THE AMAZING BASE.

[agogemod]

WHO? Everybody!
WHAT? Welcome home, nerds.
WHEN? Outside time and space, in the aether between dimensions.
ANYTHING ELSE? There is also a fish. Please warn in subject lines for anything beyond physical violence and move to a personal journal if things go beyond PG-13.

MYSTERY FISH;

question the mystery fish

DEPARTING GALLIPOLI

The order comes the day after the Marie Antoinette sets sail:

PACK UP AND GET READY TO MOVE OUT. WE'VE DONE ALL WE CAN HERE.

DEPLOYMENT: BASE.

WE NEED TO RESTOCK. BE PREPARED FOR MORE TRANSFERS ON ARRIVAL.

STAY SAFE. TIME-STEP EXPECTED TO BEGIN WITHIN THE HOUR.

FOR THOSE OF YOU NEW TO COST: FIND A SECLUDED SPOT AND TRY NOT TO EAT ANYTHING BEFORE THE JUMP.

The Time-Step

The transfer begins like a vibrating heat on the collar bone, just a hum of sensation.

But the vibration spreads. Veteran COST soldiers often refer to this phenomenon as "the buzz". The feeling builds, not unlike standing near a great engine or the wind-rattled branches of a massive tree. There is a long moment of motion sickness and you can't be sure if the world is shaking you from the inside out or the outside in. It may be better to close your eyes against the growing nausea, as the world blurs out of focus.

A star shines in the distance. You may hear the faint rustling of leaves. Some swear they hear voices in this moment, indistinct words echoing off nothingness. Others say they feel a touch of the divine, that the eyes of the eternal look down upon you. Ancient bones rattle just out of earshot, cold and brittle and nothing more than the suggestion of sound. Or maybe it's only an illusion, brought on by the powerful technology grafted into your skin.

One thing is for sure: One moment you are here and the next you are not.

The shift takes you from whatever solitude you could find aboard the Marie Antoinette to the temperature-regulated hallway of what looks like a very poorly put together space station. Droids rush up and down the long hallway, fixing broken bits of machinery or just chattering with each other. A few crows sit on high ledges, looking down and watching. Someone mutters something about a centaur around the corner.

And you might just notice, provided you were in Gallipoli long enough to acquire stowaways, that the parasites lurking on your skin are mercifully gone.

For new arrivals who didn't experience Gallipoli: You, too, will appear in this long hallway, filled with droids and crows and humans (still filthy and clad in ANZAC uniforms, carrying battered equipment from the first World War). And you'll be wearing the minimal COST-issued athletic underwear and holding whatever one item you were allowed to bring. Surprise!

READ THE BASE INFOPAGE.

home away from home

Those who have been to BASE before may find a strangeness to it all: BASE seems...still. The windows show a verdant world instead of the usual aether (though with the typical paranoia), and the halls are bereft of all but a few crows. A man stands at the end of the long hallway you arrived in, waiting for you to get your bearings before he speaks.

Except, you know, he's not a man. He's a centaur.

"It's been barely a week since you left, by my reckoning. But for you, I'm sure, it's been much longer. Still, much has changed. You may have noticed we are...becalmed. This is due, it seems, to an error in our ways. We kept something that does not belong to us, several wild creatures that are meant to be free. They seem to have psychically called out to their home, and their home responded; we are now somewhat stranded.

"But let me explain—the Aether is the nexus between worlds and times, but it is not a dead thing. Creatures live in it. We have crashed onto the back of one such creature, a mighty beast, as large as a small country and entirely undiscovered. We have found why the creature has intercepted us: we have accidentally taken captive some of its children. Shapers, the wild creatures I mentioned, it seems they form a symbiotic bond with the creature, and live happily within its stomach."

He frowns, considering this.

"Shapers, I should mention, are creatures that briefly infested our fair BASE. The issue was dealt with, though we kept some for experimentation. The coelacanth took issue with this, it seems. It can speak, of course; we are stranded very near its head, and if you wish to ask it a question, I implore you to do so. The creature is older than creation—older than me—and only speaks once to any creature it encounters. It's said its wisdom brings kings to their knees."

His eyes crinkle in humor.

"My name is Chiron and I am the caretaker of this place, for those of you whom I have not had the pleasure of meeting. More importantly, I am a trainer and a teacher of some experience; if you wish training or schooling of any sort, do summon me. I will be happy to assist."

He's easy to contact, often found in the library, the training area, his capsule, or elsewhere in the station, attempting to fix what he understands and arguing with crows.

"We intended to spend this time exploring, for this is a rare opportunity to discover more of an entirely uncharted world. I hasten you to see if anything on the coelacanth can be of use, but be careful. Take only what you need, not what you may want. I intend to learn my lessons well; these creatures are not pets. Takes food, water, and any materials of use to us for our survival and perseverance, but no more. We task you with this: explore the coelacanth, and see what of it can be understood. Bring us back samples, but do try to interrupt the natural habitat as little as possible. We are guests here."

He bows and the action shows a slight limp in one of his back legs.

"I would join you, but I am far too old for such activities. Still, do pepper me with any questions you should encounter. I am always available on the network, or in person, within this hulking mass we call home."

And then he leaves you to find your capsules and rest.

CAPSULE ASSIGNMENTS

Once you've found your room and settled in—perhaps taken a shower, collected clothes, and eaten—a droid will approach you with camping equipment and give you a brief explanation of how to access and use the database. It's time to get your gear and go.

Of course, you can decline. You can stay and tend to the fort, maybe try and clean up this patchwork jumble of metal and machinery. But seeing the sights on the back of a giant fish flying through non-space? Who can say no to that?


the undiscovered country.

BASE's airlocks open into a lush valley, vibrant with color and rustling with life that has thrived on the coelacanth's back for millennia. It's a striking shift from the rot and gunfire of Gallipoli, unmarked by shrapnel, bombshells, and never-fresh air.

No, the air here is clean in a way that can leave you breathless, untouched by pollutants and stirred into a gentle breeze. It's a marked departure for anyone used to a more modern Earth or rough equivalent; letting the air sit on your tongue leaves a crisp, unsullied taste behind. And the whole forest feels alive, in a way that reminds you of how small you really are.

A white crow perches in a tree near BASE's exit, too high up to properly engage but a stark contrast to the bright leaves around her. She merely watches recruits come and go with a shrewd eye, feathers fluffed against the light chill. There are other crows scattered throughout the wilderness, some easier to find than others as they flit through the trees, sit on camping equipment, or hitch rides on the hoverbikes.

Besides those brief flashes of black feathers, however, you're left unsupervised.

Try not to fuck up anything too badly.

EXPLORE:INFOPAGE|DATABASE
talk to a fish | destruction report

NAV. NETWORK LOGS OOC MEMES PLURK

Comments

prompto argentum | ffxv: selfie edition

[millimeter]

1 | MESS HALL MESS;

[So showers are a godsend. A lot of basic things in BASE are a godsend, after spending weeks in the filthy, sickening trenches of Gallipoli. And Prompto appreciates it a hell of a lot, which is why he's properly clean—to the point he's probably semi-unrecognizable to anyone who met him in 1916—and not complaining about clothes that only kind of fit him. He isn't even whining about his hair, floppy and unstyled as it is, but that might be a direct result of his head resting on one arm and him being...well, passed the fuck out at a table in the mess hall.

He's still clutching a fork stabbed into the half-eaten disaster on his plate, even in his sleep. He honestly looks pretty stupid.

Please wake him up before he snores or does something else dumb, like talk in his sleep.]

2 | BIG FISH;

A | TAKE HIS CAMERA AWAY;

Oh man! Look at this!!!

[Those extra exclamation marks are practically visible as Prompto gestures excitedly to the landscape, waving a camera around in one hand.]

There are so many colors—have you ever seen anything like it? I gotta take a closer look.

[Spoken as he eagerly trots off in the direction of a hoverbike, camera half raised. He is so ready to forget about Gallipoli.]

B | IMPROMPTO [sic] PHOTO OP;

[He's indiscriminate. He takes pictures of everything, including anyone unfortunate enough to happen upon him. Did you just walk by an innocuous body of water? A colorful plant? To inspect a weird animal? No matter what it is, cue one sincerely jazzed photography nerd spinning towards you with a camera in front of his face. There's a click, maybe two (maybe more if you hold still long enough), and he has a huge grin on his face.

In some cases, if you walk a little too far a little too fast (i.e., before he can get a clear picture), he'll even blurt out—] Wait! Lemme get this shot! [—whether he knows you or not. Just wait for the embarrassment to catch up with him.

On the flip side, if he does know you, there's a good chance he's the one who dragged you out here in the first place. I'm so sorry.]

C | SELFIE SHOT;

[If it's in the database, Prompto wants a picture of it. Yes, even the dangerous stuff. He might try to recruit you into helping him out, if you look up for it, with a quick tap on the shoulder and a bright:] Hey, you got a minute?

[...Or you might catch him testing his own luck. Sometimes he trails relatively harmless critters like bunnyhawks and dragokeets, but other times it's bigger creatures like jaybears and kelpies. Occasionally, he outright takes a selfie with the unsuspecting wildlife. His sense of self-preservation is fundamentally broken with a camera in his hands; the one he has fortunately isn't a fixed lens, but it was not made with distance shots in mind.

So yeah, it's possible he's standing dangerously close to a moon mist or aetherian sphinx or literally anything else, oblivious to its proximity with his vision obscured by a viewfinder. Please tell him off before he's gored by a wild animal. Or, uh, hang out and watch what happens. Either/or.]

3 | EXPLORATION DLC;

A | GROSS BUG HORROR SORRY;

You probably don't wanna go that way.

[Prompto looks up, seated next to a jar filled with drifting nettle. He's been using it to check out his arm, discolored by red welts; it's dark in this part of the woods and the jar has better area coverage than the flashlight in the dirt next to him.]

There are a lot of bugs. [And possibly dead things filled with more bugs.]

B | HOLLYWOOD AMNESIA;

[Originally, Prompto had been drawn by the light trees, visibly peppering the deep overhangs of a nearby mountain, even at a distance. What he'd found instead was a massive field of flowers, rooted in the rocky terrain.

They smell like pizza.]

Hi! [He turns, cheerful enough, even though he looks extremely confused.]

I can't feel my face. [He says it remarkably offhanded, even as he rests both hands on his cheeks.] Is that normal?

C | PSEUDO LABYRINTH;

[Alternatively, after Prompto ends up here at some ambiguous point in the future:]

@QUICKSILVER | @ALL

can someone with a bike please come get me 😑
i'm stuck out by the fish's tail and i'm rrrreally ready to leave

4 | WILDCARD;

[Obligatory, for BASE and things that aren't photo ops.]

2...B...

[deem]

[Moving a little too fast for any human isn't anything new for 9S, and he's a black-clad blur as he breezes right on by. There's a lot of territory to cover, and as the only Scanner in the ranks, clearly it falls to him to record all the (nigh impossible to read) map data for this new locale.

He's a unit on a mission. That is, until he's spoken to, and then he halts so abruptly as to appear unnatural, glancing over his shoulder. Don't mind what looks like a blindfold over his eyes, good human]

...You want to shoot me?

[Seriously? Not that he'd object if it's for the good of mankind of something like that, but it does hurt, and he'd like to think there'd be a good explanation to go with such a demand]

[millimeter]

[The blindfold visibly makes Prompto pause, head tilting to the side, before he just as quickly snaps upright.]

What? No—or I mean, yeah! With a camera.

[He holds up the camera, in lieu of a more thorough explanation.]

I'm taking pics. The lighting's really good here.

[deem]

[9S tips his head, glancing at the camera for a brief, thoughtful moment.

Then he's back to looking back up at this guy]

Soooo...that's a camera. [Looks ancient, but he'll allow it] And you shoot things with it?

[What's this guy call firing a gun?]

@JUGGALO

[masque]

wow, you're way out there. on my way.

how'd you get so far on foot?

[millimeter]

i didn't walk all of it!
but since there aren't a lot of bikes i let someone else use mine to get back to base
i figured another one would be out here soon enough but it turns out THAT was a mistake 🤷

[masque]

holy shit. lmao [WHO IS THIS MORON...]

okay. it'll be a little while, you don't see my coordinates, but i'm nowhere close. are you safe at least?

1...

[garbagepilot]

[The moment that she sees him, Rey knows she should have done something more than she did after her escape from the Regency's little prison. A lifetime of no one worrying about her has been hard to shake, though, and once she was free... well, she didn't stop to think about the people who saw her getting taken away.

She didn't think that anyone would really notice, all things considered, but Prompto was there. Prompto deserved better, and so when she catches him trying to nap in his dinner she sits down beside him, puts a hand on his shoulder, and gives him a little shake.]

Your food is going to get cold. Or... well, warm. It's going to get one of those things.

[millimeter]

[He starts awake, dropping the fork and blindly patting the seat next to him—reflexively looking for a rifle that isn't there—and there's a delayed second before his brain catches up and he successfully focuses on her.

His eyes widen.]

Rey. [His relief is practically palpable and he touches her arm, before he leans over to hug her.] You're ok.

[garbagepilot]

[Guilt stabs through her just from the look on his face, settling heavy and sour in her stomach. It was wrong, so wrong, not to reach out to him, and even though she's stiff when he first gets his arms around her she forces herself to let it happen.

It doesn't take long for her to wrap her arms around him too, though, not when a hug is sort of exactly what she needs at the moment. She even tucks her chin against his shoulder, leans into him just a little more.]

I'm okay. I'm sorry I didn't say something sooner.

2a

[heilt]

I have not.

( angela can appreciate the colour and the wildlife, the air that is not thick with blood and pain. it's so refreshing to be somewhere that hair an air of peace to it, and the opportunity to even think about enjoying the time )

They're so lovely to see. Do you think they're everywhere?

( a placed filled with colour and flowers. how pleasant )

[millimeter]

[He spins around midstep, brow creasing.]

Maybe? I dunno, that's what I wanna find out!

[But there's a moment's delay as he remembers they're supposed to take the bikes in pairs. He bounces from enthusiastic to awkward in seconds.]

Um. Do you wanna come with? I'm Prompto! [Added as an afterthought.]

[heilt]

Angela. ( she gives him a smile, look at the bike before nodding ) That would be nice, having someone to share the exploration with.

( a friend that also admires the beauty, someone to talk to it about. it'll be fun )

2B

[reillumination]

[ Ryo'd found himself a small colony(?)... flock(?) dragokeet earlier today and had been quite contented to spend some time with the gaggle of them. At the very least, that's how Prompto would have stumbled across him to begin with. He's engaged in mumbled, one-sided conversation with them as he takes a smoke break. Leaned up against the side of one of the hoverbikes, one dragokeet has made an artful mess of his hair and is swaying along on his shoulder with whatever music he has going. It's low, but a few of the dragokeet have a taken up the lyrics into their vocabulary and have formed a disorganized loop around the main chorus.

Though, that changes quickly. At the first whir of the shutter, it isn't just the dragokeets who temporarily startle. It's Ryo. Ryo, who jerks to see who in the world has decided to join him, which in turn sends the dragokeet on his shoulder into a riot of profanities in part because its perch is no longer stable and in part because Ryo smacks whatever song he had going off. The whole crowd of them seem unhappy with his choice, wailing out bits and pieces they'd picked up elsewhere.

Despite how off-guard he was taken, he recovers quickly enough and pulls himself into some appearance of calm. Well, if it wasn't for the way his brows pinch together in vague irritation, the corners of his mouth tugging down. ]

You should ask before taking people's pictures, [ he tries to point out, but it comes as a grumble instead as his fingers tug the fabric of his upturned collar close. He pointedly does not look in Prompto's direction. Is he embarrassed?

That's a safe bet, considering the sudden flush that stains across the bridge of his nose, the only part he can't hide behind his coat. He tried, at least. ]

[millimeter]

Sorry!

[He blurts it out, because the embarrassment is contagious. And he feels really guilty for startling Ryo and the dragokeets; the natural lighting and composition—balanced between the hoverbike on one side and Ryo on the other—just made for a really good picture.

With the dragokeets, it had been...peaceful. It wasn't the kind of thing you could pose.]

If, uh, you don't wanna be in any pics—I can delete it. [He laughs a little, nervous.] I forget people don't like their picture taken sometimes.

[reillumination]

[ It sure is. It sure is.

The dragokeets upkeep their chorus for a moment or two, interspersing lyrics with Ask! Ask! Ask! and a perfect mimicry of the camera shutter, but they seem to settle down in the same way Ryo manages to. He takes a breath, his fingers starting to relinquish their hold on the fabric. He looks more like a mess now than he did earlier, his hair kicked up in the back more-so than usual thanks to his shouldered companion. Said companion blinks its dark eyes at Prompto and throws in one more camera whir for good measure before Ryo manages to lift his spare hand and wave it in a little, dismissive gesture. It also functions to clear the ash from his cigarette, but that's just a bonus. ]

It's okay, [ he says, still not quite looking at him. That's about as close to an acceptance as Ryo's going to give. He brings the cigarette up to his lips and takes a drag, almost steadying. On his sighed exhalation, the dragokeet on his shoulder flaps one, colorful wing to clear the smoke from its periphery. ] You can keep it.

[ The implication to warn him next time goes unsaid, but Ryo scuffs his boot across the earth instead. ]

2C

[synergise]

[ oh god, doesn't this just look like a recipe for disaster.

for all that COST seem to have a novel approach to life and death, the prospect of watching prompto get himself into a world of trouble is not one that appeals to shepard. the sphinx is just. too damn close. for all that shepard has a high threshold for patience, there's something about blatant disregard for your own life that puts her a little on edge. there's something about pots and kettles to be said about that opinion, but it's not like they're on a battlefield anymore. COST might want them to pick up samples, get a good feel for the place, but it's not worth getting yourself killed for.

she moves as quickly and quietly as she can, endeavouring to grab prompto by the scruff of the neck to pull him back around a tree, putting a painfully small bit of distance between them and the sphinx. it mercifully seems to be unaware of their presence, and shepard speaks in a quiet, quick hiss, close to prompto's ear. ]

Do you have any idea how goddamn close you are to that thing? With a — [ wtf even is that, it looks as primordial as the coelacanth ] camera?

[millimeter]

[He makes a small sound of surprise when she grabs him, barely the beginnings of a protest, and all that sneaking around in the trenches fortunately means other than that he stays quiet.

He colors with embarrassment at the reprimand, shoulders hitching up beneath his ears, before he whispers back:]

It's hard to get a good shot from far away. [Uh. At least he seems to realize this is the wrong thing to say.] ...I've been closer?

[synergise]

[ neither of those were the right things to say.

shepard's eyes widen for a second, and she opens her mouth, but clearly decides against whatever she was about to say. whether this is because there is some uncomfortably close rustling happening near them, or because she shouldn't be so unkind to someone she doesn't know (is he a teenager? he looks like a teenager) — well, it's probably the latter.

leaning back a little, she gestures silently for him to head to his right, her left. quietly, carefully. he caught on quickly enough to stay quiet, so she has hope! kind of. ]

2B prompto w h y....

[gerechtigkeit]

[The thing about having a dog is that dogs love the outdoors. And the thing about the outdoors is that you have to make sure your dog doesn't fall into holes or anything dangerous while she's walking around. Dogs are curious by nature, which makes Siegfried's trek all around the fish a job and a half, constantly scooping her out of tripping into surprise ditches or being snatched by mysterious plants that want to eat her.

It's after one adventure of having to nearly divebomb to grab her from wobbling her tiny legs over to one of the blade plants that he hears Prompto call out to him, and turns with his husky in his arms as a response.]

...What?

[Somehow he doesn't register that a huge guy like him holding a small dog in his arms is a very weird thing to come across. Hopefully that doesn't matter so much- she's barking in excitement upon seeing Prompto, and trying to wriggle out of Siegfried's arms in order to go meet this new stranger.]

no regrets

[millimeter]

[He snaps four pictures in rapid succession, before he comes closer.]

Is that really a dog? Oh man, are there dogs here?

[He takes another picture for good measure. Sorry, Prompto loves dogs.]

Hey, buddy, aww you're so cute— [He holds out a hand before he glances up at Siegfried.]

Can I...? [Pet her, he means.]

3B I can't feel my face when I'm with yoooooou

[prizeneck]

[If anyone asks, it hadn't been the scent of delicious fast food flowers that brought him there. Just mere curiosity.

So here's a frown.] N...o...

shit prompto would listen to

[millimeter]

Oh.

[He looks downcast, dropping his hands with a frown, but only briefly.]

I guess I should be worried about that? [His face scrunches up.] Like I'm pretty sure that's the right reaction, but I don't actually remember.

2b

[desynched]

[ Lena is taking the opportunity to stretch her legs after being trapped in the trenches for so long. It's beautiful and peaceful here, and she intends to enjoy it.

Of course, her jumping through time is disturbing the wildlife a little and ruining a few photo ops. If Prompto reviews some of his photos, he might see a blue streak of light in the background of a few. Which is probably a cool effect except for when she runs right through his current photo, leaving a blue streak of light right in the middle of it. It's not until she pauses to let her Accelerator recharge that she notices Prompto and registers what he said. ]

Hm? Oh, sorry, did I ruin your photo?

[millimeter]

[At a glance, it looks like warping and that's what initially draws his eye. But—no, it's something different. At least he thinks it's different and he looks at the streak in his photo, bemused, before he blinks up at Lena, curiosity plain on his face.]

—It's a little blurry? I can always take more, though, no biggie. And the light show was pretty cool!

[A beat and then he guesses:] Magic?