Sylvan

Regalia

@Mirandae Awesome, one last question then I can get writing after work: is it possible for a Regalia to have a higher fame than the Cult Size listed for their Dominant? I have a few different ideas and this will help me sort out which fits best.

Regalia

Asking for character sheet & homeland reasons, has anyone picked Garuda and of so would you want to work together on a nation of lightning & wind?

Regalia

@Sylvan
What do you think about this? Pretty much same everything :)

Ramuh

@Mirandae

Oooo I like her! Sorry, didn't see this post before I posted my previous one

Regalia

<Snipped quote by Sylvan>

I should've mentioned this I think: the apparent gender of the Dominant doesn't have to match the character. Ramuh is depicted as male in teh Final Fantasy games, but if it's an aesthetic request, I could see to doing a female version, no problem :)

@Mirandae

Alright, in that case I'm locking in on Ramuh, got some fun ideas. I hope to have a basic CS up in the next day or two, but I will need help with a banner, like in the example, at some point. I am very bad at using generative ai art tools lol.

Regalia

@Mirandae Hi, I still exist! I'd like to reserve Ramuh for my Dominant of choice, but I do have a question: In his description its stated his Regalia appears as a man when transformed, could they appear female instead while keeping the rest of the aesthetics the same?

Regalia

Hi, I like the look of this concept and would love to be a part of it if it gets enough players!

DELTΔ HYPER (An F1 Drive to Survive inspired Anti-Gravity, Slice of Life, Cyberpunkish/Solarpunkish RP)

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode Two: Hunting Apex

Nora walked through the Cape Town arrivals terminal with her head on a swivel, trying to take in the sights all at once. As she saw all the ways Cape Town had managed to combine mineral wealth and aggressively green policies and design schemes a sad, almost jealous expression flickered across her face before she managed to control it, bringing her expression back to her confident, almost cocky smile.

“Strewth, they did a good job here. Too bad we’re just shooting through cause I’d be stoked to learn how they did that.”

---

Post Qualifying

The feeling in the Southern Cross paddock was celebratory, with both racers finishing in the top three on the Qualifiers and Harrison taking pole position. That didn’t mean that the team was taking a win for granted however, as the two racers worked with the rest of the team to finalize their strategy and identify any weak points along the track. Still getting used to having a fellow driver on the same team, Nora was unused to this kind of teamwork but was trying to rise to the occasion.

”Too much air on that descent, need to tighten that up.”

“Damn this tracks a beaut, bet we can make space on these straights…”

“Watch your charge on those corners Nora, Apex and Al-Saqr’ll be nipping at your heels and their ships are strong there.”

“Worst case I’ll keep the rest of the pack off you Harrison, long as we both podium we’ve got a golden opportunity. These new mods are a treat.”

---

Pilots Return: Interview

"So, both of you must be on top of the world! People are saying Southern Cross are a title contender and you two are proving it early on. What do you think made this qualifying session so good?"

"Thanks! Yeah, P1 is incredible! The craft is twitchy but the new upgrades make it easy to tame, and this craft....wow, the engineers cooked up something special!"

"Well, it quite looks like it! Nora, what would you say you're picking up from Harrison this weekend, and what do you expect in your racing with Amy, Harrison, and Al-Saqr who have been looking dangerous this weekend?"

“Silver Apex might have the better all-round ship but ours are faster, and with the new chrome the big brains back home cooked up I think we’ll be able to pull ahead. And besides, Amys sandwiched between us. She’ll be forced to fight ahead and behind, and that ought to put pressure even on her.”

---

Nora Kelly @NitroNora:
”Lion’s Head Circuit's lookin good for us, here’s to another podium finish!
@ASZenix Grats on qualifying P4, lets see if you can keep up the pace 😈
#SouthernCrossAG #DeltaHyper #FormulaAG #PodiumBound”

---

Lion’s Charge

Nora sank deep into her craft once again, quicker and deeper than before thanks to her improved augmentations. Radios were checked, final tests were completed, and, after what felt like an eternity of waiting, the world narrowed down to the final countdown.

🟢🟢🟢

As the green light flared in her mind's eye Nora slammed forward, pushing her craft into a hard acceleration right off the bat and taking the fight to Amy, those behind forgotten unless they were in danger of catching up. As the race began, Amy grabbed pole position back with a strong start but unlike Auckland Nora and Harrison kept pace, the three keeping pace with each other as the race sped through the stadium and-

”The race has been Red Flagged, bad crash behind you. Looks like Wards outta the race and the track needs to be fixed.” The voice of Manaia, one of Southern Cross’s mechanics and Nora’s assigned radio operator, pulled her out of the trance-like flow state she fell into while racing.

”Status of Bea? Be a shame to lose a pilot, ‘specially this early in the season.” A hint of worry colored Nora's tone. She hadn’t interacted much with the spunky Brit, but she didn’t want to see the woman’s career end like this.

”Too early to know for sure, but from the drone footage it looks like the cockpit survived. Nasty crash though, the simmers’ll have fun piecing that one back together. Looks like Hart, Zenix, and Ward were all jockeying for position and it got too tight. Hart got through clean, but Zenix took some scrapes and Ward's sled got torn in half.”

Red Flag Restart

Nora had spent the time before the race could restart going over the course again for good measure. The improved augmentations felt good on the track, just as good as they’d felt the previous day in her qualifying run. But once again, it was time. Nora sank deep, almost merging with the soul of her ship as she worked to regain the flow state she’d slipped into before the red flag flew.

Once more she took off as the green flag flew, and once more she was in a knife fight for first place with Harrison and Stirling, the three racers keeping neck and neck for the entire race. As the final stretch reared, Harrison was locked in a losing ELS battle with Amy as Nora, recovering from a failed overtake earlier in the lap, came roaring forwards, gaining on Amy even as she won the ELS fight as Harrison slipped to the third position. As the final seconds of the race slipped by Nora continued to gain, until-

Until the checkered flag waved, with Nora moments from overtaking Amy and Harrison bare seconds behind himself. Another podium finish, and one Nora hoped Amy wouldn’t soon forget. Southern Cross may not have won the race, but with second and third in hand they were neck and neck in the Constructors.

---

Post Race, Cape Town: Cooldown

Nora watched the replay of Harts botched overtake with a look bordering on disgust. “What an amateur move, Hart should’ve known better than that.” Nora said to nobody in particular as Harrison and Amy were sniping at each other. When Harrison turned to her she nodded with a confident smile and followed him out.

Nora took her spot on the podium, the same spot she held in Auckland. She was no flash in the pan sensation, and had proven that. She was here to stay, and she was here to win.

---

Post Race, Cape Town Interviews

The 2nd place finisher was certainly getting a lot more limelight, a lot more cameras now parked by the booth, and the interview with Delta Hyper, via Rory.

"What a race that was Nora! Looks like you kept Amy honest, especially right at the end with a near overtake and have proven your talent in AG- what does it feel like to go toe-to-toe with who some say is an all-time AG racing legend to be in Amy Stirling?

“It feels good to know there’re racers like Amy and Harrison to sharpen myself on, Rory. It’s- she's a little intimidating, but that's starting to wear off as Harrison and I keep pushing her. There's a lot of season left though, and we’re neck and neck in the Constructors.” Nora paused for a moment, considering her next words.

“That said, gotta say I’m glad I’m staying well ahead of Jamie. Rather not risk a repeat of what happened on the track last race. Bloody mess, that was. Hoping Bea comes out the other side swinging though, with the upgrades her craft was showing before the crash I can’t wait to see how far she can go.”

DELTΔ HYPER (An F1 Drive to Survive inspired Anti-Gravity, Slice of Life, Cyberpunkish/Solarpunkish RP)

Delta Hyper Interview

"So, last question for Auckland. After your first race in the championship, is there anyone you would like to say thanks to?"

“Oh strewth, yeah. I’d like to thank Southern Cross, especially Owen, for giving me the chance to come back to AG racing at the Pro level. Not exactly the expected next step for a street racer, even one as good as me. And I’d also have to thank uncle Flynn, actually. I don’t know who sent it, but he had every right to tell an anonymous tip to rack off and just go about his day. Instead, I got ambushed at a bar by my uncle, unable to shoot through. That said, don’t think I can whinge about it now, eh? I mean, look where it's gotten me!”

---

Nora Kelly @NitroNora
Bloody good first race, and even better competition.
2nd place finish, with Harrison in 4th? Call that a good start!
@ASZenix Think you can match me? Then come take it!
#SCRacing #DeltaHyper #FormulaAG

---

Home Sweet Home

Southern Cross's on the other hand, was a bit more functional. Sitting on an industrial estate outside of Christchurch, outside a gigantic, sprawling network of vertical farms occupying the dead-flat Canterbury Plains- the breadbasket of the Pacific, but the towering Southern Alps are in the far background. It's being renovated bit by bit, so still is undergoing work but it seems to be coming on, but the punk aesthetic of Southern Cross bleeds through, custom paint on the walls of pilots past, trophies won, and depictions of iconic moments, in a way that yelled out to a history. While a precise lab, it also feels deeply....underground. Art litters the walls quite literally everywhere, and reminds the team of where they came from, what they are. Less factory and design facility, more like a chronicle to all things speed, power and the Whanau, or Family, of Southern Cross. There's old F1 cars from McLaren, perhaps a long ancestor of Southern Cross, and then other AG prototypes around.

@FourtyTwo

It was time to go home… Or more accurately, to return to Southern Crosses home base just outside of Christchurch. Like most teams, most of the gear was being sent straight to South Africa for the next race, and the rest of the team and the ships would be riding in one of Southern Crosses dedicated transports. But we’re here to check on our pilots, so, shall we?

---

“Thank you for joining us Nora. Please lay face down on the table, if you would, and we can get to adjusting your implants.”

Dr. Awi Winiata, Southern Crosses augmentation expert, sat in front a machine that looked closer to a spider than a medical tool preparing to adjust and finalize the racers augmentations that allowed Nora to bond with her sled on an instinctual level, hijacking her brainstem and spinal column to send inputs directly along the biological pathways generally used for such things as movement and breathing.

The nanochelated neural pathways that had lead from the ship to her brain were being refined and solidified, and work was being done to ensure that her body simply treated them as an extension of her biological nervous system, which the good doctor hoped would lead to further improvements in pilot-ship integration, allowing the ship to respond faster than any external control surface could afford, and with more precision than a single neural jack could provide.

For her part, Nora looked nervously at the contraption. “Don’t think I’ll ever get used to that monstrosity doc, but after Auckland I think the concept is well-proven.” She said as she lay down, one of the medical assistants strapping her down and sticking a series of sensors to her skin as another plugged the current jacks into the system.

“Well at least you don’t have to watch it working. See you on the other side, Nelly.” Dr. Winiata replied with a hint of a laugh, before nodding to the anesthetic specialist that ensured that Nora didn’t have to feel a new nervous system growing, and it was lights out.

---

Later that week, Southern Cross Ops Center

“... And I think that about wraps up Auckland without earbashing it. Harrison, Nora, you’ve both got more than a fair go at the podium in Cape Town, but let's not count our reefs yet.” Owen Keating, Southern Crosses principal, said to the two racers and assembled department heads.

“Yeah, our Wakas are a rip snorter on that course, all wide open with enough room to really let ‘er go!” Harrison replied, the senior pilot's excitement evident as Nora nodded in agreement as she went over the tracks layout and other specs.

“That said, we’ll need to work on the stability of the sleds if we want to consistently put the heat on those tall poppies at Silver Apex. The engineers are cooking something up, but sounds like they won’t be ready for a while. Until then, lets focus on preparing for the race ahead of us and she’ll be right.” Owen rubbed his hands together before pulling up a schedule. “Nora, Harrison, your prep schedule is ready. Nora, we’ll need you to be careful during the first couple of sim runs. Awi said the nerves are still settling in fully so play it safe and learn the track before going all out.”

---

Principles Office, Southern Cross HQ
Sometime before Noras recruitment

The Team Principles office was a reflection of the team itself, decorated with a full wall painting of the Great Barrier Reef mid-restoration as well as medals, news clippings, and other awards earned by the team since its founding.

“Flynn, are you sure about this tip? They didn’t even give you a name, just… What was it? A nickname?” Owen asked the man sitting across the desk from him.

Flynn Kelly, one of Southern Crosses talent scouts, shook his head. “More of a handle. Sandstorm, she’s called, and apparently I’ll know her when I see her.” He sighed before continuing. “I know it sounds bad, Owen, but I’ve known this source since gradeschool. They might not be the most morally upstanding person you’d meet but they’re no ratbag either. If they say it’s true, then you can at least be sure they believe it is.”

Owen just shook his head. “Lets just make sure it doesn’t turn into a dog's breakfast for us again, eh? I trust you for a reason, but be careful. Alice Springs isn’t exactly the safest place these days.”

---

Alice Springs, Australia
Post-Auckland AGP

A figure sits in shadows, smoking a cigar as they watch a replay of the Auckland AGP race, focusing on Nora Kellys POV in most of the clips. The office they are sitting in is nondescript but richly appointed, with a C with a lightning bolt going through the center of the letter painted in bold colors on the wall behind him.

“So that’s where our little dust devil got off to… I see the move has done nothing to dull her winning streak. Jeremy, see if we can get some skin in that game. We can’t let her have all the fun after slipping away like that.”

DELTΔ HYPER (An F1 Drive to Survive inspired Anti-Gravity, Slice of Life, Cyberpunkish/Solarpunkish RP)

The Racing Line

It was finally time. Finally time to see if she could measure up when facing up against actual Formula AG racers. Noras heart raced with excitement as she stepped up to her sled, helmet under her arm. As she went over her pre-race checklist one last time, it struck her that while any racer might say that their ship was an extension of their body, it felt far more real for her. After going over the checklist for the third time, she stepped into the cockpit, letting the engineers hook up the series of neuralink cables that were supposed to wire her instincts and reflexes directly into her sleds controls. Once she was hooked in and the canopy sealed above her, her radio crackled to life.

“Ey Nelly, radio check?” The voice of SCs Principal came across her earpiece.

“Loud and clear, Keating. How’re we looking today?” Nora replied in an easy, relaxed tone that belied her excitement.

“Just drive like you did in the quals and don’t get bogged down in the midpack, and you’ll have a fair go. Good luck, Nelly.”

As the minutes slid away, Nora sank into her ship, nestling into every nook and cranny of the beast as her breath synced up with the air intakes and her heartbeat matched the rumbling of her engines. Her limbs became control surfaces as her eyes became sensors and readouts. The race would begin all too soon, and so would her dominance. It wasn’t a question of if Nora would win, just a matter of when.

Her eyes snapped open and she took in the track ahead and her opponents ahead and behind, and as the final seconds trickled away all of the support crews cleared the track.

5
4
3
2
1
GO!!!

As her system was flooded with adrenaline and the world slowed to a crawl, Nora couldn’t help but laugh. Full of raw aggression, this laugh persisted as she boosted past Jamie as the Silver Apex driver fumbled the starting sprint; a small mistake, but a costly one at these speeds. As she pulled ahead Amy Stirling was already fading into the distance, but Harrison and Layla were hot on her heels. The race was on…

---

The Chequered Flag

… And just as suddenly, it was over. The checkered flag waved, and the race was finished. Nora flexed a muscle that didn’t exist, and began to return to her body. She closed her eyes and stilled her heart, the ships mighty engines rumbling down to idle speed as her breath returned to her lungs, and the beat to her heart. As her limbs returned to the standard human ones she was born with, her eyes opened once again, back in her head this time.

Only then did her mind catch up to what she had heard over the team radio, and seen with her eyes. Second place, a podium finish! Her hands flew as she worked to decouple herself from the machine, shaking from the remnants of the adrenaline and the shock of the result. As she finally climbed out of her ship, she was lifted off her feet and thrown into a bear hug by the bear-esq team Principal.

“Bloody hell, Nora, a podium finish off the rip! We’re gonna rock up tonight for sure!” the portly man said, practically bellowing his enthusiasm as he set Nora back on her feet.

---

Post Race, Auckland: Cooldown

Even when she won on the Interior Circuit, there had never been anything quite like this. Nora stopped on the threshold momentarily, taking in the cooldown room, its decorations and displays finally reinforcing the heights her racing was taking her to. After a moment she shook herself out of the reverie that had gripped her and walked over to the display Amy and Layla were standing in front of.

"You did well today, Nelly. Not many rookies come in and make a splash like that. And they will go wild out there for you. The lights will be very bright compared to the underground." Layla spoke, her eyes glowing up, as Amy gently strummed through her telemetry, not trying to be rude but taking it in now while it came through, breaking it there.

“Bloody oath! Thanks Layla. That said, you shoulda heard Harrison when you stole that overtake on him. Move was a straight corker.”

The conversation was cut short there, as a race official beckoned them onto stage and onto the podium. As she took in the glitz and glam, and the sense of being near the top of the world… She could get used to this. As she looked over the crowd she picked out a few faces though, those of some of her fellow competitors. As their eyes met, Nora noticed Kais finger and twitched her eyebrow as if to say “come take my place if you can” before moving on to Ulrich, glad to see he made it out of his crash with minimal injuries to both man and machine. Other faces, happy and sad, angry or joyous, all looking at the podium. Three could stand on the podium, but only one could stand atop the rest, and it was only a matter of time until that one was her.

---

Post Race, Auckland: Interviews

The crowd screamed for the next one. It was as loud as crowds got in Formula AG, and for Nora, this was a near-earthquaking feeling, as Aurora had to put a hand over one ear for her projected mic to still work, even in spite of how advanced it was.

"Nora Kelly, podium finisher! I can barely hear myself over that crowd- Nora, tell us how it feels to be 2nd and on the podium at an event many people consider to be Southern Cross's home event, and your first Formula AG race!?"

Nora had to wait a moment for the cheers to die down slightly before she could be heard by the microphone. After waiting that moment, she responded with a breathless, victorious energy and a smile that split her face ear to ear.

“I- To tell you the truth Aurora, I’m still processing it myself. I mean, the team here at Southern Cross did an amazing job at preparing me and my ship for the race, I couldn’t have done it without them, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t eyeing that top spot. I’m coming for you Amy, and I’m right on your heels!” Nora finishes, pointing directly at the camera with a cocky air that some could say she was already beginning to earn.

---

Anon243953075 said:

Wait, where did NitroNoras old clips and shit go??

Anon563334846 said:

Wait, yeah, she had those great clips of outrunning police.

Anon243953075 said:

Damn, those were the best. You think SC made her take it down?

Anon783144648 said:

Probably, can’t have their new rookie making them look bad. Gotta look respectable for the sponsors

DELTΔ HYPER (An F1 Drive to Survive inspired Anti-Gravity, Slice of Life, Cyberpunkish/Solarpunkish RP)

Before the AG Qualifiers
Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia

Two figures were sitting in a corner booth at a dive bar late at night, a beer in front of each and paperwork strewn between them. One was Nora Kelly, recognized by the bar's regular mix of crooks and bored locals, and the other was unknown to them even though he bore a strong familial resemblance.

“Alright, we just gotta make sure it doesn’t turn into a dog's breakfast this time, eh Nelly?” The older man said, a wry smile on his lips as he set the final page of the contract down in front of Nora.

“She’ll be right, uncle Flynn. I’m a different woman now, better driver and everything.” Nora replied, rolling her eyes at the childhood nickname as she signed on the dotted line, rejoining a world she’d thought would never want her back.

She spent the rest of the night wondering what she’d just gotten herself into, and then was too busy being brought to speed to think an idle thought.

---

Nora Kelly @NitroNora:
[Picture: Nora standing in front of the Southern Cross AG Ships, leaning back with arms raised like she’s shouting victory into the sky]
“In it to win it with @SouthernCrossAG, let’s make this season a ripper!”
#SouthernCrossAG #WinnersCircle #FormulaAG

---

Pre-Qualifiers: Final Checks

Nora was unseen by the public during the leadup to the qualifier runs, instead laying on a slab going through a series of last-minute calibration tests. For these tests Nora was connected to a computer with enough wires to make a cyberpunk cosplayer blush, dressed in her race suit with the helmet off. As she lay face down on the table, her body twitching as the implant was tested, the Southern Cross principle, a balding man in his mid-forties by the name of Owen Keating, who’d managed to maintain a fit figure, walked in.

“If I didn’t know better I’d ask if you were fully charged.” Owen said, smiling at his own joke as he glanced over the readouts along the console. “If I’m reading this right we can get you unhooked soon, just in time to go over the track one last time before your Qual run.”

Nora sighed, but there was a hint of excitement in it. Go time. Ever since her first run in her sled, she’d been addicted to the huge rush of speed. Now she just had to make good on all the work they’d put into her.

---

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode One: Finding their Feet

---

Meet the Pilots

Hey Nora, welcome to Delta Hyper! Can I call you Nelly? Your addition to Southern Cross has everyone talking- a former underground racer now at a top team, how are you feeling and how are you finding the top level so far?

Nora is dressed in a tech punk outfit, the camera catching her on a water break as the young woman did her best to look comfortable and confident in front of the camera and its holographic interviewer and mostly succeeding. Her voice was firm and confident, but anyone who was looking for it could spot the nerves in the way her hand tightened on the bottle and fidgeted with the cap.

“I-” Nora coughed to clear her throat before starting again. “It’s unlike anything I’d expected, nothing like my brief stint in the Rookie League, or even anything I saw in the Interior. The competitors up here are on another level entirely. I’m stoked to see where I measure up, and who I leave in the dust!”

Whilst on the wrong side of the Tasman Strait from home, this is Southern Cross's unofficial home GP. How are you feeling about it, and what do you think you can do later today?

“Somehow I never managed to get out to this side of the Strait for a visit before joining Southern Cross, but now? Wish I’d come out here sooner! The mountains are magnificent, not that I’ll have time to visit them with race weekend and everything. Won’t even get a chance to look on the track with how fast I’ll be going.” Nora finished, her confidence solidifying as her thoughts returned to the racing ahead.

---

Qualifiers

“Those neural linkages were solid, felt like flying the raft was as natural as breathing!”

later

“Third position, hell of a run for my first qual! Lets see if I can keep up the pace.”

---

Pre-Race Party

Nora, in the same tech punk outfit from earlier, stood around the Southern Cross VIP area, trying to relax in a party bigger than any she’d seen and star-studded to boot. She’d read the contract and knew these events were important for both exposure and fundraising, but she just wasn’t yet used to the reach and influence of the Formula AG fanbase and organization. After a fairly short time, Nora made her way back to the rooms she was staying in, intent to get a good night’s sleep and be in top shape for the race the next day.

---

Grid Photo

The Southern Cross rookie was leaning against the side of her Ship, her suit decorated with bands of sand blowing in the wind, evoking the chaos of a sandstorm with bands of glittering yellow-gold accenting the Southern Cross colors that made up most of the suit. Her helmet, held under one arm, was fully the glittering sandstorm in color, except for the visor she had to see out of. As she turned to look down the racing line, noting each rider and the lines of their ships, the sun reflected off of the locking rings going down Nora's spine where her Ships systems would be plugged into her body.

---

To Be Continued…