vivalaooc | Test Drive Meme #1

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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

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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.

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Crimson.

[ Amidst the whirlwind of change they'd been swept up in, so many words rushing by in a language he only passably understands, Id had latched onto the name. ]

Seems like they go around liberating people like us.

Crimson Corsairs. [ ... ] It's got a lovely ring.

...

They moved swiftly through the camp's layout, in conditions with poor visibility. It was more about taking us, and taking things out of the workhouses. I don't remember hearing alarms go off until I was too far away for it to matter. Do you... remember smelling smoke, or seeing very many things broken?

[ He looks back on this with a low, thoughtful hum. ]

Now that you mention it, no.

[ It was a shockingly smooth operation, wasn't it? ]

They must have had inside information, to be that precise.

Whoever that could be, I didn't witness anyone identify themselves as such a thing when we were broken out.

They must be an excellent actor! I don't remember anyone particularly suspicious or overly sympathetic, but it's possible I just missed it. I didn't consider today as a possibility at all. I've been there a while... half a year, I think? And they've never hit that camp before, while I was there.

[ wonder how long it will be until the cells are full again. ]

I'm guessing the cargo we came in with was well worth the effort.

Some of their members could be former servants. If they know the layout, that makes a raid far more efficient.

[ Says a man who's led his share of attacks, though they were decidedly the more destructive variety. Avia was more of a blunt instrument than a precision one. ]

While some things change, buildings would be hard to move. Scouts could've been used to get a sense of guard rotation, force of arms, gaps in security...

[ Someone has definitely done this dance before. ]

_{[ a giggle. all that time before today, and she hadn't made anything anywhere near that sound. ]}

It seems like even more of their members are going to be former servants, after today.

It could be their "in" got out before they made a move, but not too long ago for any big changes... Preserve cover, check out somewhere else next! I've seen plenty of transfers happen, whether it be the imperials or people like us. I was, too... my first couple weeks, I was in a laundry, before they decided to send me to work on the looms, instead.
_{[ ...and sent her four Dummies all to different places, one by one. She'd been the very last to be moved. ]}

Edited 2024-06-03 01:22 (UTC)

I ended up on guard detail after my failed escape. Once they were satisfied I'd learned my lesson, anyway.

[ So Id is the very sort of person they'd likely want to recruit, or he imagines at least. He has the lay of the land and more access to different areas than other servants did. Accordingly, he knew shifts. He knew the security. That information is valuable.

Less so if they already have it, of course.

The way Id looked at it, it was better he find his fellow captives than one of the others. Those who weren't servants themselves were far from sparing, and he has the scars to prove it. ]

Their information is good, whoever their sources are. Surprised they didn't do any damage on the way out, but then, that did keep it quiet... And now, we're all a resource.

Oh, you gave it a try! Let me guess... did you... try to cross the northern perimeter, when the man with the eyepatch was on duty?

[ A grimace is her first answer. It's a flicker of an expression on his stern face, but it's there just the same. ]

I managed to take down his squad, but his blind spot wasn't a blind spot at all.

[ His own failing, really. ]

Then he turned around and vouched for me.

Edited 2024-06-03 03:04 (UTC)

Oh, you impressed him.

[ Id shrugs. He understands the practicality of it; he'd been trained extensively ever since Lilith took him in. ]

He seemed to find it funny I dropped a dozen men with an iron pipe.

[ It would've been a real show if he'd found his sword, but he wasn't out to kill them anyway. ]

Edited 2024-06-03 03:27 (UTC)

[ she does an impression. Badly. ]

"You've got some real spunk, kid. Too bad for you."
...Or something like that, I bet. Now the cycle starts all over, I guess... as long as the faucet stays open.

[ It's close enough. At least, Id can't do better.

He'd be terrible at impressions. ]

No reason for them to stop. We're convenient and expendable.

[ a world with a civilization that has found a way to commodify humans - and otherwise - nearly the same way Dolls are. Fascinating, really.

The mental burden on the individual is still much different, though. After all, replaceable as they are, the people still possess only one death, apiece. ]

As long as the water's still running.

Well, then... what do you think?
If you could level the Servant's Gate right now... would you?

I would.

[ All Id truly wants out of life is to atone for the damage he's done and be a defender. Destroying that gate would mean no one from home could be dragged into this. It may be the only way that he can protect any of them, now.

But he's too much a soldier to think he can, right now. There's a whole empire behind that twisted technology, with forces and numbers they lack. And so— ]

If I had the opportunity, I would.

[ Godmight would be enough to tear it apart, surely. ]

There are people even here who might not want that. Who knows...? Maybe the way we came in is the only way "servants" could ever go home.

But you knew right away what you'd want to do about it, hn?

Edited 2024-06-03 05:06 (UTC)

[ It stands to reason that it is the only way back. Between getting home and ensuring the Captain, Lyria, and the others aren't captured, enslaved, and quite possibly worked to death? Id will prioritize the latter.

Someone has to make sure it ends. ]

If they can get back, let them. But more people shouldn't have to suffer.

[ He's been a party to that far too long already, and he'd only begun to make amends. Maybe this is the way he truly does so. ]

"It ends with me" is quite the powerful credo! And it's not all that often one is offered an obvious means to that end.

[ It sounds more impressive when she says it. And she's right, it's seldom the case that one has a tidy solution, if only he can get an opening. ]

Guess not.

[ But with all that said... ]

What'll you do?

It's difficult to explain why, but because of the amount of time that's passed, there's no chance of me rejoining life back home successfully. Though that world holds things I greatly desire... As far as I've considered the idea before, there's simply no way...

_{[ ...short of merging her experiences with the neural cloud of her inevitable replacement, but...
...
she's quiet, a while. feels her internal temp tick up by a couple degrees as she runs quite a few simulations that she had simply accepted as unreasonable, before.

"merge your neural cloud with your doppelganger and then kill her Just In Case paradeus isn't willing to convert Two of you" is looking like the likeliest path. She seriously weighs it. The most covert method would be to isolate one of her replacement's dummies, make contact, and simply let programming take its course, copying over any missing memories from the dummy into the mainframe's - aka her - neural cloud. Then, dispose of the dummy, dispose of the unsuspecting double, and slip neatly into her old life like she was never gone.

It's fully possible, but there are many existing practical reasons it's not proper to act on any time soon. ]}

...no longer any practical way of accessing those things. I guess you could call it a pipe dream, in the first place? _{Or how about a 'cable' dream?}

Preparing to destroy the Gate and preparing to capture it is like raising a fist between two mirrors set to face one another. The consequence leads you to the exact same place.

In the meantime...
...I would like to try and see if I can accomplish my dream in this world. There's a lot I don't know about it, just yet. Maybe here, my dreams are as easy as snapping your fingers and asking Tinkerbell for some pixie dust?

Edited 2024-06-05 04:50 (UTC)

I don't know what a tinker bell is... [ He'll admit to this freely, as he always does. Even when he knew he'd be derided for it, Id had never seen a point in pretending. ] But it sounds like we'll both be sticking around.

[ They've each got their reasons, and sometimes that's enough. Sometimes it's all they have, when even familiar weapons and clothing had been stripped away. ]

As for dreams... Depends on what you want, but may as well try.

[ In Id's case, he can be a defender anywhere. His desires are simple. Might hers be far more complex? Only his companion could say. ]

Tinkerbell is from an old story. An odd boy who never gets older spirits away some bored and lonesome children, and his fairy companion helps them fly with the dust shed from her wings. But it only works if you think of happy and wonderful things.

Edited 2024-06-05 05:44 (UTC)

...So he's kidnapping other children and making them fly?

[ Is...is that right? ]

Why would he do that?

[ Id this is not the point— ]

I wonder. Self-aggrandization? Loneliness?
Perhaps he was ferrying them away to the land of the dead after they had died in their beds.

I'm...not the best with metaphor.

[ Or puns. None of it. But he admits as much. ]

So I wouldn't know.

Test Drive Meme #1

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