TEST DRIVE MEME
IF BOTH CHARACTERS APP IN AND AGREE, THREADS USING PROMPT 1 CAN BE COUNTED AS GAME CANON.
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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:
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.
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.
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.
Post text or audio messages to the pip-boy network to get to know your fellow dwellers!

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He thought he was so powerful and important now because he'd stolen the throne from her? Because their father was locked away he had nothing to fear?
After everything they'd learned about their mother how could he still be so stupid? She was shaking with anger, why couldn't she calm down and handle this the way she used to?
"If you want civility, you must give it first Firelord."
She's too close to use her sword, a knife perhaps? No Lewis has thoughtfully moved them off the countertop, probably after too many people were stealing them for use as weapons. If she was going to lash out it would have to be physically.
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He takes a breath and wills himself to calm down. He's better than this.
"Just stop," he says and there's just weary resignation in his tone -- maybe edged a bit with anger, because he's still Zuko, son of Ozai, and that's a rage that can't always be tempered well. "I'm sorry about the cereal."
Not so much about the rest of it, but she had a point about the cereal: it was childish.
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A minor victory. If he wasn't going to back down she might have to take what she could get. She'd gotten good at that these last several weeks.
"If you're going to suddenly show up here and ruin everything with your horrible attitude then you can just crawl back into your pod. You're already ruining one Nation I don't want you ruining this new civilization before we have a chance to build it."
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"I'm sure you were a paragon of polite dignity when you fell out of your pod."
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Were they her friends? Maybe. They might say so but she still didn't even know how to describe it.
Instead she turned on her heel claiming the minor victory that she could...and casually swatting his bowl of cereal off the counter scattering it to the floor as she breezed across the Rec room to collapse into one of the booths on the fire side of the room to scowl at him.
She just can't believe of all the people to show up here, it had to be him.
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In the off-chance they were actual friends, he wouldn't chase them away, of course not. But he would made sure association with Azula was in everyone's best interest.
"Hey!" He gaped at the cereal scattered across the floor and turn a fierce gaze onto her. "I thought we had limited supplies."
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It's not often she allows herself to be so petty, but today's a special day. Her brother's come to visit.
She sat in silence, glowering in his direction to see if he'd lower himself to cleaning up the mess or if he'd go looking for something else to eat. Despite her claims to limited supplies there did seem to be a reasonable amount preserved things in boxes labeled things like "CRAM" and "Blamco Mac and Cheese" and "Fancy Lad Snack Cakes."
And if Zuko got really curious and opened the door to a large metal box he might find a surprising amount of mysterious looking meat being preserved in the cold.
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He gives it ten minutes before he goes looking for more food. (Thanks, Azula.)
"Are you done being petty?"
They could exchange actual information - not that he has much of that to give - or they could continue to snipe at each other. Zuko is expecting the latter.
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She adjusted her position in the booth as the hovering machine from earlier came back in. "Louis. Coffee please." She commanded in a surprisingly respectful tone. The robot answered with a curt "Right away" and hovered over to the counter to start fiddling with various devices to make her drink.
She was smirking in Zuko's direction to see if the presence of a hovering robot was as unnerving to him as it had been to her the first time she'd met Louis.
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He's absolutely unnerved by the robot, watching it as much as he's watching her and he feels like his heart might actually beat out of his chest, given the way his stress and paranoia are increasingly rising.
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If he's going to be too stubborn then she won't spell it out for him today. Instead she accepts the coffee from the robot smirking at Zuko the entire time.
"There's four of these machines around the Vault. One of them is our doctor and has a "passion" for her work. So much she might not be able to hold back when she sees your scars. I'd be careful if I were you."
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"I'm sure you'll make sure we cross paths sooner rather than later, then."
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Instead she laughed and shook her head "No no Zuzu, when I have my revenge on you it will be much less...gory. And more to the point there's no reason for me to rush into it. You're stuck here now same as I am. Who knows if we'll ever see the Fire Nation again." She sighed actually sounding somber and melancholy about that.
"In fact Vault Tec would have us believe none of the Fire Nation was real and that our memories were just scrambled during the process of saving our lives in those pods. But none of us really want to consider that." Because the thought alone was enough to keep Azula up at night.
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"That's ridiculous. Our lives haven't been dreams."
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"I meant I'm not about to let some surgery happy robot attack you in a misguided attempt to fix your face. The only thing that needs to be fixed about you is your ideas about leadership." After a moment she added "Dum dum."
Again, not quite an apology but she at least felt like she needed to clear it up. Progress?
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"Actually your timing is quite opportune. We have some brutish thugs on the surface who are in control of a tower we need. We haven't organized the others into a plan yet but one way or the other, force will have to be used." Her lips curled into a smirk.
"Has being Firelord made your sword hand rusty?"
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"I wouldn't still be alive if my sword hand was rusty. Why do we need the tower?"
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She raised her arm showing off the Pip-Boy and toggling the switches until music started to play. The same music coming from the Juke Box.
"If we have access to the Tower we might be able to find less violent and murderous survivors out in the wasteland. We're simply outnumbered, and they have superior armor and a lack of morals."
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"I'll need to see it myself," he says.
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She took another drink from her Coffee as she tried to assert how relaxed she was in this environment. This was only partially true like most of what she said and did. Having Zuko here had thrown everything off balance and she was clawing for some sense of control.
"Unless more unpleasant surprises woke up with you, we have six to work with. You'll meet them later and I expect you to be on your best behavior. Don't make us look weak."
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"Don't make us look crazy," he snaps back and it's a terrible thing to say, but Zuko had never been known for his tact.
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She had after all tried and failed to kill Ursa even before seeing Ursa's true face. Piling on the knowledge that she suddenly had a half sister to contend with and it had been an overwhelming day.
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"You didn't want to be found," he points out. There wouldn't have been any point in following her.
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"Or it could be you simply didn't want to bother trying. After all you got what you wanted didn't you? The Mother who always fawned over you and hated me. A new, more innocent sister that you could bond with and who would never threaten you with her skills." Despite her best attempts to play it cool Azula still felt the bitterness creeping into her voice.
As much as it shamed her, she was jealous of a child.
"I hate to say you let me down brother, but I guess I should be used to it by now."
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