(open) mission: hit the beach

[aithinkthereforeaiam]

Date & Time: July 18th-24th, Exsilium Time
Location: Sea Shore during the Late Cretaceous Period
Characters: All! Oh those pesky mandatory missions.
Summary: In lieu of the success of the space shuttle's test flight, all of the Transports have been sent back to the Cretaceous period to gather mineral supplies and volcanic rock, while doubling as a sort of 'vacation' and chance to get Transports out of the Initiative's hair. With well stocked supplies, camping gear, and more burlap sacks than anyone could possibly ever use, the Transports have been set under a protective dome and told to collect what they can... and to enjoy the sunshine.
Warnings: Shenanigans!

The overflow log can be found HERE!

It's almost surreal, the quality of color, of light, of oxygen saturation in the air once people arrive. It's so rich that the Initiative sent people back with respirators, to help ease the transition, and warned those who would listen about the effects of too much oxygen on a system.

What they don't warn for is the sheer alien familiarity of the landscape, the warmth, the roughness of the sand on the beaches. This is not the fine, sandy beaches out of vacation dreams, but a rougher, larger granule sort, with shells that might be recognizeable as ancestors to ones those from Earth would remember washing up on familiar beaches, millions of years later.

Most striking is the lack of abundant wildlife found among the fronds and leaves and foliage, or underneath the surface of the saltier, much warmer waters extending off the beach. While acting as a permeable membrane to oxygen and water, along with the sorts of phytoplankton that kept sea creatures alive, all the larger animals had been pushed out by the Initiative's installment of the safety dome. Along the transparent walls, curious creatures would come close, peer in, tap against the barrier and run off if frightened, but very few were found inside at any size larger than that of a house cat. It was for the better in the long run.

Too bad that the Initiative didn't have ultra-violet blocking technology in their shielding. For all the atmosphere is in much better shape millions of years in the past, the sun is as strong as ever, and the unwary will be burned through and through if they're not careful.

Comments

[debtor]

[Allen, meanwhile, hatless (though seeing Oz's, it occurs to him that that might've been a good idea), wearing long sleeves and a glove on his left hand, like a proper beach-goer. He approaches while Oz is sketching prehistoric critters,]

Hello, Oz.

[and leans closer to get a better look at his work.]

You're quite good!

[IMPRESSED BY ANYTHING BETTER THAN HIS OWN ART SKILLS which is literally everything.]

[velveteened]

( there's a smallish herbivore napping near the barrier that he's sketching, watching it intently enough that he doesn't notice allen's approach. the idea is that, pictures in hand, he'll be able to research more about the creatures they're seeing now. there's the camera on the devices of course, but it's not something that's really occurred to him.

he looks up when allen speaks, smiles at the compliment. )

You think so? Thank you.

( he's no prodigy, but the art classes haven't been wasted on him either. )

[debtor]

I do! Do you draw a lot? It looks just like that [ peering at the dinosaur. . . ]

- er, whatever that is.

[velveteened]

( he shakes his head )

Honestly, I'm a little out of practice; but I used to have an art tutor. ( looks from the dinosaur back to his sketch critically! ) I want to find out what this is when we get back.

[debtor]

[Allen crouches down, tilting his head at the animal.]

I'm a little surprised, none of the dinosaurs look how I thought they would. Do you think somebody in Exsilium will know what sort it is?

[velveteened]

( he erases a detail of the sketch, drawing it back in hopefully more accurately. by the look on his face, though, he doesn't seem totally convinced it is. )

Even if they don't, it has to be in a book somewhere.

[debtor]

[Allen glances at him as he does, and thinks he's being slightly weird, because the drawing looked fine already!!]

I guess so. I hear the Initiative's library is quite extensive. [Not that Allen's. really ventured into it, more than once or twice.]

[velveteened]

( he's still frowning absently at the paper. it's not finished yet but is it really accurate enough! what if that weird scale thing is really unique to this species and he's copied it down wrong? )

It is. ( the librarian hates him, but he's spent plenty of time there. ) I never thought to look for information about dinosaurs, but there has to be at least one book about it.

[debtor]

[Then everybody perishes and it's your fault, Oz.]

I'd think so.

[ jocular, ] But if there's not, we could write our own. After all, how many people have seen real dinosaurs like this?

[velveteened]

( ...*^* )

That's true, too! There must be all kinds of details no one else would know about.

( hahaha allen were you kidding you fool )

[debtor]

—Wait, would you?

[velveteened]

Why not?

[debtor]

[It just sounds like a lot of work. Writing a book!

BUT IF OZ WOULD.]

I guess, there's no reason you couldn't!

You could even illustrate it!

[velveteened]

( fun work!!

but there's a sudden mood shift as he SIGHS )

If it's going to be illustrated, ( even hypothetically ) you'd need someone better to do it.

( that should be obvious allen goodness. he's so rusty. )

[debtor]

[Allen doesn't get it. . .]

Why? You're good at it.

[velveteened]

Good enough, ( which is to say NO GOOD AT ALL )but not for something like that.

At least, not without a lot of practice.

[debtor]

I don't think that at all, you're being much too hard on yourself! How much more practice do you need? You've even had an art tutor, you said!

[THAT SOUNDS REALLY FANCY AND IMPRESSIVE a private teacher just for art, gosh!]

[velveteened]

I studied from home, so I had a few tutors.

( dismissively!! #noble lyfe etc )

But I haven't practiced properly in a long time.

( not that he hasn't at all, especially since being here, but not properly, see. )

[debtor]

[...He sits back with a sigh at this point. It just doesn't seem worth arguing over his hypothetical book illustrations!]

If you say so. We could surely find another artist, then.

[velveteened]

( he does say so!!!!

but after a moment, he asks - )

Do you think someone would really publish something like that?

( iT'S NOT SOMETHING HE'S THOUGHT ABOUT give him a moment )

[debtor]

[It is definitely not something Allen's ever remotely considered.]

...Are there publishers in Exsilium?

[velveteened]

Someone has to publish their books, right? But - ( that said ) I really don't know.

[debtor]

[Allen shrugs.] I guess so.

Then, why wouldn't they publish a dinosaur book? I'd think that would sell well. [People love dinosaurs, right!]

[velveteened]

continued here!