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revivalproject2023-06-08 08:28 am
trpmods) wrote in revivalproject2023-06-08 08:28 am
Entry tags:
Event: Calibrations
Summer is a wonderful thing, a time of warmth and growth and probably fun if you aren't on Agra 10. Perhaps it's a great time for exploration too. A time to go about life and all that might come with it. Except for one thing, another Agrii message. Except this time instead of just text or audio, it's a full on video call from Ga Re.
The friendly Agrii smiles and offers a wave to start the video, and she doesn't stop smiling as she speaks.
Good day He Rows. There is news to be given. Agrii talk much over He Row want for face to face. Have made resolve. Agrii will have He Rows come see Agrii soon. But first Agrii must make ships better. Must take. Give back soon as ready.
We sorry that mean take all ships for time. Try to be fast. He Rows have pay shuns. All He Row things left in Hangar so He Rows do no need worry. Ships be better soon.
With that the video turns off and there's not response to any attempts to reach back out. Which makes sense as anyone with views of the hangars where the ships are will soon see them rising out of the hangars and lifting into the sky. After that, well, they need time to get things set up, so it's not shocking that they're hard to reach. Still, some sort of update would be useful, right?
A few days later, in the darkest hours before dawn, something happens around those He Rows who are finding their rest. A subtle scent fills the air, the smell of honey and lilac and a faint hint of hickory. It's barely there, lingering amid the background smells of the world, but breathing still brings it in. While there's no way for the sleeping He Rows to know it, the scent marks a drug released in the air, one that induces agreeability and can lead to hallucinations. Which goes well with what happens next.
"Wake up He Row," a voice says beside the He Row, an Agrii voice. That much is certain because upon awakening there is no question that an Agrii is standing there, beaming down at the He Row. Those smiles really do have a lot of teeth don't they? "Wake up! Good news! Best news. Have the best news for He Row!"
Waking means breaking more, breathing deeper, getting more of the drugged gas into your system. The more of the drugs that get into the system, the easier all of this is to believe. There really is an Agrii in the room, smiling wide, four armed, tall, a faint glisten to its skin as it looks ready to bounce with excitement.
"Good! You are awake now! I give they good news. When working on the ships Agrii find the answer! Solution! Way to stop the storms. Was hidden secret, written by He Row now gone. But not matter. We fixed planet. Can come home. He Rows can come home too! Ga Re send me to collect you, bring you along. Agrii fix storms now, have answer. He Rows need to come with, so can take you to transport. Get He Row home."
The Agrii will linger, trying to coax the He Row into following. Isn't it exciting? You're going home? The Agrii have solved the problem, because of something they found on the ships they took to repair. Apparently some past He Row figured it out, and the answer is being implemented, so it's time for you to go home. Speed, the Agrii stresses, matters now. Time is of the essence. Be quick in grabbing what you need, and follow. Follow fast.
In true Agrii fashion they won't answer questions, just keep repeating the important point that things are fixed and it's time to go home. To be quick, to follow quick. Once ready they will leave, guiding the He Row out through the darkness of the pre-dawn hours.
"Have speed, He Row. Will be late. Can't miss transport. If late He Row may have to stay. We like they, but He Rows want to go home correct? Be quick quick."
The Agrii will guide He Rows quickly through the city, without others in sight, south. South and toward a place that may seem familiar to some. It's into a tunnel and down a long path until there's a large door.
"Through here," the Agrii says. "Transport through here. He Rows go home. Thank you much for all help He Rows gave. Thank you. You save us. Come."
The door opens, the Agrii steps through. You're here, escape is there, how can you not walk through? Once you do enter the door shuts and everything around you is darkness for a very long moment. Then the lights flash on, brilliant and blinding for a long moment. Once your eyes adjust everything else is visible, and possibly familiar. The room is large, white, and very cold. You are alone. On the wall you can see dried and flaking pink paint:
‘Welcome to Calibrations’
Below it, in a faded shade of red:
‘Have Fun’
Finally, under that in a dark shade of deep purple that is fresh and written in a crisp font. It’s accompanied by one of the three eyed smiling faces the Agrii sometimes use:
‘If You Can’
________________
WELCOME TO CALIBRATIONS!
Wait. What? Huh?
For those that opt in, Calibrations is an event that put characters in close quarters for a month and is an opportunity for characters to delve deeper into others’ minds and memories while asleep each night. ICly, your character will be forced into these mental rooms (see below) randomly and other characters will be forced into yours. Who ends up in your room and where you end up exploring is up to you all as the players so this is a great time to branch out and have your character meet people they otherwise wouldn’t, and even learn their secrets.
Where are we?
The area upon entering the Calibrations area looks like a large waiting room with chairs, tables, and enough protein gel dispensers for EVERYONE! Yay! There are also communal bathrooms with several toilet stalls and shower stalls in each, including basic shampoo and soap dispensers. This year the shampoo and soap smell decidedly like motor oil, though if you try to use it there will be no ill effects beyond the scent. This year the water is actually pleasantly warm. That is, for most people.
Off the main room are hallways that lead to bedrooms. Each one has a name on it but there is nothing requiring you to use the room seemingly assigned to you. They are all more or less identical after all. Anyone can enter any room or share with someone else. Each room has a simple bed (approximately queen-sized) and a set of drawers. There is one white jumpsuit in your size said drawers in your assigned room, as well as a pair of canvas shoes. You can wear them or ignore them as you like.
You can opt to spend your time in your room or in the larger common waiting room. But about every twenty-two hours, all people suddenly feel a compulsion to sleep. Once this starts, you can’t fight it off. You find yourself going into your room for bed or wherever else you feel like you’d prefer to sleep. And then, inevitably, you close your eyes and dream.
And something happens when we sleep?
Once asleep, your mind is pulled away. You are brought to what looks to be a room of some sort. Maybe you recognize it. Maybe you don’t. Maybe you see someone you know. Maybe it’s someone you haven’t spoken to yet or in a long time. No matter where you are what's happening is this:
While asleep, each person in Calibrations has a room created that represents them. Maybe it’s a place from a memory. Or maybe it’s just a place that seems random, but has some small seed of their personality within it. A bookworm’s room might look like a library, whether it’s one they remember or one their mind imagines. Someone who had a background of royalty might end up in their throne room. It’s all personal in some way.
Each time you fall asleep you enter someone else's mental room and someone enters your own. You can’t stop it so it seems you’re along for a very interesting ride.
What about the room? I don’t get it.
The Calibration room essentially comes from your character’s mind and soul. What it looks like is entirely up to you and what you think best represents your character. There is a lot of leeway here for you to really make this your own. It could be someplace from their past, something from now, or even something completely unrelated that just works. For examples of the Drift Fleet Calibrations of the past Steve Rogers had an old movie theater as his room one year, and James Kirk had the bridge of his ship.
The rooms can be as reasonably small or large as you want, but the space has to be within the confines of a room - i.e., If you would like your room to be a wide open field, it will still be the dimensions of a single large room and needs to have some kind of entryway for people to walk through. The room can change depending on what is going on, but it can’t be anything larger than a room (so it can't be, say, a whole house or a spaceship that another character can freely roam through). Everything must be confined to a single space.
The necessary components of a room are as follows: Some sort of visual design/motif, objects and interaction points that when touched will trigger your character’s memories for others to see, and an entry of some form for a character to arrive and leave through. These do not have to remain the same with each encounter, and they can even change during the process of a visit to ‘guide’ visitors to certain interactable objects and thus the memories tied to them. We have found over time that it can be helpful to bold the items that will produce responses for characters coming to your room so they know what is and is not interactive. Some people also add specific warning tags to those objects in a variety of ways to help keep people away from content they aren’t interested in. But what you use and how it works is entirely up to you.
Wait, so is my character in their own room or someone else’s?
While asleep, your character is visiting other minds. However, there is a representation of your character within their own room that others can interact with. How that plays out is up to you. Are they freaked out by the intrusion? Is this the tenth time someone has visited their room, so they’re just resigned and ready to get this over with? Do they not notice the visitor at all? Give some thought as to what would be helpful and interesting for both players and feel free to mix it up. Both the room and the representation of your character in it are manifestations of their psyche and therefore you have leeway. Maybe someone old appears as a child. Maybe they appear as they were on the best day of their life. Maybe it’s literally just them as Agra-10 has known them, in the same place they usually hang out. There is a LOT of freedom here. Imagine the room is your character’s soul museum and the representation is the hologram tour guide.
What do we do in someone else’s room?
In other characters’ rooms, your character will find themselves walking into someone else’s mind. What your character does and what they interact with is up to you and them. Does your character just want to stand very still and touch nothing? Go for it. Might be boring, but do it. Do they want to just try and find the person whose room this is and ask for a tour? You can sure try that as well. It’s entirely open. The only thing you cannot do is leave.
What? I can’t leave?
Once you’re in someone’s room, the entrance disappears so you can’t turn around and leave the way you came. Instead, leaving a Calibration room can happen only two ways:
1) All rooms have an exit, controlled in some way by the person whose room it is. This doesn’t have to be just the entry. Maybe visitors have to trigger a specific memory or solve a puzzle to find it. Maybe they just have to have a conversation with the room’s occupant before the exit will appear. Basically, you can build your character’s Calibration room with an end goal for others in mind, and that end goal can be different for each visitor or for just someone special.
2) Characters can alternatively just ‘time out’. All characters only have around an hour in each room, after which they’ll simply disappear, either to visit another character’s room or maybe to get some well-earned dreamless sleep. But keep in mind that the hour spent in a given room can feel very different depending on what is going on. One person’s room might go by in a flash. Another might feel like you’re standing there for a week.
What will I remember?
That is up to the players! Does your character remember everyone who visited their room? Do they remember all the rooms they visited? Do they remember only some rooms, or just get flashes of certain experiences? Characters can remember as little or as much as you like, and they can also remember just feelings or flashes or even nothing at all. It is entirely up to the player - and feel free to talk to other players to see if they have preferences as well.
What happens after a visit?
After each eight-hour ‘night’ is over, all characters will wake up. They’ll have twenty-two hours to go back to the waiting room and hang with everyone else until it happens again. What they take with them from each episode is up to you. Whether they stay in their room and hide is up to you. If they want to try and tunnel through the door to get back out, they can try it. Up to you. So really enjoy your freedom and go crazy!
Will we be able to bring anything with us into the Calibrations space?
Yes! Last time it wasn’t possible to bring comforts with you, but the whole lure of ‘going home’ this time doesn’t stop you. You were rushed here, though, so your character won’t have very much beyond whatever they may have deemed ‘too important to leave behind’. So if there is a prized possession a character would want to carry with them to finally go ‘home’ and it was close at hand and easy to carry, it can have come with them. This includes weapons for the first time. Hopefully no one gets hurt. The only thing that won’t come through is communicators, which will by some method or other have been left behind in a person’s residence, or will return there when passing through the doors into Calibrations.
We do of course have to specifically have to address animal/droid/ghost companions/etc. These are actually expected to arrive with their owner/companion and just like the characters, cannot leave. They are free to be present and wander the situation as well, and will also ‘sleep’ or experience some form of ‘down time’ during the 8 hour rest periods.
Can those not in Calibrations contact those in Calibrations?
As noted above, Communicators have not come with those being Calibrated. The communicators were left behind in people’s residences though, and that means they can be pinged to find out where they are. They are still listed in contact and crew lists, so you’ve got a mystery on your hands as to where the He Rows went if you didn’t get lured. This does mean, as an aside, that anyone who doesn’t enter Calibrations has free use of the network to call out, speculate, and even doom scroll if that’s your speed.
At least I’ll have my powers to play with in here, right?
Sadly no. Calibrations come with a power suppression affect. Consider this space a miniature storm without the hallucinations or screaming moon or attempts to lure you off of cliffs. Your powers at the door. The good news is that internal electronics will still work, though they can’t interface with anything outside.
Okay, so OOCly, how will all this work?
Players can create a catchall post for each character in the main community, just like any other event post you might make. Once you've made your post, comment to the Calibration Room Directory with a link, and use that post to find other characters' posts throughout the event.
There is also a Waiting Room Mingle Log if you wish to use that as well! (But if you would prefer to just make a separate post in the comm, that is also okay!)
What is there to do between dream phases?
There is food, ways to keep clean, and even some forms of entertainment. All of the details related to this occur in the Waiting Room Mingle Log, and we encourage you to take a look there. If you have more questions ask us. It's also possible people brought things to do, things they thought were important to take home with them. But that will depend on those who get trapped.
Is there any specific tag for this?
No. While there is a Calibrations Event Tag, it is for mod organizational use and is meant to provide easy access/reference to the mod posted items. We do encourage you to make use of the Calibrations Room Directory post, though, providing the mods with links to your room logs so that players can find those quickly and easily if they wish to. And if you did use the tag, it's okay, just message the trpmods account and let us know to remove it. We do encourage players to add [Calibrations] to the title of any logs you post though, to help people going through the comm’s page to know what is a Calibrations post at quick glance.
Yeah. Okay. PASS! I want to opt out
No problem! The lure into the Calibrations area will occur only in the pre-dawn hours on June 10th, to characters that were sleeping or dozing at the time while in Temba. Characters that weren’t in Temba, who weren’t asleep, or who otherwise might find the illusion suspicious and not follow it won’t end up in Calibrations. If they didn’t even see the illusion maybe they will get caught up in investigating where their fellow He Rows have disappeared to. Or maybe they will just take the time to poke around people’s stuff while they are gone. It’s up to you at that point.
What if I change my mind about opting-out?
Characters can arrive late to the ‘fun’ if you wish to. The best way to do this is to have been investigating to seek out the other He Rows and ending up in the Secret Tunnel. During Calibrations the door will open enough for people to slip in, even if they can’t get out. So once you opt-in, your character is in for the Calibrations ride, for however long is left in the month.
So it’s possible to move between Temba and Sh’Ka at this time?
Yes, the train is functional. But remember, the ships are now gone, taken by the Agrii. So that’s not a way to get between cities right now. Hope you like trains.
How long is this going to last?
The ships will be taken from the cities of Agra 10 on June 7th. The lure to Calibrations will take place on June 10th, and will end on July 10th but feel free to back tag as long as you need to complete memories or plots. July will be event-free to allow things to be wrapped up.
Can those that opt-out investigate what happened to those who opted-in?
Yes, if you want. We’re not sure how many people will not want to take part in Calibrations, and if they will want to investigate. If you are interested in investigating, please let us know.
Additional Notes For Sh’Ka Palace TeamOh yes, you didn’t think we had forgotten about you since February, did you? Nope! The Redecoration team will be in for some extra fun in Calibrations. There’s plenty of extra discomforts offered to this elite group. For one thing, the showers will always be either scalding hot or freezing cold, never anything in between and sometimes switching mid shower. The clothes in your assigned room will be uncomfortably tight/small, and possibly have weak seams that pop easily. Any food gotten from the dispensers will always be peanut butter flavored and steaming hot. The water will have a faintly off taste.
If your He Row didn’t believe in bad luck before, that may change over Calibrations time. Communal spaces in down time may almost seem out to get them. Chairs may break under them, mattress springs may break while they’re lying down, their shoelaces may snap. These sorts of things aren’t happening to anyone who wasn’t on that team though. There’s a hundred little miseries that could happen in enclosed spaces like this, and it might be painful or even frustrating. Who knows what will happen as bad luck keeps building up. Can your nerves handle it? Are you on edge yet? Have you noticed that your temper is possibly just a touch easier for others to set off? Try not to start any fights. (Please note, you’re not obligated to deal with the increased temper, but the bad luck and different functions are going to happen.)
There may also be difficulties extended to their dreamscapes (though we leave this part up to the discretion of the players), with memories slanted toward dark or traumatic situations in their past. Their dreamscapes themselves may take on a darker edge too, making the space uncomfortable for those who enter their dreams.
The friendly Agrii smiles and offers a wave to start the video, and she doesn't stop smiling as she speaks.
With that the video turns off and there's not response to any attempts to reach back out. Which makes sense as anyone with views of the hangars where the ships are will soon see them rising out of the hangars and lifting into the sky. After that, well, they need time to get things set up, so it's not shocking that they're hard to reach. Still, some sort of update would be useful, right?
A few days later, in the darkest hours before dawn, something happens around those He Rows who are finding their rest. A subtle scent fills the air, the smell of honey and lilac and a faint hint of hickory. It's barely there, lingering amid the background smells of the world, but breathing still brings it in. While there's no way for the sleeping He Rows to know it, the scent marks a drug released in the air, one that induces agreeability and can lead to hallucinations. Which goes well with what happens next.
"Wake up He Row," a voice says beside the He Row, an Agrii voice. That much is certain because upon awakening there is no question that an Agrii is standing there, beaming down at the He Row. Those smiles really do have a lot of teeth don't they? "Wake up! Good news! Best news. Have the best news for He Row!"
Waking means breaking more, breathing deeper, getting more of the drugged gas into your system. The more of the drugs that get into the system, the easier all of this is to believe. There really is an Agrii in the room, smiling wide, four armed, tall, a faint glisten to its skin as it looks ready to bounce with excitement.
"Good! You are awake now! I give they good news. When working on the ships Agrii find the answer! Solution! Way to stop the storms. Was hidden secret, written by He Row now gone. But not matter. We fixed planet. Can come home. He Rows can come home too! Ga Re send me to collect you, bring you along. Agrii fix storms now, have answer. He Rows need to come with, so can take you to transport. Get He Row home."
The Agrii will linger, trying to coax the He Row into following. Isn't it exciting? You're going home? The Agrii have solved the problem, because of something they found on the ships they took to repair. Apparently some past He Row figured it out, and the answer is being implemented, so it's time for you to go home. Speed, the Agrii stresses, matters now. Time is of the essence. Be quick in grabbing what you need, and follow. Follow fast.
In true Agrii fashion they won't answer questions, just keep repeating the important point that things are fixed and it's time to go home. To be quick, to follow quick. Once ready they will leave, guiding the He Row out through the darkness of the pre-dawn hours.
"Have speed, He Row. Will be late. Can't miss transport. If late He Row may have to stay. We like they, but He Rows want to go home correct? Be quick quick."
The Agrii will guide He Rows quickly through the city, without others in sight, south. South and toward a place that may seem familiar to some. It's into a tunnel and down a long path until there's a large door.
"Through here," the Agrii says. "Transport through here. He Rows go home. Thank you much for all help He Rows gave. Thank you. You save us. Come."
The door opens, the Agrii steps through. You're here, escape is there, how can you not walk through? Once you do enter the door shuts and everything around you is darkness for a very long moment. Then the lights flash on, brilliant and blinding for a long moment. Once your eyes adjust everything else is visible, and possibly familiar. The room is large, white, and very cold. You are alone. On the wall you can see dried and flaking pink paint:
Below it, in a faded shade of red:
Finally, under that in a dark shade of deep purple that is fresh and written in a crisp font. It’s accompanied by one of the three eyed smiling faces the Agrii sometimes use:
Wait. What? Huh?
Where are we?
And something happens when we sleep?
What about the room? I don’t get it.
Wait, so is my character in their own room or someone else’s?
What do we do in someone else’s room?
What? I can’t leave?
What will I remember?
What happens after a visit?
Will we be able to bring anything with us into the Calibrations space?
Can those not in Calibrations contact those in Calibrations?
At least I’ll have my powers to play with in here, right?
Okay, so OOCly, how will all this work?
What is there to do between dream phases?
Is there any specific tag for this?
trpmods account and let us know to remove it. We do encourage players to add [Calibrations] to the title of any logs you post though, to help people going through the comm’s page to know what is a Calibrations post at quick glance.Yeah. Okay. PASS! I want to opt out
What if I change my mind about opting-out?
So it’s possible to move between Temba and Sh’Ka at this time?
How long is this going to last?
Can those that opt-out investigate what happened to those who opted-in?
Additional Notes For Sh’Ka Palace Team
Ask Your Questions Here
Re: Ask Your Questions Here
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Re: Ask Your Questions Here
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The best way to describe it may be to say if he is present, Bucky may need to treat the arm more like he's recently strained it and so has to be careful with it rather than it being pure dead weight.
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Characters don't have abilities here - just to confirm, that extends to the Rooms as well?
Link brought his Sword with him to the Calibrations area - does that appear with him in Rooms at all, or will it be absent?
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As for the rooms of other people, that is a question to ask of them, both of items and powers.
Does this help?
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