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seasonsooc2023-05-17 10:01 am
PLOTTING POST - Event #2: In This Plane of Memories
In This Plane of Memories
LOGS | NETWORK | OOC | MEMES | NAVIGATION
The center district of Nightwake is full of activities - more than usual that is. There's a lot of promotions in every shop that are somehow related to technology. There are even workshops where you can build your own mobile suit model and battle with them against others or just keep them as decorations.
There are even prototype inventions made by different researchers from the Research Center. There are even mechanical pet dogs. It's truly a technology convention out there and it was all set up in one night.
If someone asks the natives what this is all about they will all just say "Today is a good day". It's not long until a message appears on everyone's devices.
The Research Center's very own Mecha Suit Hangar is ready to enter the phase one of beta testing and are looking for volunteers to test them. Anyone who is interested is urged to come to the Research Center as soon as possible.
The mecha suit beta-tests will be done in pairs, so first people need to find suitable pairs for themselves. The Research Center has provided a set of tests to help with this task.
The tests will comprise of any two (or all) of the following procedures, depending on what is required of each pair and a successful Rise rating. A “Rise” is the “right” connection between pair (or if you're feeling particularly in harmony, up to four people, but at the moment it's only two). This will be determined through the following methods:
Melodious Harmony: The pair will be asked to dance together and fall into rhythm. While this is obviously not going to go right immediately, the pair is expected to fall into step, predict the other’s movements, and match them and the dance beats. Three different kinds of melodies will be used (probably beats and melodies familiar to either partner) and the pair is expected to complete three successful dances together to achieve a perfect Rise. The pair can choose to sing as well, or do both together!
Feel the Fall: The pair is asked to spar with one another, and to find a rhythm in combat. They shall be required to make three hits on each other, and rather than bring their opponent down, they are required to continue the spar until all three hits are made by both sides— which require a touch on their bodies. The sparring will be done either barehanded or with practice weapons. A successful Rise will be determined by how well each fighter completes the spar.
With One Another: The pair will be asked to solve an escape room puzzle together, and be given thirty minutes to complete it. This will require cooperation between the pair and a successful Rise will be determined by how well the pair completes the escape room. It shall be unsuccessful if only one partner carries the entire session.
Once the desired Rise rating has been achieved, the researchers will guide the pairs to the next area.
It's time to start the experiments. Characters are directed to the mecha suit hangar and given suits to wear that would help them control the mecha suits. No one enters the mecha suits - at least not these types. They are instead controlled from the outside by groups with high Rise rating. This would ensure a safe exploration of the Darkness.
With a harmonious Rise rating established, the pair will be able to achieve a “Flow”— a process to evenly bear the mental strain of the piloting such large machines.
A successful Flow can be between four people with a harmonious Rise, but is strongest between two because of the even load between them.
During the state of Flow, the pilots are required to allow themselves to enter each other’s minds, acting as parts of the active brain.
They must avoid getting entangled in each other’s memories and “flow” their thoughts into place to function as one unit.
Once a successful Flow is achieved, pilots will be able to act physically as one entity, commanding either side of the unit and being able to make joint decisions on controlling the units easily without disruption to each other!
Some new pilots may end up chasing memories anyway (In a process called “Breaking the Flow”), and enter a memory as an unseen entity viewing it. This can happen either by the one providing the source memory “the dreamer” or the person witnessing the memory “the watcher” as a result of it.
Some have reported becoming an active part of the memory, usually those with a very high Rise rating, and the one whose memory has been entered has to realize that they're not in a real space to avoid causing damage to themselves and their partner.
The more the “dreamer” believes this is real, the more the “watcher” will be able to feel what's happening, which can cause disorientation for the pilots and malfunctions in the units.
The external failsafe in this situation if none of the pilots can break out of the memory is to force unconsciousness but this will render the pilots Rise rating to go down to zero and they will be unable to pilot for three days as their minds adjust to being their own memories again.
A Flow Resonance is the remaining resonance of being in another person’s memories, regardless of whether they are in the state of Flow or not. It's a harmless state, but it can lead to moments of finishing each other’s
Most resonance fades within 24 hours, but the more Flow is achieved, the longer resonance can remain until it's just a natural part of the other. If this becomes a bother to the partners, there are Suppressants that help them disconnect, but this will also lower their Rise rating and require them to test for them again.
The mecha suits in the hangar can't, for some reason, leave the hangar despite even successful Flows. In fact all the Flow attempts seem to work towards something ominous. The researchers decide to put a halt on the experiment, but it's too late as the magic and technology collide into a flash of light and something emerges from the machines.
Due to the test mechanics and the magical energy colliding with people's memories, something unexpected happens. Portals start appearing all around the city of Nightwake. These portals are usually gray and don't show anything to the outside no matter which side you look at them from. However, if someone is inside the portal, the portal glows golden to indicate that and show a scenery from their memories when looked from either side of it. This is why the portals will be called Memory Portals.
The memory portals can appear anywhere at all and can even form around characters without a warning. Empty portals may also emit a familiar feeling to draw people in (maybe even a voice or a scent).
All of the portals work much like the Breaking Flow does, but with characters also being able to interact with each others' dreams like they would be a part of it. Some could even take the place of the character the portal belongs to and experience everything without through their eyes. These portals fade away and release all characters when the memories are complete.
Another version of the portals is the Remorse Portals, where characters need to live through the memory and change it to be the way they wanted it to be. The memory will only end when the desired goal is reached, which means characters may need to start over and over again, until they get it right, with or without the help of others.
Dying in the memory portals doesn't mean dying in Ellipsa, but it does leave them exhausted and in need of plenty of touch energy afterwards.
Researchers outside the mecha suit hangar need help to invade the hangar from the outside to shut the system down. The problem is that the hangar is full of data turned into monsters; digital monsters that have been formed from people's memories. They have adapted to fit the space, but otherwise act like monsters from someone's world. Defeating them shatters them into digital data that vanishes, but some of them can be quite sturdy and the researchers don't have enough firepower to defeat them.
Of course, anyone who participated in the beta tests may still be inside as well so it might also be a rescue mission, depending on the situation.
Eventually, with the characters' help, one of the NPC researchers is able to make it to the big red button and push it (something they have always wanted to do anyway). That will shut the whole hangar down, ending the memory share portals from appearing and more monsters from appearing. Of course some portals may still linger if there are people inside, but it will stop new ones from appearing.
(After the memory sharing portals end around May 26th, the atmosphere around Nightwake City center in particular will be very unenthusiastic for a while. The excitement from before is completely gone as the mecha suit project has been pushed back and no one knows when the next attempt will be. By start of June they will start moving on and act like normal once again.
The digital memory monsters wrecked the hangar quite a bit, so that's something that will affect the hangar's mood as rebuilding needs to be done.)
Another new notification appears on everyone's smart devices. The guilds have heard the news that a huge amount of fish and water monsters have appeared in any watery surfaces of the Segments. That's why they are hosting a fishing contest.
All of the guilds will provide basic fishing gear (even silly fishing hats) as well as a map that marks all of the surfaces of water available. They do stress that every water surface counts - even the smaller ponds and rivers that didn't make it to the map. So anyone could technically find a fishing spot closer to the city. There's even fish and monsters in the magically polluted river around the city, but no one recommends fishing them as they might carry the same effects as the river.
The judges of this fishing competition are the guild leaders are well as head chefs of some of the fish restaurants in Nightwake. The fish collected will be made into food that will be then given out free. Any monsters fished will be donated to the Research Center for science if they can't be eaten.
The winner will be determined on how many points they manage to score by fishing various sort of fish, but everyone will be getting a prize no matter how well of badly they do.
The fishing contest rules are as followed:
• You can start any day, even on the last.
• You may fish anywhere on the Segments.
• You may use whatever method you see fit to fish.
• You will get scored based on what kind of fish you collect. The rarer the fish, the better your score will be.
• Fish is a very loose term and can mean various monsters that lurk beneath the water as well.
• Working together is allowed but the prizes will go to individuals.
• Everyone participating will receive 1000 moon coins for their efforts to calm the fish-explosion down. They also get to keep their fishing gear. Lucky!
Fish Monster List [ Click to Expand ]
While fish can be anything you can find from normal world (just pay in mind if they'd be in colder or warmer climates), here is a list of fish monsters people can fish up and how rare they are. The fish monsters can be found anywhere.
SKIWID
Rarity: Common
Size: Small
Description: Skiwid are wind-aligned critters resembling squid, but the fins on their mantles are larger, resembling the fins of a manta ray. They utilize their wind energy to propel themselves forward in a quick burst, sometimes jumping out of the water and gliding for short distances. The only protections they have from ending up on dry land when they do this are their excellent eyesight, and the fact that tentacles mean they can traverse short distances on land. Still, it's not uncommon to see them ending up in unfortunate situations by accident.
SPOUTFISH
Rarity: Common
Size: Small
Description: The Spoutfish are small fish with some power over Water, able to freeze or melt it in small quantities. They have a long snout which they use to squirt water at flying insects or to shoot ice at enemies, although it prefers to flee when confronted. They tend to school, although they will scatter if anything spooks them.
DAUBER
Rarity: Common
Size: Small to Medium
Description: These dull, brown fish are not exciting to catch, but make for an easy enough day. They are slow-moving fish that like to hide in the vegetation at the lake floor, so they are usually able to avoid predators just by being hard to notice, and in this way they can grow to a fair size from time to time.
SIGNALFISH
Rarity: Common
Size: Small to Medium
Description: Signalfish are schooling fish with a strong sense of community. They get their name from the bio-luminescent spots that pepper their bodies, no two having spots in exactly the same place. Signalfish communicate with each other by flashing their lights in varying colors, often organizing against threats. Every school has a Queen, a larger Signalfish which is the only female that lays eggs for the school, although when one is killed another Signalfish may take her place. There are rumors that Signalfish actually choose who will become the new Queen with their flickering lights.
PLACOBREAM
Rarity: Common
Size: Medium
Description: Placobream are a bottom-feeding fish, content with algae more often than not, although it will not turn up its flattened nose at an insect here or there. They possess somewhat hardened scales on their backs, protecting them from most predators, although their scales on their stomachs are soft. They are said to be quite tasty fried.
SCRAPPER
Rarity: Common
Size: Small to Medium
Description: These little fish are known for their competitiveness. They've got tiny, razor-sharp teeth they use to nip at the fins of other fish, and seem to enjoy fighting, whether it is with other species or amongst each other. They're easy enough to catch and too small to do too much damage when being fished up, though they've got a lot of spunk and will try anyway!
SEA CROW
Rarity: Common
Size: Small
Description: Sea Crows are very similar to their air counterparts, with black iridescent scales that fins that resemble wings, although they can't fly. They're curious and pretty smart for fish, having been seen using tools to break open crustaceans and sometimes even just for play. Also like thier airborne counterparts, they have beaks and tend to hold grudges- if you fish one up the whole school is liable to hold it against you, and may even try to sabotage your future attempts to fish.
EMBERFISH
Rarity: Common
Size: Small
Description: Emberfish are named for their bright, highly reflective, red and orange scales, leading to schools moving looking much like embers underwater. It is unsettling, nearly as unsettling as their ability to heat up the water around them. It is not much power with just one Emberfish, but with a large enough school they can fully boil the water around them, which can seriously injure or possibly kill other fish, but doesn't seem to bother the little Emberfish.
RAZORFIN DAUBER
Rarity: Uncommon
Size: Medium
Description: A larger cousin to the dull-colored and slow-moving Common Dauber, this fish is named for it's spiny dorsal fin, which has been known to cut the hands of fishers who are inexperienced in handling this surprisingly energetic fish. One could mistake it for a large Common Dauber until they've been sliced up.
NARSHARK
Rarity: Uncommon
Size: Medium to Large
Description: Narsharks are sharks, sporting a single horn in the middle of their forehead. They are not so large that they might consider humans prey, but they are big enough to make a real mess if provoked. They are solitary hunters, and while they prefer to swim away rather than fight, they have the standard rows of sharp teeth inherent to sharks and have been known to seriously injure unprepared fishermen.
PRISCLEEN
Rarity: Uncommon
Size: Small
Description: These little fish enjoy a spotless environment, and are willing to put in the work to make it so. While their favorite foods are small invertebrates, they also will eat algae and plants, a necessary step to cleaning up around their homes. They are popular in fish tanks, so long as you don't mind them rearranging any fixture in their homes, although they require real plants to remain healthy.
MUDRIPPER
Rarity: Uncommon
Size: Medium
Description: The Mudripper is a somewhat dangerous fish, equipped with sharp teeth, but more importantly sharp claws on the end of fins that resemble hands too closely to be comfortable. It has some small alignment with Earth, and uses it to control mud in its' vicinity. It isn't big enough to consider people prey, but it is aggressive and territorial, attacking anything that gets too close. In addition, it can crawl on land with its 'hands' if only for a short time. They're said to be VERY tasty if one can manage to bring one in, at least!
GROCKTOPUS
Rarity: Uncommon
Size: Small
Description: These are small octopodes who have some Earth powers, and prefer to live in burrows, and so can be hard to fish up, and when they are, they can be quite spiteful indeed. As octopodes they are quite smart, and may forgo a fight on the line in favor of shooting a rock in your eye or sneaking off and sabotaging your equipment before dropping back into the water.
FLAIL EEL
Rarity: Rare
Size: Medium to Large
Description: A Flail Eel is a strange creature, one head with anywhere between two and four snakelike bodies attached, named for the flailing appearance it takes when moving, or maybe for the whip-like tool of the same name. Either way, the description fits, and while the fish is not usually a threat to humanoids, it can be a real problem when the two are forced to meet by something like... getting one hooked on a fishing line.
GARAYAN
Rarity: Rare
Size: Large
Description: Garayan are a large, shimmering, colorful fish, said to grant wishes to those who catch them and send them back. They don't, but they are said to! Garayan are intelligent fish, and can use Fire magic, so it can be very tough to actually hook one. You'll have to find something that draws their eye enough to override their common sense, and then once you pull them up, be prepared for a struggle!
• Ask Event-related questions here!
• The Event runs ICly between May 19th and May 31st, with memory share portals disappearing around May 26th. Fishing contest continues to run until end of month.
• There's plenty of room in the hangar to move the suits a little bit for a test before all goes wrong. Those still inside when the "flash" occurs will be faced with the digital memory monsters, but there's enough time to leave before it happens and the researchers will first prioritize in getting everyone out of the place before starting other counters.
• Time in the portals can move differently from normal. For example spending 1 day inside the portal could just be 1 hour in normal time. Feel free to play around with the time as you want, as long as you don't make your character spend months in the memories.
• Submit digital memory monsters here for others to use.
• Sign up to participate in the Fishing Contest here (OOC details on the comment). The winners will be announced in a separate OOC post at the start of June.
• Reminder that this month is Activity Check-in month and check-in ends on May 31st, at 23:59 PST.
• Any similarities to certain blockbuster movies and series starting with P and ending in Rim are very intentional thank you goodbye.
Here's an Event Plotting form:
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