Test Drive Meme - May 2025
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Previous event: Log - April 2025. Next event: Log - June 2025.
The Test Drive Meme event on 2025 May 4 posted here (overflow). This was the event for May 2025.
FAQ Pages
[edit source]Full questions here
Event headings
[edit source]I. INITIATION
[edit | edit source]II. DREAMS OF A LIFE BEFORE
[edit | edit source]NIGHTMARES.
[edit | edit source]DAY TERRORS.
[edit | edit source]III. VOLUNTEERS DEMANDED
[edit | edit source]IV. THE VELVET CLAW
[edit | edit source]DEVELOPMENTS IN FOOD PHILANTHROPY
[edit | edit source]THE "MISSING PERSONS" OF EAST SOPHIA
[edit | edit source]KELESIS HO!
[edit | edit source]V. NETWORK
[edit | edit source]
FAQ Questions
[edit source]| Information | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| #1
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-06-12 |
Belated piggybacks off this chain; if Bricks were to tinker with the clicker device, try to open it up with tools and examine it the same way with the ServiTons what might he learn? | A lad here to tinker. There is very clearly a small chip laced with magic within. It's of the sort used for ServiTons: it contains that patented flavor of Karterian Controlling magic that they so love, because nothing beats forcing the world around them to behave. There is also a small capsule. It almost slaps of the Augmenter... but much smaller, nary a seam in sight. This will be risky to try to pry open, and it's otherwise a solid metal capsule. There is indeed a warning printed on the side: DO NOT PUNCTURE. And yet puncture or cutting seems to be the only way inside... We'll go ahead and detail what will happen if Brickston decides he wants to pry this capsule open. The safeguard: this capsule floods the air with a poisonous mist, enough to suffer temporary neurological effects that may last for a week to a month. (Local Reptilia-types and Golem-types will be immune to these effects!) If that's not enough, a small explosion takes place! Keep those fingers clear! All traces of the capsule and what is inside is destroyed. Unfortunately, there are very few ways to disarm this capsule; whoever designed this is clearly hiding something about its structure. There may be other ways to detect what lays beyond the shell of the capsule... If Brickston decides he will heed the warning and not puncture the capsule, and attempt other means of exploring this little doodad, there may be certain detection devices that could be made or accessed that would show a very slight reading of Katalyth, so microscopic that it's almost an error. Alas, if it's let to detonate, the ability to process a reading out of its dust will be very difficult to do. |
| #2
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-25 |
last minute q that i forgot to slip in for dear marlowe ( gojo/@mrblueeyes )!! since set...... was allowed to keep his ability to talk to animals ( heLP ME ), and would have interrogated(?) some FROGS 🐸🐸🐸 on behalf of gojo. or a snake, or any swamp-dwelling creature he can get his hands on. largely, he's relaying questions such as: A general idea of how the animals have been impacted, where they most feel it, and if they've seen the comings and goings of anyone beyond the mutated entities roaming around is great!! I just forgot to ask this for Gojo's player to have the info earlier on. THANK U |
🐸🐸🐸Frog Interrogation results🐸🐸🐸 1. The local swamp critters aren't that great at keeping track of large things that aren't attempting to eat them. They think there's been more activity 'lately' (which probably refers to the Augmented exploring recently). 2. It's definitely only recently that they've seen anyone travel back and forth, from the swamps to 'other' (Karteria, probably). The Augmented presence has confused them somewhat, and they seem to be lumping in the large mutated creatures in with them. To their senses, there isn't a discernible difference between them. 3. The frogs are intentionally and ineffectually duplicitous. They think Set is after their sweet insects, and will try to send him all over the place where all the 'really good, very delicious' insects are. These are actually more dangerous spots, where there's more poisonous (and not tasty) insects and predatory fish. (The frogs also contradict one another, for the sake of trying to encourage Set to go to where other, rival frogs are.) Trying to map based on frog-intel will reveal a battlefield of frog-grudges but nothing particularly useful. (It does suggest, perhaps, that there isn't anything traditionally human-shaped living in Asphodel Fields.) The snakes and lizards somewhat better, if skittish. They're honest about not being sure, but they also can't remember anyone besides the Augmented/mutated entities fussing about in the swamp. They would be unwilling to guide to anywhere they think is dangerous (and are bewildered at the desire to go to where the water is foulest and where the insects are inedible), but would accept a lift to the nicer parts of the swamp.... Unlike the frogs, they will be honest about where the good hunting (for a small lizard/snake) is. |
| #3
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-22 |
Since we have some folks ICly asking science team about this: is there any way to determine whether the badly mutated entities may have been human at some point besides the scraps of clothing? Or would any samples brought back be too mutated to properly identify as potentially human anatomy? Don't wanna overstep, thank you! |
Oh man... the bodies would be identifiably human (or at least, would have parts of them recognizably human amongst all the distortions and corruptions). Characters who are reasonably proficient at human biology/physiology (or who are willing/able to look things up, consult medical literature, etc.), would be able to notice human characteristics. Unsettling human characteristics on bags of mutated beasts... so yes, there should be ways to identify them as people beyond the scraps of clothing. |
| #4
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-18 |
Hellooo- Ala, Set, and Mettaton are exploring north of Karteria (eg route 2 from here and continuing along the coast) this month, primarily having Ala transform into a dragon to fly them over the land without having to trudge through the terrain proper 1) Ala's trying to keep out of the katalyth's reach by flying as high as she can above them so they don't affect her as much, with the downside of the higher altitude = cold = the penchant to fall asleep midair, along with her inability to maintain the form for an extended period of time regardless. Will she have an easier time going the coastal route or flying over the water, suggesting there are less katalyth out at sea, or are mostly embedded on the sea floor far underwater, or are there outcroppings of tiny islands on the surface/???maybe katalyth floats, idk 2) Ala's also looking for the oxalis plant, but really any sort of weed with bright yellow flowers that ideally taste sour when you chew on the stems but she's not picky and if they end up being toxic (whether due to katalyth or not) I'm sorry bc she's bringing them back to the Fillanthropy to be used in salads and stuff, sorry. Are there edible plants out here? whether there are animals they can spot out here eating the plants with no apparent/immediate ill effect, or if Ala & co. taste test on the field 3) Does communication via syntrofos break down or weaken the further they are from Karteria, and if yes then to what extent? better/worse over the open grassland vs over the ocean vs up higher in the mountains? 4) Unrelated to the exploration questions above, but if Ala sees people asleep/unconscious on the streets (either pcs or npc citizens from, for example, some aberrant spectral-type power draining people's lifeforce) how easy would it be to transfer numis from syntrofos to syntrofos... just skimming a little off the top instead of draining their entire bank account... you know... Syntrofos unlocks in the possession of their owner but does that person have to be conscious |
1. In terms of Katalyth, sticking to the coastal route will probably be easier (maybe the battering of the waves pulls the deposits out to sea?). Flying too far out is still not recommended, as weather conditions can change rapidly, and the winds are likely to buffet her down into the ocean. But sticking close to the shoreline should be safe. 2. If not that precise plant, Ala could find some similar local equivalent- something brightly yellow with a sharp taste. There's some more information here on some of the kinds of plants and critters that might be around. 3. The Syntrofos signal is surprisingly robust. However it's operating, it seems to function entirely well in the wilderness, even far from Karteria. It seems to have some issues with extreme temperatures (such as cold), and it certainly does not like being underwater, but these seem to be problems with the device itself rather than the signal. Elevations and forest coverage otherwise don't seem to influence it. 4. Oh dear... yes, it might be possible for her to drain (modestly or otherwise) the accounts of those she catches napping. The Syntrofos does not care if its owner is unconscious. There will be a data trail left behind though, so she is likely to be caught doing this if enough NPCs check their accounts and notice some mysterious transfers. She would be arrested and the amounts taken returned with penalty, and she would also face some amount of community service (along with preparing a presentation that explains that she understands what she did was wrong, and won't do it again). (Draining Augmented accounts... Should the victim notice and complain, the amount will be pulled back out of her account and returned to its owner, but she's not likely to face more (official) recompense than that. This is a problem between monsters.) |
| #5
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-18 |
Follow up question(s) if you don't mind, sweet mods!! I think it was stated somewhere (possibly in Thorntail's original... incident???) that people who get hit by the device specifically have to be brought back to patho-gen to be revived. 1) can you tell me (or remind me if it's already been said somewhere and I forgot) how that works? Does the target appear for all intents and purposes to be just, regular old unconscious, except nothing anyone outside of patho-gen will wake them back up? 2) When they do take someone who's been hit with the device back to patho-gen, does that mean the employees there will be able to tell *specifically* that it was one of those devices that caused them to reach that state? (or to put it another way, would there be any hints that characters involved might be able to pick up on which would indicate if that's the case?) Basically the lads are trying to be cautious and mindful of anything that might tip patho-gen off to the possibility that they're experimenting with one of these things. |
1. The character would appear to outwardly just be unconscious. It would be notable and strange due to not being rousable by normal means, as though they'd just been... switched off, rather than in a genuine state of sleep. To anyone capable of seeing souls (Aves-types in particular have this ability, but for any characters who are good at sensing this thing naturally as well), it also feels like they're being suppressed on some soul-deep level. Both souls are neutralized, quiet, and completely still. Very much alive, but still. 2. Patho-Gen would be able to tell that it had been one of their devices to trigger the unconscious state. They would probably ask how this had happened, because it's not like anyone on staff (hopefully) would just shut off an Augmented for funsies and just leave them that way. It's possible that they wouldn't jump immediately to 'have you stolen a device', when the more likely culprit (to their eyes) would be 'is something wrong with the Augmenter?' They would like to insist on the unconscious character being kept for some additional tests, to see if it's not oversensitive.... The existence of these clicker devices would not be openly acknowledged at any point, and they would present their concern as the Augmenter making a character unreasonably drowsy, their Natural Soul misaligned, perhaps, causing a strain where it shouldn't. |
| #6
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-14 |
More a general curiosity, but does artificial light weaken spectral types in the same way/as much as sunlight does? | Apart from being awkwardly startled by having a bright light suddenly shown on them, Spectrals shouldn't find themselves otherwise weakened by being under artificial light. Of course, it's entirely up to the player if they would prefer to have their Spectral dislike light sources in general, or be otherwise additionally sensitive to them, or just find darkness particularly cozy. |
| #7
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-14 |
Thank you mods!! So, next up, I don't think anyone's asked yet... Everyone's making great progress exploring the swamp and helping to coordinate efforts toward setting up waystations and establishing a safe route forward! For the scouting teams farthest in advance ... hey so what's that bridge like!! :D :D :D |
How ABOUT that bridge... All that progress is paying off, but right now the bridge isn't quite explorable. Even strong Aves-types trying to fly over it will get knocked into the water (please go save them if this happens). It's dreadful. Hopefully the expedition teams can keep busy setting up those waystations and maybe even getting a break in between all this work.... And in addition to those waystations, because Patho-Gen is very interested themselves in making it to Kelesis (and, for reasons to help characters who are less mobile/less interested in being mobile a way to reach places outside Karteria), they are eager (or rather, willing) to entrust manufactured teleportation panels to characters who know what they're doing out there. This is a relatively new technology... and one that they'd been at a loss to do much good with, before now- as they lacked the ability to go deep enough into the wilderness for long enough to set up these things themselves. But they would like an intermediary square to be set up somewhere mid-Asphodel Fields (as the range on these things isn't indefinite), and another near the bridge itself. (And, eventually, one on the other side of the bridge.) The starting point is conveniently within Patho-Gen HQ, and would be made accessible to all characters. These are expensive and hard to produce, so please don't break them carrying them out there.... But this is something else to be occupied with in the meantime, and it will benefit everyone to have it available! (We know BRIDGE is the direction things are going and next month will have all of the bridge-related information so hold pls. Sorry about the bridge blocking for now... It's a very long bridge.) |
| #8
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-13 |
question from a potential new player Is the limitation on characters regaining weapons only for the first prompt or for the whole TDM? Trying to decide if Petra here would have her knife back during the nightmare or medical volunteers prompt. (and apologies for whoever has to see all my edits.) |
It is just for the first prompt! Weapons should be delivered to the character's room in the Valentia within the first few days, so at any time after that she will have it available! (Though it may be temporarily confiscated again for the duration of the medical prompts, if they catch that she has it with her... but it's also possible that they just miss it, assuming she's not brandishing it at the staff.) |
| #9
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-13 |
Momo will be trying to gather some stuff from around Asphodel for science hut enrichment, so a couple of qs for that: -Since it's mentioned the large mutated creatures in Asphodel will tear themselves apart to avoid capture/use limbs as weapons, would it be reasonable to...shoplift a removed limb or something...preferably from a dead one but hey if a live one throws its arm at him a sample is a sample right -how angry are the bitey asphodel bugs likely to be about being live captured as samples (and are normal anti-getting-bug-bitten protections i.e. enclosed clothing enough to alleviate this or have they also got mutations going on) |
The mutated creature isn't going to have much use for those detached limbs, so Momo would be welcome to collect them... It certainly counts as a sample, and it is somewhat more humane(?) than killing them outright. The bugs will be variable in anger. Some are pretty chill about it, confused about being in a jar/bug capture vehicle, but will bumble around inside, and then bumble around outside if freed. Most will be some degree of Agitated and Unhappy, and may try to attack if released. Typical anti-bite protections will defend against the majority of the insects, though it's possible to come across some who've developed to be especially good at just boring through fabrics, or otherwise melting them with stings, venom, or other secretions. With some trial and error (and characters with carapaces, stones, hard scales, particularly thick hides, or who are poisonous in their own right, have their own natural protection) it should be possible to mitigate a lot of the biting. |
| #10
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-13 |
Oh my gosh, thank you so much! I feel so spoiled with all this info HAHA. You're the best! One more (silly) question: Is there... a limit to the number of recipes one person might submit... I ask because Niki is crazy about cooking, LMASDFASDF. I was thinking about whether he should submit a silly amount of them or if he should enlist help to submit! |
He would certainly be welcome to submit multiple entries! If it starts getting too crazy, they would still be accepted, but he wouldn't receive the reward prize infinitely! (The gratitude, however, is infinite. He can have as much of that as he wants.) |
| #11
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-11 |
Hello! I am also really interested in food-specific stuff, haha. :') The marshland sounds terrible, but would someone be able to find anything interesting to use as ingredients out there? Things that could be used as seasonings/plants/animals/monsters(?!)/etc. Alternatively, could you point me in the direction of other places where characters might find things like that? If not, it's cool, Niki's just the kind of person who likes to explore and look for things to make cooking more interesting, so I think it'd be cool if he could bring stuff back, but he'd still explore either way! I know this kind of thing is really specific and probably only relevant to a handful of people LOL SO NO STRESS!! But I appreciate any thoughts you have in advance! 💕 |
Is not everything edible, if you believe hard enough...? At least once, right? For real, though, yes: there will be some things available for foraging in all climes, to a degree, and some of these things will be more seasonal. With regards to real-life parallels, the island of Orexis in particular draws some inspiration from Western Washington-native resources, from berries to mushrooms to plants. While this is a long list of berries that can be found in the PNW, not all of these would be available in the wetlands of Asphodel Fields, but some could be depending on their environmental preferences: swamp gooseberry, chokecherry, etc... Some spices and other plants can be foraged for, too, like horsetail, elderflower, and various types of mushrooms. We have a slightly similar answer here as well. CRITTERS. Waterfowl (mallards, coots, great blue herons, list goes on), rodents (deer mice, creeping vole, beavers), amphibians (rough-skinned newts, long-toed salamanders, Western toads), other birds (red-winged blackbirds, dark-eyed juncos, marsh wrens), and other mammals (raccoons, the occasional mountain lion), for starters... These creatures may be called different things in Karteria, but this sort of diversity is to be expected. They're doing well out there, and are totally unfamiliar with humans! As far as monsters go, there are some of these various animals that are mutated, having extra appendages or eyes or the like, but they seem to get along fine and don't have any special powers. (It is not impossible to find something downright monstrous, but that would be very unusual and worth reporting to Patho-Gen. Who knows, though, it could be in a wilderness near you...) |
| #12
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-10 |
Hello! Following up on this investigation last month, since I tapped a few people to thread more about it this month - Dearka and Yzak and Chuuya want to test the range of effective knock-out-ity on Dearka with the clicker, mostly by means of a very stupid set up to trigger it from afar by means of like, u know how u set off dominos...not that but [ combination of gravity aiming and poking with a thing ] to see how far they'd have to be standing away for it not to work at all (also bc it's funny to knock Dearka out repeatedly for Science(tm)... | Poor Dearka... We endorse these funny shenanigans. So say Chuuya and Yzak stand like, a mile away from Dearka to start. If they try this, the unfortunate bit is that: whoever is holding it will pass out. But let's say they get smart and rig up the device to self-deploy. You know, set a timer and run. Assuming no other unfortunate Augmented One gets caught in the crossfire (a poor, unassuming individual just... walking up to the device to check out what the heck it is while it's about to go off), it has a functionality of about 250 feet. If all three Yzak, Chuuya, and Dearka are standing in a perfect row, or even a positively 'equal' distance, the device will function to impact whoever is "directly" in front of its trajectory. Imagine a laser pointer, in this situation. Another interesting thing: say Chuuya sets the device down on a surface and points it toward Dearka. If Chuuya can press the button on it using, say, a broomstick while standing behind the general "front" of the device, it will prioritize anything in front of it in a general fan-shaped trajectory. |
| #13
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-10 |
Now seems like a pretty good time to follow up on this. It may or may not be immediately evident during Viktor's wellness check that he is...not well. If asked, he will explain the nature of his illness (degenerative lung condition brought about from prolonged chemical exposure as a child) and will generally be fairly pessimistic about his prognoses. UNLESS. I am interested in the questionable science route that we talked about in the initial inquiry, and wondering if this might be the most logical springboard for it. Viktor himself would be potentially willing to try experimental procedures or untested measures, and might perhaps offer to track his symptoms/progress/side effects for them if it's helpful. tl;dr if he wanted to make himself a Patho-Gen guinea pig that is also a plant. what would that look like Edited 2025-05-07 06:35 am (local)
|
Of course Patho-Gen would be willing to help Viktor out, the maintained (or restored) health of their Augmented guests is of utmost interest to them.... Should Viktor express interest in what Patho-Gen has to offer, they will inform him candidly that this is top-secret technology that they've been testing for... a time. Those who he speaks to initially won't even know what the tech is, only that it exists. They will refer him to follow up with Patho-Gen HQ. Should he take them up on the offer, Viktor's free to go at any time in the month. Patho-Gen scientists will inform him that he can begin "now", or come back another time, but regardless of his choice they cannot tell him what they're doing to him at this time. However, the scientists/doctors who come to meet with him assure him that while this technique they're trying on him hasn't been successfully tested on humans, they have reason to believe based on laboratory settings and experiments that it will work. However, they are sure to treat it with a respectful gravity: he would be the first, and theoretically, it could be used to help treat Karterian citizens who've sustained arcane radiation poisoning. All of this to say, they want this to work. If Viktor complies... they will sunnily shake his hand, and thank him for his willingness. And then, he will lose consciousness. <details><summary>Viktor will be gone for about three days, give or take; he will have only one moment of fitful wakefulness... cw: Drugging, Medical experimentation, Dubious medical horrors</summary>
Rise and shine! Viktor is in Patho-Gen HQ, in a regular hospital bed. It's far nicer than the one he initially woke in to start with; he has a view of the city, nice white sheets, a comfortable set of pajamas they've fit him with... The clothes he'd been wearing before are hung politely on a hanger. The strange vision he had will feel dreamlike and surreal. What Patho-Gen will explain to Viktor is this: He's been fitted with a second Augmenter. It's "inert," they say: there isn't a soul in this one. It should bolster his existing immune system and work together with his Terra-type soul to 'grow' in a direction conducive to his health. This is just the start of their efforts of course- and they'll warn that it may not work right away. That Viktor may even experience more negative, or uncomfortable feedback as his body adjusts to this 'hypercharging' of his ability to heal. Theoretically, it should permit his body to develop healed tissues in place of the ones that have sustained damage, even as far back as childhood. It is, after all, tech intended to help those who have developed arcane radiation poisoning. They aren't sure what symptoms Viktor will face. They would love to learn what he experiences as he goes, as they attempt to determine what alterations would be best to help those who don't have Natural Souls like Viktor does. Once he feels well enough, Viktor will be escorted from the hospital. They'll even offer to help him to the Valentia, should he desire it. What to expect if you decide to let Viktor go through with this: Will it fix his lungs, his myriad of other physical ailments? Not exactly. In the short term, Viktor is likely to feel moderately worse- with symptoms ranging from increased fatigue, nausea, and an unceasing sense of absolute dread. His Corruption will advance, but parts of it will come in strangely, either oversized or discolored or just failing to function as a living plant should. It's struggling, fighting to adapt to something, and will carry Viktor along with it whether he likes it or not. For the first month, it's primarily just miserable, but he sure is growing, and he certainly isn't dying. The strangest part of all, is that amongst his malformed leaves, his Corruption may begin to take on the characteristics of those he spends the most time around. So Viktor might develop some feathers after spending long enough around an Aves, or his skin and leaves may crystalize in the extended company of a Golem. These growths may rot away, or may persist in some uncomfortably 'healthy' fashion, continuously developed and adapted to if his companionship changes. A wide enough circle of friends, and Viktor could develop into a proper amalgamation.... By the second month of this treatment, he will begin hearing voices. It will become quickly apparent that he's picking up on stray thoughts of those around him (as you see fit). It's intermittent and at this point uncontrollable, and could make existing in a crowd that much louder and unpleasant, to have this absolute torrent of information poured inside of his head. And the more he hears, the more his body may continue to develop/mutate, spurred on additionally by a distressed mental state. The worse he feels about it, the worse it gets, basically, as his body fights to adapt to a threat, even if that threat is his own perception of himself. At the third month, Viktor may finally begin to feel some sort of equilibrium, or some kind of improvement(?). He is still alive, for one thing. And while the mutations continue, they're having some sort of regenerative effect. He may be a mess of plants and foreign growths, but he will be a stronger mess, the eye of the storm. If he's wounded, his body may display an uncanny capacity for self-healing- with an emphasis on the uncanny, as a cut fills up with fur, or teeth, or stone. But he will heal, at all costs. The voices are clearer, easier to keep track of, and they're there even when no one else is. They may not make any sense, but they're clear. This too might be something easier to adapt to by now, as if some part of his mind has been threaded through, expanded and rewritten by his growths to be able to handle the noise. If you wanna go through with this, just get in touch with us at month 3 for more fun symptoms! Whatever Patho-Gen has implanted Viktor with will gradually have an impressively regenerative effect, but it won't be a clean sort of regeneration: oftentimes, parts of his body will over-compensate or borrow from inappropriate tissues to heal or augment itself to adapt to a changing world.</details> |
| #14
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-09 |
hello! really inconsequential question: does the suspiciously reinforced room have any kind of toilet facility | Alas, the suspiciously reinforced room is lacking any sort of toilet.... However, they may ask characters if they need to use the facilities before the injection, if that's a concern. (Sorry for the misbehaving characters who are drugged and tossed inside, you don't get asked. :c ) Thank you for giving us an unusual thing to discuss.... |
| #15
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-07 |
re: food philanthropy, what kind of food IS available? Is meat scarce, particularly stuff that takes lots of land (cows etc)? Is there much in the way of farmed produce? Is there canned stuff? | Ah, this would be a good thing to mention somewhere on the info pages, huh? Maybe some more extrapolation under Food on the Culture page... Thank you for asking! Most plentiful are canned goods and synthetic products. Somehow, Karterians are receiving farmed goods: they do have some farms that are shielded by brittle, small-scale "generator"-style barriers: they prepared for this increasing tragedy as much as they could. They resemble this, pockets of farmland protected from the effects of arcane radiation in a sort of circular pattern, the protection originating from a central generator. Farm workers are... very at-risk of arcane radiation poisoning, but at least there are pockets of safety when working out there, and they have the ability to create greater "pockets" to help farm livestock. Livestock is understandably more scarce, and beef is especially hard to come by (chicken is far more likely a protein choice). Meat is an expensive thing, and so too is seafood, given how little of it is accessible to Karterians anymore. (If they find anything, it's some white fish and some shellfish). This is why synthetic meats are more commonplace, and these synthetic meats resemble ones we might find today. Lots of meat is canned, too. The most commonly available foods are easy, hardy, year-round crops. There are factories as well that can process foodstuffs and make them more shelf-stable, to a degree. But as the population continues to grow, man do they need some other source of food. There are plenty of things we might expect to line our pantries available, like sugar, flour, salt, canned/pickled/frozen veggies/meats, grains... |
| #16
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-07 |
Which district is the brightest/has the most artificial light, and which is the most dimly lit? Asking for a spectral type. And do the districts run on separate electricity grids or one big grid? |
These poor Spectral-types. The one most lit may be the southern edge of Sophia and the southwest portion of Gloria, where the two meet together. This forms something of an entertainment district, and buildings in Karteria that are entertainment-oriented are often lit in Hollywood-style lighting. Thus, the most artificial light would come from these buildings, though there are surely pockets in other districts, particularly around theaters, clubs, or other ritzy entertainment spots. Most dimly lit: East Sophia and the east side of Water's Edge. East Sophia was one of the latest districts to be developed, and it didn't quite make it before the city of Karteria had to respond to the catastrophes that started to fall upon their world. Buildings there are left unfinished and now a shell of nothingness, and sometimes this means they're left unlit. Water's Edge, particularly the part bordering East Sophia, is just a bit... run down. By the coast as they are, it's a bit ominous and quiet during the night. Karteria's run off of one grid, but there are substations, and they're not clean-cut by district. Attempting to knock out power to a single district would be faulty, as districts often share substations. Basileios, for example, is split into two: one half shares with northern Belle Ville, and the other shares with northern Gloria. So on, so on. |
| #17
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-07 |
hello my gorgeous and beloved mods Gojo, Choso, and Felwinter want to start the larger swamp quest with a quick, broad scouting mission (the plans for which were largely drafted before the details of Kelesis Ho) before they settle in for the longer project of helping to map a route and set up waystations. <img src="https://images.plurk.com/1l75nvxoyv8tTDjBVMSTBI.png"> Numbers mark approximate location of intended overnight campsites (with the intention of traveling through the night without stopping on the way back) if they don't run into anything that would cause a change of plans. Felwinter in particular will be doing sweeps of the area by air above the route of the two on the ground, and he's also particularly looking for this legendary secret location 70 miles out which Brickston's intel hinted at (and which intel is getting increasingly confused and diluted through this game of telephone). What IS the blood lake? what ARE the southern spires? does Felwinter see anything cool from his birbs' eye view? Thank you! |
Blood Lake! A fav of mine. The game of telephone is certainly a challenge, but all will be compiled and clarified as things are learned so that everything correctly learned is cemented, to get everyone on the same page. Otherwise, let me break these answers down into bullet points.
None of these locations are the "secret location" hinted at by the intel Brickston found. However, aside from Katalyth deposits, the world is doing swell without being touched by humans, and native flora and fauna are thriving, if a bit weird in general. |
| #18
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-07 |
hihi mods! so caleb and set explored the marshlands together back in april, while set was tapping into his inner terra, before they had to retreat/head back to the city. i was wondering if they could apply what they had learned/found out from that previous trip to the velvet claw's current commission and see if that could give them an extra boost in earning some extra numis as well as help them out this month while they do some more side-searching/exploring for the kelesis ho! mission. |
This is perfectly reasonable to us. Guild leaders of The Velvet Claw will likely hear them out and agree that they could surely talk their patrons into giving them an extra cut—especially if Caleb and Set agree to guide other less experienced Augmented Ones out toward Kelesis, through the marshes. They will be thrilled at their proactive scouting as well. Caleb and Set will both help the entirety of the Kelesis Ho! mission go ever more smoothly. Having people who know how to navigate the area and take instruction from Patho-Gen to clear a path toward the southern edge of the island will be a huge boon. If they make it all the way toward the bridge... The bridge has seen better days. It is not only coated with shards and growths of Katalyth where the ocean batters at it, but parts of it need some heavy-duty maintenance and repair to be safely traveled. The bridge is a magnificent thing besides, spanning about 35 miles, though since humans are completely unable to tend to it or even check on it... Well, that might be why it needs some TLC. For the duration of this log, the bridge will not be able to be cleared—but remarkable headway can be made to get started on its repairs. Imagine structural faults with the supports, fully caved-in portions of the road (wherein a person would need to either balance on beams or leap over the large holes, lest they fall into the ocean), and other such issues. I hope this helps, and lemme know if you have any other questions. |
| #19
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-05 |
sooooo what happens if a character does kill and potentially eat a citizen while under the effects of the day terrors prompt asking for a ahem friend |
Fabulous...... Come report it! This is just so that we can keep tabs on how Reputation is handled. You can detail whether you think your character could be associated/found out, or if it's a senseless murder with no way to link it to anyone. If the murder/meal can be linked back to your character... Surely, there will be some fairly dire consequences. It will be a first for Karteria's legal system to process, as they've never had a human(?) eat another human before... and Patho-Gen will have to defend these actions. It's... likely that this individual will end up having some scientific/medical modifications made to their person. You know, to help make them... less dangerous, and to reassure the public safety. |
| #20
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-05 |
their phones are also snails so he's having an interesting time adjusting to these non-sentient non-psychic devices.... but anyway. if he tried to dismantle/break the camera(s) in the room, would security or someone come try to apprehend/sedate him? |
I understand now that One Piece is full of snails. Intriguing. Yes, a staff member would respond poorly to technology being damaged. They know they'll have to write up a report to send to government officials, and they won't be happy to pay for the repairs/replacement, either... (We also encourage you to report it if you decide to have your character go through with this!) |
| #21
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-04 |
Hi mods! I have a few questions about the suspiciously reinforced room. If Augmented under the influence of the feral side effect were to start thrashing around the room, would they be able to damage it at all? Is it even possible to make a dent into the room? And, how does the door to the room react to a direct explosion? Asking for science. Edited 2025-05-04 05:46 am (UTC)
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While it's built to take quite a beating, and to prevent some potentially feral monsters from escaping... that doesn't mean it's impervious to damage. Some dents could be left, some claw marks made. The door itself is particularly sturdy, but a direct explosion might leave it looking a bit burnt. Dented and burnt. But it would remain in place. (If it started looking like anyone might escape, they would shut that right down... but these rooms were made as if expecting to receive a few hits.) |
| #22
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-04 |
SO AFTER ALL THE FUN AND BODYSHARING AND CHAOS... what would happen if Silver meditated to try and "speak" with his Natural Soul? It's clearly Very Unhappy, and if they're going to have to live like this, he wants to try and understand it. As a note, Silver has never really meditated before... but how hard can it be, right? | If Silver can get the hang of meditating and is real patient about it, it might be possible for him to reach something of his Natural Soul's state of mind. It'd be hard to describe it as communication... more of an intermittent sense of feelings, pulses of impressions. They are largely distressed, anxious. It's battering at a cage it can't escape, it's trying desperately to live. The more its emotions are attempted to be suppressed, the harder they will rebound- provoking sharp, unpleasant headaches. But if Silver can manage to just sort of... coexist with it, it may not exactly calm, but will feel less panicked. Maybe it'll help those Corrupted traits come in a little more smoothly...? |
| #23
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-04 |
Sooooo! How susceptible to blackmail are these suspicious folks? Obviously, this would take a lot of sneaking around and digging, so about a month's worth of work, but would there be any sort of paper trails? Like tax evasion, saucy affairs, corruption, and the like? Alternatively, should the blackmail be unsuccessful could said saucy affairs, tax evasion, and corruption be broadcasted somehow for the sake of being petty? Or I guess if there's any information to be learned from it |
Alas, these people seem to be quite... anonymous. Even trying to track them back to their homes or workplaces is a bust. They seem to be masterful at keeping covered, and not even tracking their scent or anything seems to work. One of them can be found hitting on someone in East Sophia, but he's wearing a wedding ring. There's that. He's a bald man, average height, middle-aged, light skin, brown eyes. He won't discuss anything about this little tryst, even if provoked. He merely gets lost in the crowd. |
| #24
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-04 |
hello mods! i'm assuming the reinforced rooms are equipped with surveillance equipment of some sort for the also side note that sabo is used to cameras looking like snails, so it's totally understandable if he just doesn't recognize anything even if it is obvious. 😔 (then again he'd probably just try to wreck shit anyway to cover his bases smh.) |
Oh, that's hilarious. Camera snails......... Who knows, maybe Sabo would be able to connect Round Snail Eyeball with those black ceiling orbs we know and love in modern society. (I hope that links properly.) Those are everywhere. Additionally, wellness centers have some extra styles, though the ceiling orbs are most common. |
| #25
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-04 |
Hey mods, so excited to check out the game and the TDM prompts are amazing! Quick question re: some more morally questionable and violent characters -- if someone fought back considerably hard against being brought in for experimentation and/or made an equally violent scene during the initial stage of taking readings pre-injection, would they be able to do any damage to any of the doctors? If so, are there any consequences to be aware of? 🫣 Respecting of course that being sedated or restrained would be the ultimate result either way. |
cw: non-consensual Sciences We love some violence and morally questionable actions... A character who is excessively violent will be treated to a heaping amount of force in return, and yes, it is permissible to damage these Patho-Gen Another consequence: for incoming players, we will have a Reputation thread to report any goings-on for this TDM! The more characters behave/misbehave, the higher/lower Reputation can go with various populations in the city. For example, acting up to doctors in the injection prompt and Enviolencing Them will definitely cause Augmented reputation to tank with Patho-Gen (and depending on how bad it gets, the government of Karteria, as they have to pay for all the damage...). But that's for future consideration! (Welcome to the TDM!) |
| #26
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-04 |
Howdy! In the event that a character comes in that is human but has very obvious physical mutations (gestures at Shouji's general heteromorph status) and his at-the-moment unavailable powers are linked directly to those mutations, do the physical presentations themselves change? Would the limbs affected by his powers just remain inert? | That's really up to you, how you would prefer to play with it- whether the physical presentations change or remain exactly how he's used to. So if you would prefer him to temporarily lose the ability to use those extra limbs, he certainly could- or, he could maintain that sort of 'baseline' ability. Keep those arms under control.... |
| #27
Topics: Edit question: edit
Answer date: 2025-05-04 |
So those badly mutated entities with scraps of clothes on in the swamp… if Rowan was to use their mimicry ability to talk to them in the voices of the people from east Sophia who are missing friends and family, or specifically try calling out the names of those who are missing in the voices of their loved ones, would they get a reaction? | Oh dear. This would, indeed, provoke a reaction. While other conversational attempts or any sort of approach towards them would lead to immediate aggression, if Rowan were to use the voices of East Sophians, the creatures will freeze up instead. It's hard to tell if they're startled, confused- or whether they understand the words at all. It's a temporary hesitation, and they will either turn immediately hostile afterward- or they will do their best to flee. They don't seem to be able to communicate in anything but violence or terror, the capacity for language on their own part lost. |
