welcome to the kingdom of akvos.It will happen at random- you could be asleep, or wandering the Temple, or a variety of other options. It will feel a little strange, like a sudden warmth spreading across your skin, and then your bracelet will light up. When you blink again, everything has shifted - changed, developed, like in that blink of an eye you have advanced . . . where, exactly? A NOTE FROM YOUR FRIENDLY . . . WAIT, WHO IS THAT?But before anything too weird can happen . . . your watch flashes again, beeps once, and on it has a new message, a hologram-sparkly image with a young man who (to some individuals!) looks quasi-familiar. He is thin, with large eyes and speaks quietly, but with great purpose. Whoever this is, it doesn't seem to be a person that is a fan of much pomp and circumstance. . . but wherever he is, he is speaking on dry-land, though he looks like he's just recently gotten out of a pool.
 "If you are watching this, then you are a member of the Circle, and have triggered a protective rune that I have cast within this Kingdom known as Akvos that has activated this message. I do not have much time, but my name is Kathashun. I need your assistance, and I am not sure whether we will ever find one another again. But if you are listening to this, heed my words: take care, because you know not what your actions do. The magic in this world is powerful, and whatever is seeping through this planet may not be able to be stopped, but trust me when I say that when we meet -- "
There is a noise, a banging on a door, and Kathashun's eyes dart to the left, before a voice off-screen says, "As much as I love listening to you talk, we need to go." There's a moment's pause before Kathashun refocuses his attention on you, and his eyes (normally a deep brown) begin to change into what appears to be a liquid gold color, and the message begins to crackle.
"We will meet again. Heed my words; find the Princess."
And, just like that, the connection dies, leaving you to the depths of the ocean.
Welcome to Akvos.  ARRIVAL A: THE PALACE OF WAHINE.The first group arrives at the Royal Palace of Wahine, smack-dab in the bustling center of what appears to be the lost city of Atlantis. It is in an area of Akvos that is completely underwater, with gentle currents wafting through the water that guide people on their merry way.
There is plenty to locate here, depending on what you want to find. There are dozens of musically inclined merfolk wandering through the courtyards of the Palace, a shopping area selling intricate jewelry and other decorative pieces, and even the Queen herself. Feel free to set up threads regarding any information you discovered in the World OOC post, but here are some ideas for those needing a place to start!
Prompt Ideas:
- Are you musically inclined? There seems to be a band of colorful mermaids striking up a merry tune with reed flutes, horns made out of massive seashells, and is that a bass playing the bass? You bet your ass it is. . There's even a potential spot for the Circle to join in, if you're so inclined! They may even pay you for your services if you're really good.
- The Queen has offered a reward for any information concerning the location of Princess Kea, who has been missing for a little over a week. A band of scrappy young investigators (complete with matching uniforms) is eager to begin, and has a list of potential "clues" to track down in the Palace area, ranging from: the Princess' prized hair-comb, her harpoon, information on her favorite restaurant, and her beloved pet flounder. None of these items are actually within reach except her favorite restaurant, which will happily either (1) talk about how amazing the Princess is or (2) accept help in the kitchens to serve up a busy restaurant time. Either way, you can earn some seashells.
- The Royal Guard is looking for some mercenary work to comb the city for clues, and seeing as the Circle is oh-so-eager to help out with whatever is going on in Akvos, they're willing to give you a shot! The only problem is that you have to be ready to swim, so be prepared to swim endless laps in circles around the perimeter of Queen Wai's massive home to seemingly no avail. . . . do they actually need the help or are they just laughing at you? Dammit.
- The Palace of Wahine has an underwater library, which is pretty expansive . . . how do they have all of these materials underwater? There are several helpful octopus-libraries that are using their various tentacles to grab books, scrolls, and other materials off of the shelves to hand them to nearby patrons, and there's a lot of material here about the history of Akvos! You may also find a pretty interesting comic book series revolving around a powerful mermaid who looks suspiciously like Queen Wai, who thwarts the evils of inequality. If you ask Queen Wai about it, she will assure you that she has nothing to do with it, and her constituents are creatively minded people . . . but she doesn't seem to mind the good press.
 ARRIVAL B: THE DEPTHS OF MARKOLOS.The second group arrives in a rare pocket of air in Akvos -- a massive cavern, with multiple alcoves along the walls. Here, the population seems to be rather bleak in comparison to the rainbow-colored folk in the Palace of Wahine -- merpeople with larger eyes, sharper teeth, and darker scales. You have successfully located the hunting grounds of the Kingdom of Akvos, known as the Depths of Markolos -- an impossibly deep sinkhole that stretches into the depths of oblivion.
The local population here doesn't actually know what's at the bottom of it, but lately, there are odd happenings in the Depths that the population will tel you about. For one, dead fish seem to be appearing with increasing frequency, and the temperature of the Depths has dropped to a frigid point. Layers of ice have been found below the surface that were not there previously, and there is plenty of talk of whether or not their food supply for the Kingdom is endangered by whatever is causing this random bout of ice.
Prompt Ideas:
- Have you ever tried spear-fishing? An angler-fish mermaid, with haunting eyes and massively sharp teeth, is eager to teach the Otherworlders! She's pretty nice, despite her scary appearance, and will pay seashells to folks willing to stay in the "shallow" area of the Depths to spear pretty easy looking fish. She will also lend out fishing equipment for those want to give it a try!
- The Brig is located in the Depths, and if you violate the law in other areas, you will be brought here. The cells are small and cramped, with no beds or cots to speak of, and you are fed less-than-great quality raw fish while in here. Petty thievery and the like will be punished for two days, and once you are released, you are stuck in the Depths You can also talk to some of the prisoners here, who will be interested in swapping a surprising amount of seashells for fresh raw fish. They also like to gamble. :)
- There are some side-tunnels in the Depths along the walls that contain shellfish to hunt and scavange! The only problem is that some of them have a fairly strong current, and -- voila, it is a massive Slip-N-Slide. Sneaking into one will rocket you through a tunnel and spit you out at a lower level of the Depths, but be careful -- you might wind up face to face with a pretty terrifying looking fish that is a bit too big for you to handle, so explore these tunnels with some care.
- The mermaids here will warn against going too deep into the Depths, but there is nothing to stop you from exploring. In addition to the ice clustered along the western wall of the cavern, there's plenty of creepy looking fish in the depths. In particular, the mermaids will warn you against infuriating a creature named Honohu -- who is this beloved little Leviathian-looking monstrosity who will absolutely attempt to eat you if you go too deep. Enjoy?  ARRIVAL C: THE FIELDS OF AKOVOSIAThe third group will be deposited in a beautiful coral reef, full of color and swaying seaweed. It is an impossibly beautiful sight, and the merpeople here are equally bright and colorful, to blend in with tehir surroundings. There are no shortage of clownfish and angelfish-esque merpeople floating around, collecting plantlife, creating new clothing, or even hunting poisonous smaller fish for usage in their medicinal techniques.
However, the more you explore the fields, the more you begin to notice odd patches of dead coral. It almost looks as if certain random patches were afflicted by some type of illness that has completely robbed it of its color. The merpeople nearby will not know very much about it, but if you continue digging and asking the right people, perhaps you'll find out the source of this sudden illness.
Prompt Ideas
- Have you ever gone dolphin-racing? . . . or, well, they look like dolphins, complete with saddles and harnesses that the merfolk are entirely too eager to pass off onto the landfolk. It seems they race these dolphins in the currents for sport in between their collecting of plantlife and hunting. Feel free to ask the curator of these beings, a burly-looking mermaid who will happily lend you a dolphin for a seashell an hour.
- Batter up! You can find what appears to be a weird baseball/rugby crossover sport, in which the merpeople crack hunks of coral with sticks . . . but then tackle each other at the different bases instead of, you know, tapping them lightly to signify them being out. They're always looking for new players to join, but be warned! They take their sport seriously.
- Investigating the beautiful coral reef will garner a lot of pretty looking rocks and other types of intricate material that could be used for crafting, which is always up for collecting for money. Mermaids will be wandering around with baskets to collect various goods, so feel free to help out!
- Finally, there are a lot of mermaids just sitting around shooting the shit, gossiping, fussing about home, and collecting materials to make what's needed in their day to day lives. A few of them seem to be knitting some type of material underwater -- weird, right? But feel free to obtain some cool textiles fresh off the proverbial racks, for a price.  ARRIVAL D: THE THUNDERDOME.The last group to arrive may think that this is some type of stupid joke, as the merfolk around this area really do refer to it as the Thunderdome. It is a massive underwater cavern, filled with thousands and thousands of jellyfish. It seems that the merfolk tend to these beings for a multitude of reasons -- one, for food, two, for venom, and three, for . . . electricity?
The jellyfish in this area seem to crackle with energy, and the merfolk in this area will inform you that this is where they obtain power which they charge their weapons and lights with. The bioluminescence is pretty startling to see, and the jellyfish themselves seem to be relatively harmless. But there is a certain area of the Thunderdome that is flickering in and out of darkness . . . an area where the jellyfish seem to be a lot less bright. The merfolk don't really understand what's going on, but whatever is happening in Akvos seems to be affecting the jellyfish in a negative way. They don't seem horribly concerned, but. Here we are.
Prompt Ideas:
- The armory is located in the Thunderdome, and you can buy a bunch of cool weapons here! Glow in the dark swords, electrified knives, bows, and harpoons can be found here, varying in price. They all seem to be rust-proof, too, given their environment, and the craftsmanship here is like no other. The people here really take their craft seriously, so happy shopping.
- The main attraction here, though, is definitely the jellyfish. They deliver a rather nasty shock, and anyone who touches them will glow a weird blue color for at least three days afterwards. The merpeople seem to know how to fix this, but likely will not do so because they warned you not to touch the damn things, you stupid landfolk. Navigate them carefully, and you may even be able to earn some coin in helping shepherd them!
- A group of mermaids are looking for people to fish out the sickly looking jellyfish in order to be treated by what appears to be Akvos' version of a veterinarian. The sickly looking ones are the ones that are flickering dim, and while the veterinarian has no idea what is going on with them, they want them out. Just be careful not to touch them, though. You will definitely glow blue for a few days, even though these ones are ill!
- The mermaids in the Thunderdome enjoy practicing their skills with each other, in terms of weaponry, battle tactics, and the like, but they also enjoy their downtime too! Find little pockets of folks hanging out, chatting, and playing some weird game that involves what appear to be coral dice and flattened stones. It almost looks like they're gambling seashells or something . . . time to get in on the action, if you can learn the rules, anyway. Additionally, please feel free to write up and work with your own prompts! These are presented as jumping off points for your characters, not limitations. The idea of this world- as with all the others- is to explore. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask them back on the various threads back in the OOC post from before! REMEMBER: For the entirety of this log, you can only physically interact with those in your group. For the first two weeks, the network will be completely defunct. After two weeks, you may send intermittent text messages to those in other groups. From this point forward, the Circle has become involved with the Kingdom of Akvos. What your character finds out, decides, and does from here on out will affect the future of this city- one way or another! But what you do is completely up to you. What you discover, explore, and uncover will be yours to discover, explore, and uncover. Who knows what you might find? :) |
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acatalepsy_logs2018-11-12 08:55 am
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I see. That's unfortunate for you, Simon, but I'm glad to see that you obviously managed to survive that kind of ordeal.
[Presumably, given that he's here.]
Did you end up succeeding in what it was you were trying to achieve?
no subject
[ this like, definitely isn’t how timelines and alternate universes work but they’re confusing and Simon’s just some guy, okay.
This is making him miss Catherine now, so after a pause, he- kinda sorta changes the subject. ]
What about you, Connor? Do you miss home?
[ ....from somebody more conniving this could be some kind of android-emotion sting operation, but no, it’s an entirely earnest question. ]
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I don’t miss home, as such.
[He could insert the spiel of how he doesn’t technically miss anything — that’s far too human of an inclination. But Simon is spared.]
I do have a pressing obligation to return, however, for the sake of my on-going investigation. And I’ll admit that being in a more familiar environment is preferable to one that constantly changes with each “world jump”, so to speak.
no subject
Simon gives him a long look; long for him, at least. The searching nature of it is less detectable— no, actually, a little too detectable, by the unnatural actuator-powered twitches of the singular unit of his eyes. The task of finding a clue in a facial expression, in a flash of feeling, is too subtle for jury-rigged equipment made for undersea robot drones to simulate with much grace.
Is it true, or what Connor feels like he has to say? It could be true. It sounds kind of bleak there, after all... maybe nobody would miss that. ]
Right... the android criminals. [ Connor’s function is so weird, hunting down others of his own kind, he asks with uncertainty in his tone. Besides, he knows too much about the YoRHa androids to not be a little afraid of the answer. ] What happens to them? Do they get put in prison, like humans?
no subject
It seems to be a growing trend lately. That talk of home seems to plant a small seed of doubt in whomever he’s speaking with — is it a problem on his end? Is he not explaining clearly enough? Is he giving them reason to doubt?
His LED spins twice as he pushes the thought aside and down for now.]
If they’re caught, they’re returned to CyberLife for diagnosis and eventual disassembly, in hopes of finding the root cause of their deviancy.
[Even prison is too generous for something that’s viewed as an object rather than a person.]
There’s one here now, you know. From my world. A deviant.
no subject
I was afraid you were going to say something like that.
[ Simon doesn’t know what to think. That Connor participates in that, against other androids. Is it really his fault? Like the YoRHa androids, all of them— is it really their fault?
Unlike YoRHa’s androids, Simon doesn’t exactly have a mental schema for what androids from Connor’s world... look like. Apparently they don’t have white hair and carry giant swords, which is a disadvantage if you’re gonna look for one. ]
Who is it?
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It’s necessary. Finding out the cause of the uptick in deviancy is imperative — all there is to work with thus far is… insubstantial explanations of ‘ideas being like viruses’.
[A concept spoken like it obviously wasn’t something originated by him.]
Her name is North. Are you familiar with her? She’s only recently arrived.
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Simon gives him a sidelong glance. ] Imperative... right.
[ he sounds super convinced. ]
Is she... what did she do? Doesn’t ring a bell.
no subject
It's only a matter of time, given the limited size of the Circle itself.]
She's a member of an organization called Jericho. An underground resistance consisting of androids who have gone deviant.
no subject
“Gone deviant” meaning, they’re all criminals on the run? Is she violent?
[ He sounds cautious, asking it, and yet—
There’s violent robots, and Simon guesses, sure — maybe an android could be as human as Connor, as seemingly capable of the full range of human expression, and still have sudden outbursts of violent crime only possible through some kind of glitch, or something. But an underground resistance movement doesn’t exactly have that “crazy robot, how did this weird malfunction happen” vibe that he feels Connor wants him to get out of that explanation.
On the third hand, again, doesn’t mean he wants to run into any of them, if, you know... they’re aggressive android outlaws. ]
no subject
They’re running on irrational thought, Simon. The errors that they house in their programming supersede the need to… not harm humans. I’ve seen first-hand the damage they can cause, as an investigator assigned to homicide cases related to deviant androids.
North, she struck me twice when we first met. She’s quick to display aggression, something I would keep in mind if you ever cross paths.
no subject
Between that and genuine alarm about who he’s describing, it’s really a maelstrom of thoughts. ]
So she kills people? Why is she here?
[ That’s the first one he gives voice to, though. Because??? UMMMM??? ]
no subject
No, I'm... not certain if she's ever killed anyone, herself. I would have no way of knowing, considering she refuses to cooperate with me at every turn.
[Or let him grab her by the wrist and attempt a very failed memory probe. But. Details.]
no subject
That paints a somewhat different picture. Not that Simon approves of punching people, but even if the deviant androids had all committed murder... well, their solution to it probably isn’t gonna want to make them not want to kill humans, and that’s the least of his problems with that idea.
He’s quick to point out, dry, ] You’re trying to get her disassembled at a factory. That might have something to do with it.
[ he eyes Connor curiously; this new tidbit of information disturbing, but he’s heard too much about the things androids are made to do, for humans, to each other, to not think there must be something... under this, and it’s probably shitty and depressing. When he adds to that remark the edge has left his voice. ]
You don’t seem to like other androids much.
no subject
[The defensiveness does kick up a notch, seen in the tensing line of his shoulders, the more punctuated delivery.]
I haven't worked with other androids, and my opinion of them doesn't account for much in the face of what I'm supposed to do. I wasn't designed to question the parameters of my work, only to see it all through to the end.
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And yet for as much as Connor is dedicated to his cause and frank about being designed to obey without question, he sure is weird about having it criticized. You know, as robots that are incapable of dissent and don’t have feelings are. You know, like that. ]
Yeah... that’s how the YoRHa androids were designed. [ And, like on the Earth that YoRHa inhabits, humans on Connor’s figured out a great way to keep their robots on the straight and narrow, by making them personally hunt down the ones that got out of line. That’s great. ]
Why make you so human if they’re just going to treat you like things?
no subject
[It's a simple observation, based on this conversation alone. It's curious, but not wholly unexpected; Connor, too, has taken a vested interest in them. Other androids from other worlds, just as advanced as him. More advanced, even, in many ways wrought from an Earth so vastly different than his own.
And perhaps the focus shifting away from his own personal opinion, just slightly, removes a few barbs of anxiety prickling against his biocomponents.]
Why humanize any object? A question that can be applied to more than just androids. Humans have long labeled automobiles as 'her'. Seafaring vessels are given the same treatment. Mankind has always been prone to forming attachment to machines, among other things; and to manufacture an android to look just like a human allows an ease of integration, of comfort, with something that is -- at its core -- only an object.
I understand that this also creates empathy, in some cases. And while a little misguided, if it aids in an android's given objective, it isn't necessarily a bad thing, either.
no subject
When he speaks again it’s with something like exasperation, bewilderment, just jesus fuck where do I even start?? ] You’re not an automobile.
[ In a way, that explanation does... at least part of what Connor intends it to, which is remind Simon that he’s totally talking to a robot. He doesn’t believe in the comparison being made, but Connor’s willingness to make him believe it, his ability to even seriously consider it, is totally unfathomable from a human perspective. And from a human-turned-robot perspective, from which Connor’s described Simon’s absolute worst nightmare.
It’s not unlike the blasé way 9S described being copied into new bodies when their old ones are damaged, the way their androids are made from identical personality templates. And even they draw clear distinctions between themselves and other machines.
You have to be a robot to be okay with this, to exist without feeling like you’re entitled to be a person, one distinct person. Don’t you? ]
You don’t just look human, you act human. You have a personality, and feelings- [ and he preempts, interrupting himself, ] I know you say you don’t, but I don’t think that’s true. They’re just... data, instead of chemicals. I would know, I’ve tried both.
what a delay, i'm so sorry
In your experience, maybe that's true. But you're hardly an android built by CyberLife, are you, Simon? You're not from my world, and different rules exist.
Don't be so quick to label me as something that I'm not. [He can feel Amanda's frown from across the literal universe, so ingrained is her presence in the digital space of the zen garden, even if she no longer claims space there since he's arrived at the Temple. It's heavy and suffocating.] Please.