astrogator: (pic#15819322)
Lieutenant Ari Tayrey ([personal profile] astrogator) wrote in [community profile] come_sailaway2022-11-23 06:04 pm

To infinity...and beyond? (Semi-open)

Who: Ari Tayrey + willing CR + anyone else who wants in
What: Mini-plot: an expedition to determine what kind of infinite this store really is
When: 25-29??? November
Where: The Infinite Tommy Bahama
Warnings: None yet
Notes: First prompt is a text message sent to Ari's friendly-ish CR - replies are welcome even from people who don't want to take part! Other prompts are open but please note that participating characters will potentially be in the store for up to 4/5 days. Party post rules are fine, start your own toplevels and tag people other than Ari if you like. ((I checked with our lovely mod about what would happen if they tried this!))



1. Texting

I have a plan. I want to see just how infinite this Tommy Bahama is. Multi-day expedition for data collection? It could be informative. Maybe fun, too. Interested in coming along?

- Tayrey

2. Preparing

Even people who don't know Ari well may notice that something is up. It's not often that people walk into Tommy Bahama wearing backpacks full of supplies. There's some last-minute preparation going on here, as well as a last-minute opportunity to join the expedition. Expect Ari to want to check and make sure everyone has all the essentials with them. She's used to preparing for trips to uninhabited and potentially hostile planets, and it shows. Don't mind the fussing. She wouldn't do it if she didn't care.

3. Exploring

Despite all the promises, the expedition is - well, boring might be an accurate description, unless you're really invested in the outcome. There's a lot of walking past the same racks of clothes, over and over and over. Infinite length doesn't mean infinite variety.

Ari's fascinated, and she'll be chattering about loop programming to anyone who will listen, and attempting to measure the distance between one rack of garishly-patterned bikinis and the next iteration of that very same rack. She'll encourage tests, too - what happens if you completely destroy one of the displays? Is the destruction repeated? (Spoiler alert: no, it's not that kind of loop, but let's try it a few times anyway and make sure?)

Maybe you give up and head back after a few hours. Maybe you have a run-in with the Bahamanal. Maybe you join in with Ari's ridiculous spacer song singalong - she is in a good mood. It's Tommy Bahama, anything could happen.

4. Relaxing

Ari pushes the pace on the first day, because it comes naturally to do so, and possibly, subconsciously, to weed out anyone who isn't serious about this and is going to cause them problems once they're a long way in. Eventually, though, it's time to stop for the night. There's not a campfire, but it's a fine social occasion just the same. Ari's brought some Serena Eterna branded playing cards, and she's up for a little gambling. Maybe you have some other entertainment ideas. Don't stay up too long, though - see if you can't make a nice nest of clothes to bed down in. There's plenty of walking to do tomorrow.

5. Emerging

Plenty of data has been collected about the repeating displays, but there's no end in sight to this store. Is it really infinite? If there's a way to answer that question, this expedition won't do it. It's over two days in when the group realises that they're over halfway through the supplies they brought. Time to turn around, whether that leaves you disappointed or delighted.

Unfortunately, there are no tricks of perception or proportion here. It'll take just as long to walk out as it did to walk in. Look on the bright side, at least you're carrying less weight? Finally, on the fifth day, the intrepid explorers who stayed the distance catch sight of the store entrance up ahead. Who saw it first?

6. Wildcard

Anything else you want to do! (Just let me know if I need to add warnings to the header :) )
i_ink_therefore_i_ammy: (Default)

[personal profile] i_ink_therefore_i_ammy 2022-11-28 01:57 am (UTC)(link)

"I do not believe we have, though I have met Ylva. You may call me Ammy." She steps closer, just close enough to be within petting distance. Her tail wags, scattering bits of fluffy white fur. A hazard of being a big fluffy dog.

configuration_birdwatcher: Bastion looking forwards, down, and to their right, with the camera looking up at them from around chest height. (what's that)

[personal profile] configuration_birdwatcher 2022-11-28 02:39 am (UTC)(link)
// Acknowledged. Hi Ammy. Their tired voice doesn't sound any different from their normal voice.

Oh, she's approaching them. Does she want something? They don't have any food. What else do dogs and wolves like? A lot of their background processes have deactivated to save power, so pulling miscellaneous information out of their long-term storage is taking longer than usual. They don't have anything to throw, either. There's one option left.

// Do you want me to pet you? This is a completely earnest, non-rhetorical question.
i_ink_therefore_i_ammy: (Default)

[personal profile] i_ink_therefore_i_ammy 2022-11-28 02:51 am (UTC)(link)

"Oh! Yes, absolutely. Only if you want to do so, of course, but most enjoy it!" Amaterasu is not at all abashed at having their less than subtle hinting pointed out. The lack of animals on the ship has resulted in a lot of people wanting to pet the doggess, a state of affairs she's quite satisfied with.

configuration_birdwatcher: Bastion looking up and to their right (the camera's left) (looking up)

[personal profile] configuration_birdwatcher 2022-11-28 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
Bastion reaches out and ruffles the hair on the back of Amaterasu's head. It's very soft.
i_ink_therefore_i_ammy: (Default)

[personal profile] i_ink_therefore_i_ammy 2022-11-28 03:20 am (UTC)(link)

Ammy gives a doggy grin, tail swishing side to side. This robot is definitely friendly! "It is very good to meet you!"

Edited 2022-11-28 03:22 (UTC)
configuration_birdwatcher: Bastion kneels down by some flowers and picks one of them. Ganymede watches from their shoulder. (picking a flower)

[personal profile] configuration_birdwatcher 2022-11-29 12:16 am (UTC)(link)
There's something soothing about the rhythmic motion as they continue to perform it. Ruffle ruffle ruffle.

// Nice to meet you too. Are you always this shape?

They still haven't remembered to introduce themself.
i_ink_therefore_i_ammy: (Default)

[personal profile] i_ink_therefore_i_ammy 2022-11-29 03:25 am (UTC)(link)

"For the most part, yes. Different people see slightly different things, but I am always canine." Amaterasu has no reason to lie, especially not while getting such good pettings!

She supposes she could have been something else, if she had truly wanted. Perhaps still could? But why would she? Being a dog is just about perfect!

configuration_birdwatcher: In-game spray art of Bastion in recon form from the waist up, using their self-repair arm and surrounded by a circular yellow banner that says IN REPAIR (in repair)

[personal profile] configuration_birdwatcher 2022-11-29 10:20 am (UTC)(link)
// Always organic? They attempt, repeatedly, to embed in their message an image of a Slicer model omnic chassis - often compared to canines by humans, to whom it apparently doesn't matter that each individual unit has two legs instead of four - and can't figure out why it doesn't work. Just as well, since if it did go through it'd probably be in the form of a long and incomprehensible string of letters and numbers along the lines of what happens when you open a jpeg in a text editor.
i_ink_therefore_i_ammy: (Default)

[personal profile] i_ink_therefore_i_ammy 2022-11-29 03:33 pm (UTC)(link)

Ammy tilts her head for a moment, before going back to happy dog panting, "I was a statue, for a time. Though that was more a form of temporary rest than anything else."

configuration_birdwatcher: Bastion from the shoulders up with dizzy spirals around their head, looking downwards. (dizzy)

[personal profile] configuration_birdwatcher 2022-11-30 02:16 pm (UTC)(link)
// Is it like turning off? Do you have outside input? They find the idea alarming enough that some urgency is coming through in their tone. Still petting her though.
i_ink_therefore_i_ammy: (Default)

[personal profile] i_ink_therefore_i_ammy 2022-12-09 08:06 pm (UTC)(link)

"Mostly like a long nap. I was somewhat aware of the world, but it took a call to action to wake up." The night of Orochi's return. Not, truly, the worst night, but certainly among them. It all turned out okay, in the end, though.

configuration_birdwatcher: Bastion from the shoulders up with dizzy spirals around their head, looking downwards. (dizzy)

[personal profile] configuration_birdwatcher 2022-12-10 01:39 am (UTC)(link)
// I can't nap, says the world's tiredest robot. // I'm alert or inert.

If they had more energy, they might be able to exposit upon the differences between sleep for organics, with its dreams and alternate patterns of brain activity, and the omnic recharge cycle, which entirely shuts off most of their consciousness and leaves just enough to maintain a few basic functions and react to emergency conditions.

Now they're thinking about their low battery. Oh no.