: MATING SEASON
On second thought, maybe heading to the base is a good idea. Occasionally you might see plumes of dust near the ocean floor. Exploring these is a very bad idea. The moment you get close, a Sand Shark will explode out of the sand, ready to attack. They range from five to eight feet in length and will pursue you without mercy. At least they give up if you get near the surface or hide in the right caves.

Unfortunately, it's mating season. That means dozens of them can appear at any time trying to court a female with acts of aggression and skill. And you really don't want to be in the middle of that.

E: HOME SWEET HOME
You did it! You made it to the base. You are probably dead tired by now having swam quite a long distance—or somehow riding a Reefback all the way here—and the sun is beginning to set. Upon arrival, URSULA will welcome you and give you a quick rundown of the lockers (where your personal items can be found, as safe as if you stored them there yourself) and the base's layout if you’re new. She will also recommend that you put on your communication device and settling in. She will then just as quickly apologise by saying that she must finish preparing the base for the others.

"Please give me a few days to finish retooling the base. Oh, I'm so excited. We're going to make a great team, I promise. And don't go back to that biome yet until mating season is over. Sand Sharks are... troublesome."

F: WILDCARD
The ocean is yours to explore! Maybe your characters will find places to take breaks. Maybe they'll start gathering things. Maybe they'll murder fish! Or maybe they'll get lost in the dark and take a rather long time to find the base. Or just crash the kitchen for some of that delicious fish, more fish and seaweed! It's all up to you!

See the Biomes page for the currently accessible areas or details on current wildlife and the Base page for all your base needs. Direct any questions and plotting to the OOC post and have fun!

BASED ON CODE BY TESSISAMESS AND SUPERSUITS

Comments

[upcard]

Oh... it looks like um--like equipment for scuba diving...?

I think it's for breathing underwater.

[She supposes it makes sense that an octopus wouldn't know. No need for one, right...?]

...But I've never used one before.

Sorry for late, had a busy weekend!

[logdate]

[ Peridot frowns. Better? Sure, things could get better. But they probably won't. She keeps on toweling herself off. She finally replies, almost as if it's a bit of a chore. ]

Well. I... suppose working with you won't be terrible.

[ruffledup]

The Herald's background?

[A curious question, all right. But if she was just with the Herald... Well, Josephine can imagine where the question came from. And, normally, she'd be a little more careful about who she shares someone's background with, but... This is something that would have already spread throughout Haven, no doubt.]

I understand some were intimidated by her being Vashoth, or were afraid she followed the Qun... [And wasn't that a delicate conversation?] But she never seemed to focus overly much on either thing. As I understand it, she was very focused on her mercenary work. Which I would say is admirable in its own way.

[Josephine shakes her head again, getting herself back on track.]

We have quite a lot of work ahead of us then. [A pause.] Once we return.

[undyingly]

[Shiro is actually pretty impressed by how industrious Fukami's tentacles are, and he might be watching them in fascination in between conversation.]

Mm! Is there any way to tell if a plant is dangerous or toxic? Oh! And what about caves. Do thinks usually live in caves? [Dangerous things?]

[undyingly]

"I did, but it was all a bit sudden. Actually, right now it feels a little fuzzy trying to remember."

Which is odd. He has an excellent memory, when he's not afflicted by amnesia or illusory substitute memories. WHich is what has him worried now, brow furrowing,

At the next question, he nods. "It's definitely worrying, but I haven't decided what to do about it yet. Right now we're at least able to conserve energy and not swim -- and we're out of the water, so that should be safer from anything hungry, hopefully. Panicking definitely won't help, but it would be good to have some plan about what to do next."

[undyingly]

It's a long story! But mm!

[Shiro calls down as he rises up through the air, higher still, and once he figures he ought to be high enough for a good view, turning slowly and, well, his expression melting straight into a frown.]

Aside from more of these creatures... [He begins as he sinks back.] All I see is open water.

[octoroom]

[Don't stare too hard, they might get shy. Maybe. Probably not.]

Sometimes, just from touching it. If it's poisonous enough, your skin will react within a short time. Plants that have spikes or spines are often toxic. So are ones that taste bitter. Seaweed and kelp are usually fine.

[Though he hardly advises tasting them to see whether or not they're dangerous, SEE A LATER THREAD.] ...Plenty of creatures also live in caves, or use them for shelter. I'm not certain about the ones here, but you should assume there'll be some.

[octoroom]

[Once he's above water, Fukami loosens his hold, though a tentacle lingers close just in case he's going to go sinking underwater again. Not touching, precisely, because hey he can feel that tenseness and wariness. WILD ANIMAL, AND ALL.

And then, like he's talking to someone much younger--]

Try not to be too excited, or you'll sink again.

[octoroom]

...I see.

[Fukami eyes it, uncertain himself before his head shakes back and forth.]

I suppose it goes over your face. Best to test it before trying it seriously.

[maserannas]

[ She keeps her face neutral as the surprise of confirmation shoots through her. How... humbling, she supposes, to know there was no one person who must carry the weight of the anchor unknowingly, but at least two, possibly more. Leliana's Redcliffe after Corypheus had claimed Thedas had been true, but not Ellana's truth: it'd been why she could understand some of Solas' feelings on the matter of waking to a world so significantly altered he couldn't recognise it as his own any longer. It hadn't been.

Yet she doesn't think that world was destroyed for all she was able to avert the same future in her time. Could there be that many possibilities? Seemingly endless, or finite, just beyond her knowing? It's a headache to think about, and it's only important for understanding that a woman whom she calls friend on their shared world has no reasons or means of knowing her as who she is on this one, and that is neither of their failings. It's... well, odd. It's odd. But... ]

We'll return. The work will wait, depending on... how, exactly, we got here. I'm hoping time magic isn't involved, but it's difficult to say. [ It doesn't feel the same as when she and Dorian had stood in that painful reality, the one that gave her some insight into the way Solas felt in waking into a world so fundamentally alien to the one he'd last known. It absolved him of nothing, just as Leliana had absolved them of nothing for thinking of her truth as "false" when it was very much her reality. But — and ah, there, could that not be a point of understanding? Depending on what the Inquisitor that Josephine knew did, on if the attack at Haven still happened after recruiting allies and closing the tear through the sky the first time? She shifts her gaze back to Josephine's familiar features, having unwittingly shifted her attention to staring unseeing out at the alien sea. ]

Work should go by swiftly enough with the help of our allies in closing the Breach. With their magic...

[ .. except she's gambling on which alliance a woman she's never met chose. Rebel mages, thus dealing with the Venatori, or the Templars, and dealing with the machinations from their side of events? Or had she been able to speak with both groups, finding another path through? Ellana trails off, waiting for a sign of something being amiss in what she's saying to Josephine to gauge where she needs to go next. ]

[ruffledup]

[She frowns in thought. She may not... know what a shuttle is, exactly, but the meaning is clear enough.] That is strange. I can't imagine why...

[A pause.] Well, in any case.

I am Josephine Montilyet. [A nod.] And it is a pleasure to meet you, Ibtisam.

[undyingly]

Huh! So it's better to really examine things closely. That's good to know.

[...and yet he will totally just eventually put thing straight into his mouth. Minor details.

He's paying close attention though, because this is all very useful information. He was right. Fukami's definitely the guy to talk to.]

[octoroom]

Yes. Not all poisonous plants will have features to tell you they are, though...

[Fukami frowns. Better to be careful, in that case. He eventually shakes his head.]

We're at a disadvantage. We don't have much we can consult for information on what lives here, plant or creature. [His tentacles have set to pouring up the tea and leaving it to steep now, without him even needing to look.]

[twifork]

[Ludger had readied himself for an underwater fistfight (no, not even he can pull that one off) but then it's... bubble vision? Huh?

He looks back. Did the spirit do this?]

...Thanks?

DAMN I AM DEFEATED

[twifork]

[To help you, snake lady. But wait, she clearly is is still coughing. Oh no, is she choking? DOES HE NEED TO DO CPR ON A SNAKE? How would he even—

He settles on trying to support her??? Please help him. He bets the others would know what to do. He will have to do his best.]

[oneandmikleonly]

[spreads his hands in the water like SURE, BRO, and then takes his wrist, tugging sharply and nodding towards the entrance: if they slip out to the side they can put the coral between themselves and the shark's field of view before the bubble pops.]

Don't thank me, let's just get out of here.

[imsorey]

[Sorey's expression falls when he hears that. How does one stay positive in the face of being stuck in a massive body of water?]

Darn. I guess a beach was too much to hope for. Any ideas for what to do when you're stranded in the middle of the ocean?

[imsorey]

[He's so ready for beach episode.]

Yeah, you can't really see too much light from down here, even during the day. It's pitch black once the sun goes down.

[Especially when most of the light is coming from the base itself.]

no worries! take your time

[upcard]

[This is like... the nicest thing anyone's said to her in a really long time. Sadly enough.

She'll take it.

In fact, it gets her to brighten up entirely, eyes widening.]

Eh...?

[...!!!]

I'm--I'm really looking forward to working with you too! T-thank you very much!

[upcard]

[That is the cutest inflatable thing I've ever seen]

It's... a little scary like that.

[She's not entirely afraid of the dark, but there's something different about the cold, dark ocean that changes everything.]

But I guess...so long as we're in here, we're safe.

[upcard]

R-right...

[Are you ready for the most impressive display of competency ever, Fukami........

Because she's going to fumble with it, and then try to put it on, and put it on wrong, and fumble with it some more, and try again, and no this isn't going well at all.]

[retconciled]

[It makes sense to her, in a way. Not everyone can fight. Of course, the more rural you live, the more you have to be prepared to defend yourself, but the more she's traveled, the more she's seen that monsters living outside your village isn't a problem everyone has. Some people live their whole lives not needing to know how to fight!

Still she can't help teasing him.]

So you're kinda soft, huh? Don't worry about it. If you need anything, you call for me since we have that... link in our heads. [Milla rubs at her ear as if that will somehow stop telepathy.] Oh and I'm Milla. I'm just kind of here to do whatever people need.

[retconciled]

That sounds like a spirit. ...Or a ghost, I guess. That's weird. Are you good with these computer things?

[retconciled]

Same for me! There's fancier stuff in cities that I've seen, you know, the richer places. [She guesses from how Josephine carries herself, she might be from one of those.] But nothing like this. It's kind of crazy. Humans living underwater... If you told me that was possible, I would have laughed in your face.

[Still it's not so bad.]

We should try to find some land though. I don't know where to look or how but I need to stretch my legs eventually.

[logdate]

Uh-

[ Actually, she's never thought of it like that. ]

I suppose not, but you'd have to be able to survive extremely low temperatures and a lack of a breathable atmosphere.

[ So, most people would be dead. ]