July Event: Riding the Wave

[lifeaftr_mods]

JULY EVENT: RIDING THE WAVE

Who: Everyone!
What: The Jormun reappear to allow some transformative fun...and potentially some underwater exploration as well
When: July 10th and onward
Where: Ensō and the ocean floor around it
Warnings: Potential (and fully optional) body/transformation horror may arise when undergoing shifts from land-based to sea-based shapes, and vice versa. Otherwise, tag as you go!

I'll See You on the Other Side
The Jormun resurfaced to greet their old allies on July 8th, bringing with them the offer to explore the ocean floor alongside them. They're not the only old friend that's made a return, however. The kaleidoshells, placid, rainbow-tinted creatures reminiscent of sea turtles, have also made their way to Ensō's shores for their nesting season. For much of the month of July, you'll have to tread carefully around mounds of sand hiding delicate heaps of kaleidoshell eggs. Those of you uninterested in sea exploration can remain on the surface, if you like - the kaleidoshells can make for a stunning sight if you're glimpsing them for the first time as their shells throw off vibrant rainbow swirls of light reflected into the ocean waters.

Predators are always keen to feast on easy prey, and kaleidoshell eggs are no exception. If you feel like protecting them from any hungry slypers or pterax, you'll find that some of the Jormun are happy to stick on the surface with you and assist. They'll even lend you a schlacknorkcvic, which is the Jormun equivalent of a simple driftwood training staff, to help keep any thieving creatures away from the nests of kaleidoshell eggs - though they recommend that you do so peacefully, if possible.

Get Carried Away
Or you can brave the sea waters with the Jormun, instead. With the help of the sne'akleriad pendant, your new, aquatic shape will allow you to navigate the waters just as easily as they. Whether you intend to make use of this new skill to go roaming about and explore some of Ensō's uncharted ocean squares, take a look at that underwater structure that's been sighted before, or just have a joyous time beneath the waves with your new scaly, tentacled, flippered, or be-gilled form, the choice is yours.

---

In the meantime, the following links may prove handy:

[ ♆ ] OOC Event Info and Plotting Post
[ ♆ ] Underwater City Exploration Page
[ ♆ ] Jormun NPC Information
[ ♆ ] Ensō's Locations Page

Event Timeline

[ ♆ ] July 8th: The Jormun and the kaleidoshells return to Ensō's shores
[ ♆ ] July 10th: Underwater exploration begins
[ ♆ ] July 17th: Part Two of our second year anniversary Test Drive Meme goes up
[ ♆ ] July 20th: Monthly Storytelling occurs
[ ♆ ] July 22nd: The final island in this voting round appears
[ ♆ ] July 25th: The Jormun return to their home beneath the waves

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

ota

[sonsofhorus]

[the shore]

Robotic life in his homeworld has no real concept of nudity, nor any reason to - most go entirely without clothing, or rarely with some random accessory they happen to like. For all that he goes about fairly fully dressed Horatio himself is no different; clothes offer a degree of protection from the elements and something to sew pockets into, and nothing more. So it is without any further thought on the matter that he stands unclothed on the shore, worn and scarred by old misadventures and time, carefully out of the reach of the waves, and warily contemplating a pendant.

He shouldn't do this. This body probably did not endure since the age of Man by getting regularly exposed to saltwater, whatever these new submersible creatures promise will happen to him too, and the small matrix he'd left well-hidden in his temporary house is all the more reason not to take off and do something stupid.

He should do this. He needs supplies and he needs to learn something and he won't get enough of either safe under a roof, telling stories to an eccentric. That small matrix is all the more reason he needs to figure out how to get out of here.

"B'sod," Horatio mutters sourly. He probably is going to do this.

[the change]

What happens next happens fast. His joints begin to twist, the edges of his changing faceplate begin to spread, now water-safe plating growing over his exterior - new lines of code are arising fully-formed in his operating system, like nerves to control unfamiliar limbs - it doesn't hurt but it's everything all at once - is this what Horus felt like? - and it's all he can do to stumble quickly forward on failing legs once his exterior's protected-

The coils of a long, segmented robot body thrash above the shallow waves for a moment like a drunken serpent. He wiggles experimentally once, twice - a nearby Jormun reaches out and pulls helpfully at his tail, dragging him a little into deeper water - and then his new propulsion system sorts itself out and he's off. It's clumsy at first, but he'll get it.

[the sea]

Having first carefully noted the thirty-hour countdown in his internal systems, he lingers near the island, practicing. It really is like flexing new limbs; the seemingly limbless shape he's taken is deceptively full of tools and attachments. He practically is an arm now (he'd never hear the end of it), or an arm that can switch out simple grasping hands from each end of itself, or...something. Another repair and maintenance robot, for certain.

His glowing blue eyes are brighter now, and they cast small twin beams ahead of himself as he sinuously cruises along, peering at unfamiliar objects in the sand and watching the others try out their new shapes. While going down his own checklist he attempts to test his voice, but accidentally blurts out a high-frequency short-range sonar ping that earns him a startled look from several nearby Jormun. "Ugh," he manages. "Sorry about that."

Okay. Okay, though. This is extremely weird, but it actually isn't horrible. And the weightlessness almost feels right.

((OOC: Horatio's alternate form is loosely based on the Eelume robot, shown in action here. He'll be swimming around, exploring, or his usual biped self back on land resting/being confused by turtles/chilling at a mana pool while the pendant gets recharged. If you want a specific starter or to do a Search or something, gimme a nudge!))

shore

[catpiper]

From the moment their ocean dwelling friends started talking about pendant, she knew it was a terrible idea. Nothing good happens in the ocean-that much she's learned over the years. There are things that eat other things and waves that knock you over and it gets dark and a thousand, million, other spooky scary reasons to avoid this.

And as she watches this robot stand on shore, seemingly debating whether or not to wear the treasure, she realizes another problem-electricity and water don't mix?? Usually?? Almost always?? The robots in her world didn't fare well under the harsh conditions the apocalypse left behind and she's seen more than one short-circuit in front of her.

It's just not a good idea. That's the thing. And she voices that concern with a quiet, horrible question.

"Do you eat electricity?"

[sonsofhorus]

The shore's an active place right now, and he hadn't thought anything of another sound of footsteps on the sand, but then there's a question too and it's enough to stir him from his processing. He turns his head slightly; a human? Maybe. He's still not always sure on sight.

This island is so green and complicated. And, occasionally, miraculous.

"Uh, sort of. I don't really know if it counts when I don't have a mouth though." There's no sarcasm in his rough voice; he really doesn't know. Humans had left behind a lot of ideas, orphaned of their original context, for robots to find. "Why do you ask?"

[catpiper]

That's a philosophical q for another day because neither do plants, but they still manage to eat sunlight. Robots could eat electricity with their skin, or something, if they don't have outlets and batteries. The point is he said sort of and there's the potential for a dangerous mix here.

"Because you'll get hurt if you go in the water." Which is true for any living person that decides to go on this horrible, terrible, no good adventure. It's just especially so for him. "So you should stay far away from it."

[sonsofhorus]

The lights of his eyes blink once; if he'd had enough facial features to form something like an expression, that expression might have softened a little. He has trouble walking away from suffering, too.

"I appreciate it, but I don't short-circuit easily. I was built to survive-" An airship crash. "-some rough conditions. It's still not great though, you're right about that part. Water's rough on metal, and saltwater's worse." And he doesn't have replacement components if something fails in the face of corrosion, but supply shortages are nothing new.

"But there are robots that are actually meant for the water. I've even seen a few. And if this really can change me into something fit to explore down there, I may have to try."

[catpiper]

Does he really have to try? That's the thing. She doesn't understand why everyone is so gungho to swim in this vast ocean, when it's been nothing but problem after problem. It would be easier, better, simpler if he just stayed.

But she's never been able to convince people otherwise. The ones who want to go home are adamantly trying to solve this mystery, others want some excitement, and some just want to protect the ones that fly off at the first sign of adventure. She can't tell what category he falls into, but it doesn't matter when the dangerous conditions remain the same for all parties.

"Okay," There's some obvious hesitation in her voice. He even said saltwater is bad for their metal and she has no idea how to take a proper bath, let alone how to take off rust from a machine. If he comes back up corroded and hurt, then-

Well, at least their local god might know what to do.

"You can come back if it hurts or if you get very scared. The water is-" Not great. Not good. Not even remotely comforting-" I'll stay here for a long time, so if you come back up, I can help you get to shore."

the seas

[hyperlit]

The Drifter is a blue dart against the ocean, snaking through the water with a whip-quick agility. They're adjusting quickly to their new body; moving through the water is, in some ways, easier than running, even if it robs them of their ability to dash. They've switched out their cloak for a bluish cloak with an almost feathery texture, for reasons unknown, even if they've retained their cowl and helm.

Their sprite is slower in the water. They have to stop and wait for it to catch up, but once they do, they drift closer to the serpentine, robotic shape.

At least Horatio's voice is distinct.

horatio nullbuilt

...it is you, right?

[sonsofhorus]

Between the visiting submersibles and all the people trying out shapeshifting magic, recognizing most beings in the water at a distance is definitely a little chaotic right now. But the approaching Drifter is still blue, and their helm and cowl are as distinctive as Horatio's rough voice is to others, and - yes, there's the little floater too, unchanged, scooting sluggishly along behind. (Or wait, no, he remembers now, it's a 'sprite'.)

Horatio's been practicing with this new propulsion system, but it's still a bit of a trick to use the little shielded propellers that serve as his fins to hold his now-slender frame more or less in one place against the flow of the sea. Short burst to adjust position, then again a few moments later, okay. He will get this down.

"Hi, Drifter," he says, this time without any further sonar misfires. "No surprise you tried this too - but is the, uh, sprite really okay down here?"

It doesn't look particularly submersible, and even if it's not really alive it still seemed to be struggling a bit.

[hyperlit]

They glance at it with a tilt of their head. It's certainly not built to last underwater for long stretches of time, though there's no notable delay in translation. Not yet, in any case. They've learned from experience that deactivating the sprite and simply leaving it behind is liable to cause more trouble than it is anything else. It's their means of self-orientation, of navigation, of a dozen other necessities besides the basics of communication.

They look back to him.

not ideal
limited communication otherwise

do you know sign language

If he does, that would very much help, but they've learned that not everyone here has even heard of it.

[sonsofhorus]

Sign could, he supposes, have more than one meaning, but the sprite is effectively a sign already so it's surely not that one. It'd make considerably more contextual sense if-

"Do you mean with hands? If that's it then sorry, I don't, not really. I know some hand signals, but it's not like a real language. You can only say a few things."

Ready. Halt. Go back. Enemy sighted. Those kinds of things. He'd wondered in the past why he had such an incomplete "language" in his files and assumed it was one of those areas his earlier selves had damaged. Now? Now he knows he was Urbanian military, and that's as good an explanation for the strangely limited vocabulary as any. Even a maintenance robot might end up needing a thing like that, so there it was.

[hyperlit]

Well, that would answer that question. And thus justify the Drifter's decision to retain their sprite, on at least one level; without it, how else would they communicate? Their lower half might resemble some sort of fish or eel, but the magic of the Jormun does not rid their lungs of the illness that pollutes their blood.

speech with hands
can learn

They've been offering more and more, now that they've discovered that others are amenable to learning it.

useful when without voice

Like the Drifter is, constantly.

Sea

[forwearemany]

Legion is much closer to the traditional mer form: their head, shoulders, and arms are much the same as always, but everything below them looks like a cross between this, and this.

The sound startles them, and they jerk backwards, head swiveling towards the sound.

Oh, hello fellow robot.

They approach in a smooth glide.

"Nullbuilt-Horatio."

that water-bot is amazing, excellent choice

[sonsofhorus]

He's briefly distracted going over the internal systems to make sure he doesn't slip up again - he's been known to be awkward on occasion, but blasting a crowded area with noise pollution is just being a jerk - when a familiar non-face makes an appearance. Or at least he'll assume no one else has gained the head of a cycloptic glowy-eyed robot today.

Use the right voice, use the right voice.

"Oh, hey Legion. Sorry if your audio receptors picked that up too, I'm still sorting all this out." Movement is going better, though, and his eel-like frame adjusts course and slows its speed with relative grace as Legion approaches.

Thanks! I also considered one that looked like a manta ray, but I like the undulating fins better

[forwearemany]

"Apology unnecessary." Horatio did not intend to startle them.

Legion is not nearly as flexible as Horatio, but their unique undulating fins give them incredible precision of movement: they can swim upside down, backwards, and on their side. They advance to a point and then stop perfectly in place.

"You wish to explore?"

it's hypnotic, I can't look away! also can I see the manta bot

[sonsofhorus]

Legion definitely has him beaten when it comes to hovering and precision; he'd have to anchor himself to a rock or something to manage half as neatly. He must instead slightly reposition himself every so often, with short bursts on the little shielded propellers and the occasional coiling spiral back to where he wants to be.

"Yes. It's the first ocean I've seen...I don't really know what might be in one that's worth scavenging, but I knew I'd be kicking myself if I didn't look around when I had the chance. That why you came down too?"

[forwearemany]

Affirmative.

(They chatter.)

In addition to the sunken city, there are also unique organic lifeforms that dwell in underwater environments.

(It's possible they're mentioning this because Horatio is new to organic life.)

change

[a_shadow]

[ Tex has decided to brave the waves in her armored suit, which means she's planted on the sea floor, walking into deeper waters, when Horatio first flops into the water nearby. She watches him with interest as he comes closer, and she uses the signal light on her helmet to flash a greeting. ]

[sonsofhorus]

It's all still pretty disorienting even once he's got propulsion working. The water allows for an entirely new dimension of movement, and even if something ancient inside of him likes the sense of weightlessness, he has no actual memory of flight that's clear enough to help much. However, he does manage not to drive himself faceplate-first into the legs of any innocent swimmers, so he can live with a clumsy start.

And then a light flashes in the water - he twists his long body nearly upside down in the process of stopping himself to focus - wait, is that Church? That looks like Church. But no, no. Similar model, different color.

Does this one communicate with lights? Does he have lights? He thinks so, actually, or at least the glow of his optic sensors seems brighter. He blinks back at her, and after another moment fumbling internally (where is the voice control in this thing) manages: "Hello? Can you hear this?"

[a_shadow]

Ignorant of Horatio's struggles to make everything function, Tex moves closer as he replies. As far as she can tell he seems to have everything under control, excepting some occasional flapping about.

"Yes," she says. "And hello. I don't believe we've met before."

[sonsofhorus]

Oh, good. He's not sure if he could have figured out an entire new means of communication in a timely manner - well, maybe if she knows binary. But thankfully that won't be necessary to worry about (or attempt) after all.

"I don't think so, either. I don't usually look like this, but I met a similar model to you on land so I'm guessing you didn't transform to get down here. My name is Horatio Nullbuilt, version five."

[a_shadow]

"Version five, huh?" she says. "As for me, I'm pretty sure I'm the only version of me there is. But I've been installed in an organic body, not a robot like he's in. This is just a suit of armor."

Not denying that she's an AI, but being honest about the rest. Conversations like this make her miss her robot.

shore

[bitch4bitch]

As weird as it is seeing this guy again in daylight, he's at least still recognizable - though the change of silhouette brought on by him being, she guesses, naked does give her a moment's pause.

It's also a little harder now to assume he's a human in a mask. Well, she guesses that clears that up.

"Hey, it's you!" Yes she knows that's a rude as hell way to address someone, no it doesn't matter. She makes her way over to him over the sand, rubbing her fingers over her own pendant in one hand. "You thinking of trying it out?"

[sonsofhorus]

There are certainly robots who might protest and well I never at being addressed so. But Horatio is an aging hermit who quite frankly lives in a wasteland of garbage, and therefore he has no real expectation of anyone having manners fancier than 'hopefully not shooting strangers on sight.' So fortunately it all works out!

"Huh?" He blinks, looks around - ah. "Oh, yeah. Yeah. Maybe. They say it works on everyone, and maybe it would be worth it. There's nothing like this where I've come from, though. Not this-" and here he holds up the pendant, "-or that."

And there, with a tilt of his head, he indicates the sea.

[bitch4bitch]

"Ehh, might as well test it out. Worst that could-- shit, never mind, forget I almost said that." Talking about the 'worst that could happen' with regards to a body-changing magic pendant seems like a bad plan, so: "Haven't heard of 'em causing any catastrophes so far."

She raises her eyebrows, following where he gestures to look out over the sea. "Y'didn't have the ocean? Wild. I mean, it wasn't, like... close to where I lived back home, but it was out there."

[sonsofhorus]

He lets out a faint (and faintly amused) hmph at the quick correction. He may not know his way around the actual workings of enchanted objects, but it's cursed to utter any form of 'what's the worst that could happen' is universal. Cross-universal, even.

"If there is one, it'd have to be...I don't know how far away. Everything's just sand, and rainwater disappears pretty fast if it can't pool somewhere underground." He shakes his head. "And I sure don't know any underground space with enough room for all this. Almost seems more unreal than magic."