⇨ POLARIS 2.0

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: Days 110 - 114
Where: Polaris
What: After a mysterious explosion shakes the station, the staff of Polaris struggle to maintain order while the test subjects fight for freedom with the aid of hidden allies. Productivity info is here.
Warnings: More graphic experimentation.

THEORY & CONCLUSION↴ At the midnight between Day 109 and Day 110, something happens. For most people, it won't be clear what - yet, they are shaken by it just the same. Violent tremors appear out of nowhere, rattling the entirety of the Polar station, violent enough to throw sleeping test subjects off their bunks. The source is unclear, but there is a sudden flurry of activity from staff as power flickers and is lost in various parts of the facility. Subjects, for the most part, will be left to their cells while they try to sort things out. The next morning, the staff are late picking people up. It's more like 6:30AM than the usual 6AM when they arrive to take people to the farm, which is a bit of tardiness that is entirely without precedent. Any questions about the incident the previous night will be waved off with the explanation of 'technical difficulties' that have been 'resolved.' ► DELTA: The three new Deltas will be left in their cells for even longer, waiting to be picked up, instructed that they would be escorted elsewhere instead of to the farm. Around 6:45AM some unfamiliar technicians will arrive and tell them that they are here to begin their processing into Delta. They are led into a previously untouched section of the station, where they are invited into a somewhat more intimate medical room to be asked some cursory questions and given a check up. Then, their suits will be removed, and they will be provided with their new uniforms, which they can apply like normal clothes. Delta life begins there. There will be a top level for the initial parts of their processing to be played out. Ultimately, however, they will end up being given a tour of the new Delta facilities, which amounts to a waterfront area that borders the new apartments they'll be staying in, as well a small supply shop where they can pick up an allotted amount of 'amenities' per day, based on their level of productivity and other achievements. This includes luxury items like food, pleasant smelling soaps, or other hygiene related tools. There are even small things like decorations or pictures of other places available, though they are fairly expensive. The first day will mostly involve the processing, a tour, and some basic training regarding the new tools they will be using, such as the mandatory visors and basic computer access. The next day, observation shifts in the farm will start, as will participation in trials. ► FARMING: The Farm will continue as normal, though it seems like there are fewer staff observing it at the moment. The ones that are there seem a little bit more tense than usual. Power is still down in some places, but the Farm is thankfully still active. Sometimes the productivity turn-in scanners might be a bit glitchy, so try not to panic if it measures fewer points than you're due. ► TRIALS: Trials are continuing as projected, though with the most broad of experiments already under way, they may be more selective. If you have an idea for a trial you can be sure to share it with the staff, and they will take it under advisement! Any information you want to provide is encouraged, they will say, especially if it involves notable traits about you or your fellow test subjects - or perhaps behavioral patterns you've noticed. You might even be rewarded!

Comments

⇨ INVESTIGATION THREADS

[ringleaders]

Below are prompts with specific investigation-based hooks. Some prompts may go up as hooks for specific characters, who may reply as they see fit, but if you find something you'd like to investigate, please make a post here explaining what your character is doing to find out info. All investigation threads will be done in summary form as opposed to going tag by tag.

DON'T BE VAGUE. If you are having your character investigate something, you must explain what your character is specifically doing to find out information. Don't just say "I investigate the Twelve." You have to be more specific, by saying what your character is doing, such as "My character is going to ask the Honorables that brought everyone in who the Twelve are." The more specific you are, the better info you will get in return.

You can also confront NPCs by this method, and you'll get summary posts in return explaining how the situation will unfold based on your actions. Investigation is important for this plot! Various boons and advantages will be given out for characters who make a difference.

Please restrict all investigation actions to one or two actions at a time. Please don't give me a laundry list of the five different things your character is doing, because it makes everything too time-consuming to get through. Stick to one main thing your character is looking into per tag.

Day 111

[chronosynthesis]

SO Syr's got an arm and a Blue Rose connection. After a couple days of struggling to fight against it (and basically having a dud arm), he's going to take a bit of time as deep in the farm as possible for some privacy to try and focus on that connection. Just how close is he to it? Can he reach any power? At least get it to cooperate a little?

[ringleaders]

The Rose parts seem to want to take over so that they can return to the rest of the flower, essentially - which is lost in another dimension somewhere, so it isn't having much luck. At a base level, there aren't many powers to be had, besides a plant hand that can grow and change its shape, not often not in the ways your want it to.

Day 110

[scientificist]

Herbert will suggest a follow-up death test now that he's full of reagent to an available tech. As a side thought he'll suggest a basic reflex and reaction test for his new arms.

[ringleaders]

They will accept his suggestion and tell him that they had been intending on checking up on his new limbs, after they have had sometime to settle in. He will be hearing from them shortly.

Midday on 110

[kingsroads]

An hour or so before noonish on day 110, Strange and Eruka are going to explore some pipes! Strange is hopefully shifting into smoke form and Eruka is hopefully shifting into liquid form: they're going to explore the ventilation system as best they can while trying to remain as stealthy as purple smoke and teal goop can be. They'll be leaving from a ventilation grate in the Farm. Both their smoke form & goop form are rare changes so they should kind of work, but they're both going to be focusing on Ignatius and trying to get a pull from his power so that they can definitely work (this is despite the fact that Ignatius is kind of MIA at the moment. Ain't no shame in hoping even though he's not answering the metaphorical phone!)

The goal of their ventilation system expedition is to at least get visual on Ignatius. Strange is leading the way but both Strange & Eruka are focusing on the connection with Ignatius in the hope that it'll somehow tell them which way to go. Again, this is despite the fact that Iggy's gone mysteriously silent.

(Eruka is mostly here b/c of back-up and also Strange spent a good chunk of time harassing her until she caved and agreed to join in on the plan.)

[ringleaders]

Important question: when they turn into goop/smoke with the power Ignatius has leant them, they'll be leaving their suits behind. What are they doing with those empty suits?

Day 110

[textsfromhotland]

Alphys wants to try out her new horrific brain implant magical girl tiara. She can sense a magical force with it- is there a way for her to figure out what kind of force she's receiving? I.E. is it from a specific person, is it Creation, is it something else entirely, etc?

[ringleaders]

It seems to be fine tuned towards Creation and Void energies specifically, which apply to a lot of things, so it focuses in on abnormally large presences. She'll be able to spot the other Void Touched and Creation Touched with it, especially the ones that just went through the same trial she did.

Evening Day 110

[fourthscribe]

Tanyuu is going to experiment with that spinal implant! First order of business: can she manifest the hood on her own, and can she tell what the implant is using from her to create it?

[ringleaders]

The hood will not manifest on its own, the moment. At the time, it seemed like it was drawing on soul energy, though.

⇨ ALL IGNATIUS CONTRACTS (DAY 110, SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT)

[ringleaders]

This isn't written into the post because I hadn't planned on Ignatius doing it, but he was abruptly inspired to by Strange and Rita, so here we are.

Shortly after the explosion shakes the station, everyone who contracted with Ignatius during the Wyld Hunt will feel an additional flash of warmth in their chests, as if a fragment of fire has awoken inside of them. The feeling is hard to place, and could be missed, but they may find over time that a fraction of their magical abilities have returned to them. We're talking, like, 10% of total, but it's better than nothing. Magic related to fire will be even further enhanced, if they have any.

Additionally, Strange, Rita, Zangetsu, Yuya, Peridot, Childermass will have access to similar, but the flame feels stronger - their magical capability is more like 30% of total, and it can get stronger in moments of passion. Furthermore, they will be able to recognize that the flame feels like Ignatius, from the connections they had with him, but that Ignatius's consciousness is now completely absent from their senses.

Rita and Strange will find this the easiest to wield, as fire magic is integral to them. Ignatius's sudden absence after their spiritual communication with them will be extra noticeable, too. The only thing out there that feels like him is now inside of their hearts.

[periphrasing]

Peridot is certainly awake from that explosion, and when she feels that surge of power, she's not going to waste any time.

First thing's first: Can she get that gauntlet summoned up? Or is 30% power still not enough for that?

[betheman]

After it becomes clear that a trickle of magic is back, Gongenzaka is likely to try summoning his daemon in a more hidden location of the farm; a 'corn' field, etc. Sometimes it's helpful to talk your ideas out!

Given all the magic is at a measly 10%, would there be enough juice for that? Or even for the lesser, 'invisible ghostly' version?

Day 108-early 110-ish

[whattaprick]

Lambert's in Theta now, and while it isn't ideal on a lot of levels, it's not a commitment to giving up and dying. As much as he can during whatever they're doing to him, he'll try to keep his focus and keep his eyes and ears peeled.

Where would he have been on the night of Iggy's shakeup? Could he have observed/overheard anything of note from the technicians then and after?

Does he get given any specific instruction on the duties he's expected to perform as Theta, and how he's expected to interact with the other test subjects (if at all)?

⇨ DELTA PROCESSING (DAY 110)

[npcarnival]

Finally, the new Deltas are collected from their cells and brought to a section of the Polaris station that they've never been before. Far away from the medical bays that trials have been performed, Rita, Tyki, and Yukio are brought into a more intimately styled examination room, where they are taken out of their suits and given one last check up with separate technicians.

Once they are done, they are given their new uniforms and offered a small changing room to put them on - a tiny amount of human dignity and privacy. Once they are dressed, they will be gathered up into a group, and taken into a new medical bay be 'assigned their visors.'

When they arrive, there is an operating chair set up with an open gap set up to be at the back of the head and neck, with some ominous looking machinery behind it, as if it's intended for some kind of skull implant. Also, Sans is there!

Sans is already in the uniform, and is wearing a black visor similar to the ones that the other technicians wear, except that it covers a large portion of his skull given that he has seven eyes. He waves at them as they enter, seeming very casual about the whole thing.

"This is Delta-701," one of the other technicians say, gesturing to Sans, as if he's a new person they don't know for some reason. "They were the first of your test group to be welcomed into Delta, and so they will be helping with your introductions today."

"Hi," Sans says, doing a pretty good job of sounding like there's nothing uncomfortable about this at all.

"Before we can proceed," the technician goes on, we will need to install your cranial implants, and sync them with a standard visor. With the visor, you will be able to access pertinent statistics and information about materials and test subjects as you work." They look to Rita. "Delta-702, please take a seat."

Based on the designations given earlier, that's her.

Day 110

[periphrasing]

So, Peridot made note of the visible cameras on the farm right from the get-go. Now that she has 30% of her metal powers back, how about those hidden cameras? Are they present around the farm as well? And are there any other metallic devices hidden around the farm?

Also. If she investigates the suits they're all wearing, is there any sort of indication of magic recording devices installed directly in them? (Should've asked this in the last log whooooops)

D110

[atouts]

Childermass will, at some point during this day, try out using his magic. He initially tried shadow teleportation but couldn't quite get it to go so next time he has a moment, out of direct sight of any technicians, he'll attempt calling up a very small shadow construct (about the size of a sparrow or mouse). Is he able to do that much?

[hippocarnival]

General status check: from the farm, to hallways, to trial rooms, to cells, how many travel-sized reflections are visible or available? Either in liquid or solid forms.

D112

[atouts]

Childermass is getting a little worried about trials and, not wanting to end up in Theta, will actually approach the technicians with the only trump card of interest he has. He'll bring up the Portland trial and mention the spell there didn't just make him a Winter changeling but a faeblooded one as well, in case that's something they might want to follow up on.

[anti_nonsense]

Questions about Delta:

1) What kind of geographic information does their visors give them? Do they have a full map of the facilities? Which areas do they have / not have access to?

2) What's the day-to-day Delta work like? What sort of 'daily assignments' do they get?

3) When observing people working in the Farm, what are they looking for? Are they just making notes of who's slacking and who's making an effort and recording it with the visor HUD, or is there something else they're doing?

4) Does the visor HUD provide information about test subjects besides their classifications/numbers? Can they look up someone's medical or behavioural records?

[reflash]

Yukio's curious about True Names and the numbering system used here! Would there have been any obvious name weirdness when it comes to calling people by their names or designations (prior to the 112 true name trials)?

THETA + GILD

[whattaprick]

Couple of questions on Theta:

1. Now that he’s been in Theta longer, is there anything useful Lambert could have picked up from observation about how his cell opens/closes and how much security he’d typically be under during different times of the day? Do the technicians stick to a fairly set routine?

2. Is there any opportunity for him to run into Peridot in Theta, or are they limited to trying to catch each other on the Farm?

And a couple of questions for Gild:

1. Where exactly is Polaris located? Are they in a Winter Realm or something else?

2. Does Gild’s plant have an idea of where their taken shit has been stored, or are they best off using the Mark for that?

3. How does the finding things function of her powers work? Can they only look for specific concepts like “Steven’s gem” or can they look for more abstract concepts like “the things taken from us”? Will it just plant the location in their minds, or is it like a tug/intuition that lets them to orient where it is?

[prazerbutterfly]

New Questions about Delta...

1) How is Security different from Research? More specifically, are they given anything special that is separate from the other team. I understand they don't have access to security info.

2) Is there a curfew or force sleep placed upon the Deltas within their scheduling or are they expected to do so on their own if needed?

3) Is Security's day to day routine different than Research or is it moderately the same?

REGARDING MARK

[atouts]

I'm just going to double-check for certainty. I know Gild's mark can boost magic. Can he actually use it to boost his shadow teleportation into working properly?