vivalaooc | Test Drive Meme #1

Entry tags:

Test Drive Meme #1

TEST DRIVE #1

The day begins as any other, you’re going about your day, living your life, when, without warning, you feel the world around you shift on its axis. You feel a great tear, welling from the depths of your soul as you are ripped from all you have known. If you’re lucky, you arrive in the wilderness of an unfamiliar world, where the language is foreign and the people are hostile. To make your escape, you must learn some language, flee, and occasionally fight, all to find your way off the floating isles you find yourself on and to the great ocean below, where rebel forces will welcome you.

If you’re unlucky, you materialize within a room full of armed guards and are quickly subdued with charged nets, stripped of your belongings, fitted with strange devices that suppress your powers and pressed into servitude. Your days are unimaginable pain and toil.

Fortunately, even in this world, there is still hope. For the denizens of this world have not given up. And it is for that dream of salvation that the Crimson Corsairs raise their flags and sail - for liberation. Perhaps you are one who has lived their entire life under the oppressive yoke of the Empire. Perhaps you have seen first hand your family and friends cut down by nobles hunting men for sport, or perhaps you have run afoul with the church and barely escaped with your life. No matter your origin, the Corsairs sail for you, for your freedom, for your life. And today, a taste of freedom will be won for all.

ARRIVAL/LIBERATION
This month, the Crimson Corsairs raided a Larendt labor camp in order to obtain much-needed parts and textiles as well as liberate another batch of servants for the cause. The raid was executed under the cover of night, with one team sweeping the dormitories and gathering as many servants as they could while the other team hit factories as they could, focusing on taking important items like ship parts and clothing, loading them into prepared trams and fleeing before the guard could mobilize. The operation, thankfully, went off without a hitch, and the Corsairs were able to usher a number of servants into their waiting ships.

As dawn breaks, the raiding fleet docks at Flotsam as the city-fleet begins the long journey away from the continent before a retaliation fleet can be mobilized. The former servants are finally let above deck. The sun is beating down hard on them, its brilliance marking their first step into freedom.

Corsairs on the fleet will have a lot to do - the new arrivals will need to be sorted, clothed, and fed. Many are emaciated from the conditions in the labor camp, and the former servants will be immediately ushered to a mess hall for their first meal as free folk. Corsairs will be needed to organize the movement, prepare and serve the food, and also just sit with them and talk to them, helping them adjust and filling them in on the situation.

Former servants will have found the entire process exhausting to say the least. They were awoken in the dead of night by heavily armed people quickly moving through, shattering their chains and ushering them into ships. The entire night was spent sailing, and while the hull is dark it is crowded and difficult to sleep in. Finally, upon arrival they are ushered into a meal hall and served a humble meal - but a meal that far exceeds anything that was ever served at the servant’s table. What is known is that they are now free.

MEANWHILE IN THE WATERLOGGED ROW…

With another successful mission under their belt and their duties more or less complete, the triumphant Corsairs observe a time-honored tradition: heading to the Waterlogged Row and getting absolutely shitfaced on awful grog.

The mood is jubilant and self-congratulatory, with drinking songs ringing out across Flotsam. In consideration to other residents, the Row is currently moored a good distance from the residential areas to keep the celebrations from disturbing what little peace there is in the chaotic town that is Flotsam. But for those who participated in the mission, tonight is about celebration. Singing, storytelling, socializing, this is the glue that holds the operations team together. And as the Crimson Corsairs do not officially recognize a drinking age, everyone is welcome! Even if they probably shouldn’t be!

New arrivals are, of course, not at all restricted so those who finish their meal and go exploring will quickly find the Row, as well as many Corsairs eager to buy them a pint to toast their newfound freedom.

MAKING THE GOOD STUFF

Elysium often serves as the crux of Corsair operations, and the next operation is no different. While the operations team is carousing and toasting their success, the planning team is hard at work preparing for the next mission.

The order of the day is gathering, which has brought the team to the forests outside of Elysium. In the coming month, Elysium will host a lavish party for the guards of a certain continent, and it is the duty of the gatherers to ensure that any drink served is “enhanced”, with such potency that they won’t be in any position to do their duty when the raiders strike.

Any herbology specialists will be absolutely vital for this operation. While the Corsairs have some documents and know, generally, what they’re looking for, there are a wide variety of things that grow within the forest, many of which can be quite dangerous.

Those new to gathering will really need to watch their step. Elysium is rich in hallucinogens, and a whiff of the wrong flower or mushroom could leave them contemplating their navel for the next hour. Tasting is out of the question, but what they don’t know can’t hurt them right? After all, the Elysium workers spend a lot of time eradicating poisoned growths to keep wandering nobles safe so anything they find can’t be THAT bad. Right?

And of course, for experienced foragers, they will find an entirely new duty thrust upon them - keeping the newbies in line. Really, how can they expect anything productive to be done when they send a bunch of green recruits into a forest full of hallucinogens?

EDUCATION AS THE BOMBS FALL

New Corsairs almost always find themselves in the Vault. Nestled in the earth and subject to the constant pounding of munitions overhead, the Vault is the repository of knowledge for the Crimson Corsairs and the place where new inductees are educated. Language instruction, education on the world and its people, writing, reading, arithmetic, just about any kind of learning can be done in the Vault’s halls.

Notable about the Vault’s education is how deeply tied it is to the Crimson Corsair’s broader philosophy - everyone’s unique talents and insight have value. As such, Corsairs are often called to the Vault to share their specialized expertise. While many Corsairs do choose to become full-time teachers, any Corsair can come and teach a class.

For the new Corsairs, now is a time to learn and train, acclimate themselves to their situation and figure out where they want to go from here. For established Corsairs, this is an opportunity to meet the new recruits and help train them so they can help with the cause. Those who might be students today will be comrades standing at your side tomorrow, so teach them well.

DANGER AT SEA

As the most mobile of the Corsair’s settlements and the only obvious Imperial target, Flotsam is well equipped to deal with any number of dangers. One such danger is the enormous sea monsters who dwell within the Eternal Ocean. While many are not too keen to tangle with such a large fleet, occasionally a monster will become angry or territorial enough to try to attack the fleet.

And it is for that reason that the Corsairs now find themselves battling a massive sea serpent that has stretched itself across the western edge of the fleet. New Corsairs aren’t expected to assist in this battle, but as the sinking of Flotsam would be VERY BAD for those who are currently trying to live on it, many will jump in anyway, especially as they should have been issued weapons. As to established Corsairs, well, you know the drill by now. Monster bad, try to sink ship, let’s convince it that there are easier marks than the pride of the Corsair fleet.

Some Corsairs will need to man the cannons to blow it away, but many will get up close and personal, jumping into melee range to drive it away from the ships and mitigate as much damage as they can. Others still will provide support from the back with magic or ranged weaponry, and still others will need to weave their way in between the battle to carry out wounded Corsairs for medical attention. Whatever your specialty, your city needs you. Best get to work.

WILDCARD

Have an idea for your own prompt? Feel free to make any prompt that you think would fit!

OOC
Welcome to the first Test-Drive Meme for Viva La! All threads here may be considered canon once characters have entered the game. Threads here are eligible for use as a roleplay sample for applications, which will open on the 15th of June at midnight.

back to navigation

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

-ARRIVAL-

[Gohan is one of the lucky exceptions that manages to be summoned outside the facility where otherworlders are captured, and ends up in a beautiful wooded area outside one of the Empire's cities. Perhaps due to his affinity with nature. Who knows? But the important thing is that no matter where he looks, any people who catch sight of him turn hostile immediately. Gohan tries to communicate that he means no harm, but the language barrier and the prevailing attitude toward otherworlders mean that his efforts are all in vain. Instead, he backs off, eluding capture (fortunately, flight makes that very easy) and tries his luck elsewhere.

It isn't until night when Gohan finds favorable results. He's awoken by the sounds of the raid, and when he gets close, he sees the Corsairs fighting knights like the ones he had escaped from, all while breaking the chains on other people. As Gohan is not one to ever pass up an opportunity to help people in danger, he immediately joins the fray by attacking a knight and uses hand and body signals to convey to the nearest Corsair that he's a friendly.

After the fighting, he follows the Corsairs back to Flotsam, where he can be found wolfing down as much food as he's allowed in the mess hall. Despite how fast he's eating the food, he does so in a perfectly mannerly fashion.

Feel free to run into him at any point during this.]

-EDUCATION AS THE BOMBS FALL-

[As soon as Gohan arrives in the Vault, he makes a beeline straight for the library, and finds immediate delight just from looking at the sheer number of books there. Right now, he can't read any of them yet, but all in due time. This is someone who aced all of his high school entrance exams, including the ones for literature and composition, after all. Thus, he spends a good while simply walking around the library, looking at all of the books they have in awe.

Later, though, Gohan finds an empty area near the academy, where he begins working on warm-ups. Now that he's stuck in this world and part of a group of rebels, he can't afford to neglect his martial arts training any longer. At the moment, he has nobody to spar with, so he's using a mix of image training and form training to at least make sure his combat instincts and muscle memory is still sharp (and if it isn't, then to shake the rust off).

A sparring partner would definitely be welcome, though.]

-DANGER AT SEA-

[Gohan is one of the first combatants to jump through the portal back to Flotsam the moment he hears about a giant sea monster attacking the fleet. As soon as he sees it, he flies straight at it to take his crack at the kraken (heh). He's not willing to mess around, either -- once he's within range, he undergoes a transformation that amplifies his power significantly. His body itself doesn't change, but his hair changes color from black to a bright gold, and his eyes change from black to green. The transformation also summons a gold aura of energy that surrounds him.

Gohan knows that the power scaling in this world is different from what he's used to on Earth, and his knows his strength has changed accordingly. Going Super Saiyan should help him figure out where he stands in the pecking order now, without spending all of his strength right out of the gate.]

I'll go after its head and draw its attention! You keep pounding it while I keep it busy!

-WILDCARD-

[If none of the above prompts appeal to you, feel free to come up with your own! If you want to plot, you can PM this journal.]

[ Learning about the Corsair principles has given Preme a lot to chew on, and that's as good a time as any to wander aimlessly throughout the Vault. When she comes across Gohan, she stops, watching with mild curiosity.

This one's a warrior, clearly, but different from the ones she's familiar with. Maybe he's closer to the opponents she faced on other worlds. The concept of martial arts was far from unknown to her, but she'd never felt the need to actually learn them.

She makes no attempt to start a conversation, just leaning against a wall and watching him go through his practice. ]

[Without looking, Gohan could tell that someone was nearby. However, they also seem to have no ill intent, so he isn't bothered. He simply keeps going through his exercises until he reaches what he thinks is a good break point. Then, he looks over with a wave.]

Hi! Can I help you?

[Gohan says the above in the local language. He had been fortunate enough to run into another person who could speak his native tongue (more or less) who taught him a few basic phrases.]

[The cheerful greeting is not returned. Preme doesn't know about being nice.]

Are you strong because of your body, or your skill? Can it be learned?

Eh?

[The question catches Gohan by surprise. He had figured that everyone here had their own specialty, so he hadn't expected people to look to learn from him.]

Um, it's both. My body is good for it, but I was also taught.

[Given that these people are his allies, Gohan would ordinarily have no problem explaining about his Saiyan heritage. Unfortunately, he just doesn't have the Estherean vocabulary for that yet.]

I can teach some things, but not all.

Teach me.

[Preme steps forward in challenge, not assuming any real fighting stance... nor does he consider the possibility that Gohan might not want to. Saying please is a skill he's yet to learn.]

Huh?

[Gohan is left momentarily confused. Preme hasn't assumed any fighting stance despite stepping forward. Is he being asked to demonstrate?]

Uh, I can try. How should we do this?

I don't know how you teach. Should I just attack you?

Um...

[He thinks this over.]

It would help me see where you're starting from. So, sure.

Then let's fight.

[Preme dashes in without any further preamble.

So, in broad strokes, Preme stands zero chance of beating Gohan. It attacks with confidence and aggression, and with a general sense of having been in a lot of fights, but without an ounce of formal combat training. Until now, it had been able to power through fights with raw strength, but in its current state, it's not much stronger than an average teenager.

Fortunately, they aren't so delusional as to expect anything other than getting one-sidedly trounced. The weeks in the imperial work camp made that clear.]

[Gohan is taken by surprise. He had assumed that Preme would have some kind of ability if they were challenging him to a fight. However, he's not able to see or sense the kind of strength he had anticipated. Preme seems to be stronger than most of his classmates at Orange Star High, but not as strong as Videl.

As a result, he either dodges or blocks anything Preme throws at them, and ends up shoving them away rather than landing any strikes.]

[Yeah, she expected this. His lack of counterattacks sparks a memory of an open hand offered by an enemy. Is that why he's not hitting back? Is this pity?

She growls, and redoubles her offensive, attacking more recklessly the less he defends himself.]

Why aren't you fighting back? Am I so weak that I'm not worth attacking?!

Son Gohan | Dragon Ball Z | OU

Education

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Education

no subject