subnautica | March Intro: Head First

March Intro: Head First

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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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

An AI can only do what it was programmed to do. URSULA seems like an awfully talented lady, but she can only do so much with the tools she was given, so to speak!

[ he has a robot in his class, so he understands. Peridot's attitude doesn't seem to bother him very much. ]

That aside, you called yourself an expert. What are you an expert in? Sensei is curious.

All kinds of things!

[ Peridot ignores the conversation about Ursula can or can't do in favor of talking about herself. It's much more interesting and relevant. ]

Gem technology, mechanics, various scientific subjects, construction... I'm a technician and a scientist!

[ he clasps his "hands" together, seemingly impressed at her list of skills. ]

You're quite accomplished! That's wonderful. I'm sure having someone like you on the team will make our work easier. [ earnest and approving. ] What's your name?

My name is Perdot.

[ Flattery will get you many places with Peridot. She looks more than a bit smug about being praised and being able to flaunt what it is that she does. Please, praise her more. ]

Don't worry about a thing. I know all about altering a planet to something more suitable.

[ Although last time it was making sure it was going to blow up. ]

[ hey he was gonna blow up the planet too!! time to bond. ]

Really? Well then, Peridot-san, it's a pleasure to meet you! I can't wait to see your talents in action. As a teacher, maybe I can learn a thing or two from watching you. I have several students interested in science and engineering career paths, you see...

[ ... wherever they are. ]

[ Technically, she wasn't going to blow it up so much as make sure that it the plan already set in motion was proceeding. Minor detail. ]

Well, I'm sure your students could learn a lot just from watching me work.

[ She's actually quite pleased by that idea. She is pretty great, after all. ]

What kind of engineering are we talking about, exactly?

[ oh boy... his favorite topic. his kids. ]

Well! Itona-kun is interested in mechanical engineering and robotics! He's already built this wonderful little remote-controlled vehicle to try and kill me with! And then there's Ritsu-chan - she's an autonomous AI in my class! With her computerized intelligence, I'm sure she can keep aspiring to greater heights of programming! Although I have to say that it's hard to imagine her getting any more skilled than she already is, fufu...

[ Oops. She's gotten him started on something. She does listen, although it's unclear how much actual interest she has in his pupils. She pinches the bridge of her nose after a few moments. And then her demeanor changes as he mentions something that actually sounds interesting. ]

An autonomous artificial intelligence? Where did it come from?

[ She's calling her an "it", but Peridot is not the politest person. ]

[ artificial intelligences can be a tricky subject for people, so he hardly notices. ]

Hmmm... The Norweigan government sent her to stop me, if I recall correctly. [ a nod to himself. ] My, how time flies! Those days seem so long ago now.

Norwegian government...? Who are the Norwegians?

[ She's imagining another planet sending people to Earth to stop this rather strange creature from blowing it up. For whatever reason. ]

And why do they care about Earth?

Nfufu! You, my friend, have much to learn. Fortunately, I'm here to teach!

[ a prospect he sounds excited about. ]

Norwegians are people from Norway, a country in northern Europe. It's only natural that they want to protect their planet!

Oh. I hadn't realized humans broke themselves sup into sub-groups. I suppose it makes sense - different specializations are important.

[ She narrows her eyes, considering the problem. ]

What do these... Norwegians focus on?

[ peridot.......... ]

Eh? Well, they're known for their heavy metal music and their icy landscape, but I wouldn't say they're focused on anything in particular... It doesn't work that way. They're just a distinct cultural group. Does that make sense?

[ Look, they don't have different countries where she's from, OK. ]

...not really.

[ Gems all share the same culture, as far as she's concerned.

Well, technically she's part of a different cultural group now. Details, though. ]

What's the point of having separate groups if they don't mean anything?

They mean something to those groups.

[ how is he going to explain ethnicity to a small alien lady?? he's going to need a better lesson plan. ]

It's part of their heritage. Surely even you belong to a specific clan or family just because of how you were born, no?

[ ... ironically, he himself doesn't, but he's an outlier and will not count himself ]

No...? I'm a Peridot, but that's about it.

[ Which means relatively little. It determines what her general function is going to be and what sort of jobs she's likely to have, but she's not really familiar with the concept of cultural differences between members of the same species. Her only frame of reference for that is the Crystal Gems. ]

Gems don't have families. Not in the way humans think about them.

[ well, of course he knows what a peridot is. It's a small rock. This is clearly not a small rock. It's a small little lady. He links his tentacles together, tilting his head at her with an air of puzzlement. ]

A gem? Is that what you are?

Uh, yes?

[ She seems a bit irritated, as if she's going through the trouble of stating the obvious for his benefit. She gestures at the stone set in her forehead. ]

What do you think this is? Of course I'm a gem! Haven't any of you ever heard of gems before?

Well, of course! [ he retorts defensively. ] I know all about rocks and minerals! As a teacher of the sciences, it's a basic requirement. That also means that I know that gems are usually inanimate objects...!

Obviously, I'm not like the gems that you understand!

[ She seems both infuriated and intensely proud of that fact. ]

We're not from Earth, although we could use Earth's resources to make more of us. In fact, that was the original intent before... uh. Well, before a lot of things!

-- A-another alien?!? Nyuah! This is like some kind of American sci-fi movie! I... I can't believe it!

[ he sounds excited rather than afraid, and he leans down enthusiastically towards Peridot, a few tentacles reaching out to try and poke her. Some people have no concept of personal space. ]

Where are you from?! Mars? Are you a martian?! Do you know that Fukami-kun, with the tentacles?

[ Tentacles? Hell no! Peridot jumps back, swatting at the offending limbs. ]

No, I'm not from Mars! I'm from the gem homeworld!

[ Screech. ]

And why would I know some idiot I've never even heard of?

Well, you're both aliens, so I thought you might be from the same planet! Ah, that was a generalization, though, wasn't it?

[ silly him. ]

But! Are you saying you're some kind of mineral lifeform? That's fascinating!

[ Silly him indeed! ]

Uh... essentially? it's a very complicated subject! I can't be expected to explain how gems work to everyone who asks!

[ It's not that complicated, Peridot just likes lording her knowledge over other people. ]

Not even a little bit? [ he pouts. ] Even though I went through the trouble of putting your bracelet on for you...

[ wow what an effort ]

March Intro: Head First

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sorry for the late! i caught the flu

No worries, I had a slow weekend.

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Sorry, had another busy weekend.

it's fine!

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