TEST DRIVE MEME

[nolandmod]

NOTES:

IF BOTH CHARACTERS APP IN AND AGREE, THREADS USING PROMPT 1 CAN BE COUNTED AS GAME CANON.
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PROMPT 1: ARRIVAL

You awake laying on your back in an, admittedly comfortable, pod. You can't move anything but your eyes, can't even feel your body yet. How you got here or why is a blank. You may have been in the middle of your day, asleep, or even- for what you remember- should be dead. Then a screen directly in front of your face flickers to life and in crisp, black and white displays: DON'T PANIC. The following video then plays:

Watch on YouTube

The screen flickers again and reads: CONGRATULATIONS ON PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE! WELCOME TO VAULT LIFE, CITIZEN. WELCOME TO YEAR: [ERROR]. YOUR PERSONAL BELONGINGS ARE LOCATED IN [FILE CORRUPTED. SEE SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR]. ENJOY YOUR STAY AND THANK YOU FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT VAULT-TEC.

The pod then unseals and you are able to, unstably at first, climb out of the pod. Your body may feel foreign for a moment- perhaps entirely foreign if you suddenly find yourself a human, ghoul, or super mutant for the first time. But whatever your form, you have two items on: a bright blue jumpsuit with the number 66 in yellow on the back, and a mechanical device known as a Pip-boy sealed onto your arm. If you click on the buttons it takes you to an instruction screen.

You look around to find yourself in a room of other pods. Some are just opening, other people looking as confused as you climbing out. Others remain closed with the status of 'STASIS' on the screens attached to the pods. The rest of the room is less than impressive. Computer systems that seem out of place compared to the technology level of the pods are scattered across the room, apparently running the chambers. Trying to access them, even for the most talented hacker, will simply result in SEE OVERSEER being displayed. There is large metal door leading to the rest of the vault, a lever on the wall next to it that will cause it to open.

Welcome, dweller, to vault 66.

PROMPT 2: SETTLING IN

The living quarters of the vault leave something to be desired. While the current occupants of the vault have made some improvements, it's hard to ignore the pile of skeletons placed into storage (it’s a pretty impressive pile) and the mildew on the beds. It's clear that whatever happened to the last occupants of the vault, whoever they were, it wasn't exactly a peaceful end. The medical wing has some of the worst blood splatter...but that at least you can pretend was from needed medical interventions. Right?

Thankfully, the Vault has power at least. The juke box in the recreation area cheerfully pumps out some jazzy tunes and the refrigerators are happily humming along. There's also clean, if very mineral tasting, water in the sinks, toilets, and showers. There's a pool table if someone can relax enough for a game and doesn't mind the fact it looks like a pool cue shoved in the eye socket may have caused the death of a couple of the previously mentioned skeletons. Further, the kitchen is stocked with some food! It's all pre-apocalypse or some newly collected ‘meat’ (ask the current residents if you want to know), hyper preserved canned goods and sugary cereals that somehow haven't gone bad yet, but it's something.

Today all the local robots have been recalled by the newly found ‘Captain’ to undergo mandatory repairs and maintenance. They’re locked away in the Overseers office, leaving only the human residents to great the newly awakened dwellers. Or to do any of the other day to day tasks in the vault, like make food or keep things tidy. The pool table was cleaned before Louis took off, leaving a fine game open for people to try.

PROMPT 3: A Literal Exodus

The Vault opening earlier in the month lead to a few unintended side effects. First, of course, were the giant mirelurks and their young that had to be fought off. A few weeks later, though, there's a new one: frogs. In the now standing two feet of radioactive water in the entrance area, what used to be eggs in the water turned into tadpoles, then turned into frogs. Not super huge killer frogs or ones that shoot acid, mind you. Just somewhat ugly frogs, occasionally ones with two heads or eight legs or some other small mutation. And without their normal predators around (radroaches don't swim), they're starting to venture into the vault at a somewhat biblical plague level.

Dwellers can find them everywhere, in the food stores, in their beds, merrily croaking in the toilets. Sometimes they can gang up and take out a radroach or two (good for them), but more often or not the roaches will win, meaning even more of these insects are venturing into the open to snatch up these free meals. So the occasional radraoch in the bed may be happening too as they chase down a froggy snack.

Captain Simmons has requested the frogs be herded back into the entry way and that dwellers start working on a way to drain the radioactive water out of the area, but it's not much of a priority. For now, enjoy the newest Vault pets- or eat them, race them, or just get used to waking up to them bouncing on your pillow.

PIP-BOY CHATTER

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Comments

[princeofcentipedes]

A literal Exodus

Well, this was certainly an unexpected development. Sure, he had died twice already, however, he had never expected to awaken in what looked like something out of a science fiction novel. How peculiar, but he was never one to complain about something so very interesting happening.

If one can get over his rather ghoulish looks, they would see him crouched over the corner of the recreation room, racing several mutated frogs across the floor. He had even made a makeshift racing track using some of the discarded cereal boxes available. Most of them had multiple legs, but one had an odd number of them.

"Ah don't allow them to beat you down Leggy, you can give us an underdog victory!"

If someone would approach, he would offer up one of the frogs to them. A race was more fun if there were others to play with after all.

(Also open to any other scenarios should you wish!)

[wildguardian]

The hunched, decaying figure with the frogs in the corner of the rec room took Yunlan by surprise when he wandered in looking for a cereal box to snack on. His hand flew to the grip of his baton before he took a deep breath and let it fall back to his side.

Whatever that guy was, he was talking. Sensibly.

"Hey," he said, approaching at a casual stroll, and then at the offer of a frog, "--sure! Why don't we make this more interesting? What do you want to bet on the winner?"

[princeofcentipedes]

The response made him look up excitedly.

"Ah! A gambling man I see! That certainly sounds fun"

He sat back tapping on his chin thoughtfully. The frog wriggled in his hand as he finally spoke after a few beats.

"The question is now, what to bet...I'm afraid I just got here and have nothing of real value. I suppose I can part with a body part if that is what you want.. But I cannot say I'm in the best of condition, either." He spoke pretty casually about dismemberment.

"What do you have to offer?"

[wildguardian]

"Keep your body parts! I don't have anything to use 'em for." Yunlan waved a finger at the stranger, who was indeed very strange. "No, let me grab some cereal. We can use it as a placeholder, and the winner gets to snack."

Suiting action to words, he heads over towards the kitchen, picking up one of the half-empty boxes of cereal and a few bowls to avoid getting too much frog slime on them.

[princeofcentipedes]

He eyed the cereal boxes dubiously. He certainly has never tried such a thing but it was as good a place holder prize as any.

"Does it taste any good?"

[wildguardian]

"Depends on your tastes! It's sweet and crunchy." He fished out a piece of Sugar Pop Bomb cereal and handed it over. "Here, try some."

That done, he filled each bowl with a generous handful of the stuff and stashed the box on a nearby booth's table, safely out of leaping range of the frogs.

[princeofcentipedes]

He took the cereal and pressed it against his tongue gingerly. He made a bit of a face at the sugar. After all its been ages since he had eaten anything.

"Goodness, that's sweet. Do people consume this on the regular?" He asked idly, placing the frogs back on the track.

[wildguardian]

"Well, when it's that or roach meat...!" Yunlan shot the other man a grin, settling down beside him and looking down at the frogs. "So which one's your champion?"

[princeofcentipedes]

"True enough."

He placed a finger on his chin tapping thoughtfully before lifting a squirming frog up.

"This one! He has eight legs. His name is Ben. Which are you going to pick?"

[wildguardian]

"That guy." Yunlan indicated the five-legged frog -- on one side, its back leg had split into two, one only half-formed and limp. "I like an underdog! Let's see, froggy... I'll call you Chang."

[princeofcentipedes]

"Chang is a good name!"

He moves the other froggies into an empty box and sets his down at the start line.

"Ready when you are!" he looked far too excited over this.

[loveyoudarling]

"Umm," Okay, this was most certainly a sight. Chocolat wasn't sure what was more off-putting about the ordeal that was laid out before her. Was it the fact that the frogs suddenly seemed to be somewhat useful within the vault as a form of entertainment, or was it the literal zombie that seemed to be catering said event. None the less the small red-head seemed to be looking over with interest, her confused expression only under overshadowed by the fact that she seemed to be not wearing any shirt at this particular moment. "Did-- Did you train them? What's to stop them from just hopping over that and escaping?"

This is so dumb.

[princeofcentipedes]

The young prince looked over the newcomer, a single thin eyebrow arching up at her lack of shirt. He had a hard time keeping his eyes on her face.

"Punishment.

I didn't train them per se... Only dissuaded them from leaving." he gestured to a few dead frogs hidden by a cereal box.

"Once they knew the consequences, they are so much more willing to cooperate...

Perhaps we can make a maze and grant freedom to the escapee." That sounded fun as well.

[loveyoudarling]

If Chocolat had noticed the strange looking man ogling her chest, she showed no sign of acknowledging it. Instead stepping closer and kneeling down beside the pile of dead frogs before turning to look at the make-shift race track.

"Well, I suppose this will certainly aid in dinner tonight," Also, now that she thought about it, devouring the overbreeding amphibian population would certainly be a way to control it. "So you're racing them right? What does the winning frog get?"

[princeofcentipedes]

"I am happy to assist, in that case. Frog legs in order then, I'm certain you'll find plenty among this batch."

He leans back thoughtfully.

"Hmm. I haven't gotten that far yet, I'm afraid. I suppose I can wander and catch some insects for the winner."

[loveyoudarling]

"Good luck, I think most of the insects here are bigger than these poor little guys," Than again, perhaps the roadroach population would manage to take care of the frogs even if they didn't. Though she couldn't bare the thought of even more roadroaches scurrying around the place. "Now that I think of it, I wonder what it is they are eating in order to be thriving so well down here."

Anyway, if they are racing--

"What is it that the person racing the frog gets when they win?"

[cicadashell]

Jiro's going to ignore the offer of frog racing, though he thinks it's some kind of unethical practice or animal cruelty, but there are more important topics at present. Like the ghoul thing.

"Gross! What the fuck happened to you!?"

[princeofcentipedes]

"Wow. How very rude! Didn't your mother ever teach you not to judge others on their appearances? Do you wander around making fun of the infirm for their infirmaries?"

He placed his head in between his hands in a rather dramatic gesture. His teeth all the more visible under his crackling smile.

"It's a skin condition. I'm very sensitive!!! How cruel!"

It was pretty obvious he was being facetious about it.

[cicadashell]

This guy is already on Jiro's list of people he despises, which includes almost everybody here.

"One of those lizard people?"

It's casually said, and he will continue to be rude about this mystery skin condition, especially since it's obviously not very insulting from the response.

[princeofcentipedes]

Honestly, Yisou was on many people's shit lists. He thrives on negative attention.

His brows furrowed at that.

"A lizard?

No, not at all. I am a centipede youkai. There are a lot of differences you know."

[cicadashell]

"Not a literal lizard."

Ichthyosis. Leprosy. Whatever else there is out there. He looks Yisou over for any centipede bits.

"Youkai. You know Amagi?"

He doubts it, but there's an infinitesimal possibility they're from the same world.

[princeofcentipedes]

"Ah. Well, that makes sense. I would hate to be a literal lizard."

At that, he slipped his tongue out the corner of his mouth, in a suspiciously reptilian manner.

"Amagi?

...Doesn't really ring a bell."

[cicadashell]

"Figures. Anyway, I'm taking these guys."

He gestures to the frogs.

[princeofcentipedes]

"What? Hey, No you're not. It took me all day to train them."

He gathers as many squirming frogs as could carry and hugged them close.

"Why must you be such a buzz kill?"

[cicadashell]

"You shouldn't be training them to do your bidding! They deserve to be free!"

He may have some issues regarding the treatment of the radroaches, and now he's going to advocate for the mutant frogs and their autonomy.