EVENT ★ ZETA-12 FINAL WEEK

[futurologists]

ZETA-12: FINAL WEEK After team Audentes makes it out of the desert in more or less one piece, they'll begin to notice the environment changing once again. After the sparseness of the sands and canyons, vegetation and water once again become more common; eventually, they've found a lush jungle with plants and rivers both plentiful. And like the changing environment, the squidges once again begin to transform. Please select an evolution according to your choice. Please note, you must have submitted your choice to the thread in the previous logs in order for your squidge to evolve. For those who encountered the cave: If they went into the cave, their squidge has taken on one of the following features: a fox-like tail, an armadillo snout (with tongue!), or enhanced sense of smell. However, if they stayed above, their squidge has one of these: a beak, a prehensile tail, or enhanced sense of hearing. THE JUNGLE (WEEK 6) The jungle air is thick with humidity, light barely filtering down past the dense canopy of leaves overhead. Unlike the forest back at the beginning of the journey here, the climate in the jungle is almost stifling, so recruits may want to look for refreshing Rainbow Berries to snack on and keep their energy up -- but keep an eye out for the Lucifer's Poppy, as its effects can cause the journey to reach an abrupt end. Rivers wind through the jungle, with waterfalls ending in relaxing pools where recruits can try to beat the heat and spend some extra time with their squidges as the journey's end approaches. Like the other biomes, there are no creatures here -- no birds, no bugs, no jungle cats -- but that doesn't mean that recruits can leave their guard down entirely. Apart from various poison plants (such as the Beezlebulb and the Malboro) other hazards to look out for include slippery, moss-covered ground cover that may cause a hapless recruit to lose their footing, and the dangers of heat exhaustion. Unlike the previous biomes, there is no major choice for recruits to make here. Instead, they must bathe their squidge in the Wellspring, a bubbling, faintly glowing pool of water in the depths of the jungle. The Wellspring is responsible for triggering the squidges' final transformation and allowing them to grow into adulthood. In order for squidges to evolve into an adult, squidge parents must have completed a certain amount of tasks during the Zeta-12 mission. If these tasks were not completed, the squidge will not evolve and will remain in its larval stage. The evolution form can be found on this post. Squidges who successfully evolve into adults will grow in size, anywhere between 122-183cm (4-6'). They will loosely retain their rounded shapes, their limbs and torsos elongating, and any physical transformations will also grow with their size. In adulthood, squidges are less needy and frightened than in their larval stage, and generally have a calm demeanor (with exceptions made if they happened to pick up an aggressive trait along the journey, of course). Their language remains a wordless burbling, but they can communicate with their caregivers through gestures. After bathing their squidges in the Wellspring, regardless of the success of evolutions, recruits should prepare to depart Zeta-12 with the knowledge that their alien children are better, stronger, and smarter for the time they spent together. OOC NOTES This log lasts ICly for one week, and OOCly for 1.5 weeks. Once the mission is completed and the squidges are bathed in the Wellspring, recruits will have until August 20th to say goodbye and let their alien wards leave the metaphorical nest. Direct questions about the Zeta-12 mission here. And don't forget about the bounty board! After August 20th, Zeta-12 bounties will no longer be completable. Please remember to fill out your squidge success form! Participation is required to pass AC this month. If you have any questions about the form, please direct them here. Forms must be completed by August 31th, 23:59 UTC.

Comments

[winces]

[ sapphire perks up with lucida comes into view, and after some wriggling he gets himself off of the rock and onto the dirt to waddle over beside her. shyly, he offers the pack of film towards her... as if it were his to give. ]

Oh, not at all! [ not that olivia knows the value of limited film yet or anything. ]

It's the least I can do to repay you!

[boneafide]

[Wow even if it's limited are you really going to be a stickler here when it's PAPYRUS

Regardless, Papyrus takes the film, and looks it over.]

Uh... I think... it goes in, like this...

[Look, he doesn't usually use film cameras... But it's easy enough to figure out. He brings the camera's viewfinder up to his eyesocket, and then takes a few steps back.]

When you take a picture, you want to look through the little window, and make sure everything is in the square that you want a picture of! Are you ready? The person holding the camera then goes, "Say Cheese!" And you say "cheese" although I don't know why?

Okay, "Say Cheese!"

[winces]

[ to olivia's credit, she lets him take over with ease. she is curious as she watches, careful to memorize his movements so that she might replicate them herself when need be.

but she freezes when he is suddenly pointing the thing at her, and she looks around in a bit of a panic. ]

Ch-Cheese...?

[ what an odd procedure. ]

[boneafide]

[ Well, hope she's smiling in that one, because he snaps the picture. There's a flash of light, which he neglected to mention would happen. Whoops. ]

[winces]

[ olivia jerks back with a sharp shriek, hands flying up instinctively to shield her face.

IS SHE BLIND???? ]

[boneafide]

What?? Olivia??

[ Papyrus pulls away from the camera, rushing over. ]

Is something wrong??

[winces]

[ she reaches for him when he nears, her eyes wide. ]

It — It exploded..! Didn't it...?

[boneafide]

No...?

[Here look, here it is. In one piece.]

Oh!! You're afraid of the flash! That's a normal part of the camera! Also temporary blindness is also a part of the camera. Welcome to the future, Olivia!!

[winces]

[ she can't help but cringe at all this... development...! ]

I'm not sure if I like this future.

[boneafide]

[Speaking of development, is this an instant Polaroid camera or...]

It's a great future! Oh, wait, do you... not know... what refrigerators are either??

[winces]

[ lsjkdal it is................ ]

Um... No..? Do those take pictures as well?

[boneafide]

[And, given that enough time has passed now, the camera begins to spit out a piece of white paper. Or, what seems like white paper. Papyrus then removes it from the camera, and begins to wave it back and forth. You know, casually, like people always do.]

No, no, it's where you put food! I think I'm going to have to teach everyone about this... Ban had no idea what it was either!! Good thing you have me, the coolest and most hip skeleton around to educate you on these things!

[winces]

[ you're actually not supposed to do that papyrus, outkast has lied to you. ]

Oh, um... Yes, thank you very much! I cook a lot, so maybe I have encountered this cool and hip regurgitator before!

[boneafide]

[Of all the things he's been taught wrong, this is probably the least of your concerns.]

...No, no, it's... refrigerator.

[winces]

[ and now he's the one teaching her ??????? concerned is right. ]

Isn't that what I said?

[boneafide]

[wow]

... Anyway! Here, look at your picture!!

[What a good subject change, as he thrusts the photo into her hands.]