The Trouble with Tribbles

[asouthron]

Well, good ol' Doctor McCoy has been on Tu Vishan for only a few days and has already started a ecological epidemic with the help of one fuzzball called a tribble. The fail can be read here (Potential spoilers. Comments will be marked accordingly).


What's a tribble, you ask?

Excellent question! It's a small furry creature that comes in a plethora of colors. It has no real face or limbs to speak of (think sea urchin), but it can emit a trilling sound that affects the nervous system and makes everyone go "KYAAA~! <3" Over it. True facts. (For more information on these buggers, click here)

Well, what's the problem then, right? It's cute, it's soft, and it makes a great pet! These fuzzbags are born pregnant and reproduce asexually like horny rabbits on speed.

Not good.

Starting July 16th tribbles will escape the confines of their icy prison (aka the Star Trek casts' refrigerators) and begin to spread out from the Fire Sector into the rest of the city. The playerbase will have until July 30th to figure out what should be done about this epidemic.


What does this mean for Tu Vishan and its residents?

A lot, unfortunately. Or fortunately? Perhaps... The most immediate effects will be an imbalance in Tu Vishan's natural ecosystem. Tribbles come from a climate that is excessively hostile, forcing a high population turnover in order to keep the species alive. Without extensive predators to cull them, they multiply at an obscene rate and can overtake an ecosystem in a few days. Basically, tribble EVERYWHERE. In every nook and cranny of Tu Vishan's shell.

These little buggers will further exhaust food supplies, as they will pop up in the damnedest places like grain silos! They love those and inhale everything and anything edible.


What can the citizens do about this?

It is up to the players what ultimately happens to this pesky menace. Will they be completely exterminated from the surface of Tu Vishan or will there be steps made to contain excessive breeding and allow them to remain in harmony with the current ecosystem?

They could certainly become a new source of food (Is that tribble stew I smell? How delightful!) or material (My, that's a lovely tribble scarf you've got there!) or ointment for the manpain in all of us (Trilling tribble ball is your friend. Tribble ball will never judge you. Tribble ball loves you! Give it a good hug!)


Organization

McCoy will be helping to contain, not erradicate, the tribbles. He will need help from his fellow bleeding hearts to help quarantine what they can and unfortunately cull what they can't until the species is under control.

There will be a PSA on the network at the beginning of the event to alert residents to the problem and its solutions. What your characters do (or don't do) with that information is up to you!

I will set up two basic threads in this post for those wanting to contain and those wanting to eradicate the tribbles. Keep in mind these aren't the only options! If you have alternative plans, ideas, suggestions, please post them as well!


Long-term Consequences

These are some likely outcomes with the conclusion of this event:

* More stringent regulations on exotic imports
* Laws restricting unlawful breeding of exotic animals
* New environmental and ecological protection regulations
* BASICALLY A LOT OF RED TAPE AND DEATH GLARES AT MCCOY

Comments

Extermination

[asouthron]

Comment here with the characters interested and any ideas, suggestions, comments to exterminate the tribble population.

Re: Extermination

[alphatar]

FEED THE DRAGONS.

[jirk]

and by 'dragons' you mean Korra, right?

[alphatar]

Not at first, but now

YES.

[dracobin]

i'm so hungry

[alphatar]

Korra can totally cook Tem up some wheelbarrows of Tribble/Fish stir fry.

[kazilik]

FOOD? YOU'RE THE BEST BENDER SHE HAS EVER MET KORRA.

[alphatar]

YOU'RE THE BEST FIRE BREATHING DRAGON SHE'S EVER MET. BEST.

[doesthemath]

FEED THE SWIZARDS.

[doesthemath]

Seriously though, Wanda has probability magic at hand. She could probably help with extermination or maybe attempt to slow their breeding process/change it so they aren't born pregnant idk. Her powers are stupidly immense and flexible so she could be a last-resort option perhaps?

[asouthron]

Hey good to know we have the option to fiddle with their physiology! /o/ If McCoy had better tech at his disposal, he'd give it a try BUT ALAS Dx

So, yeah, that'll be a good option if players want to keep 'em around past the event. Their birth rate can be slowed or changed. Delightful!

[doesthemath]

Yes, exactly /o/

But if other people have options for how to deal with the issue, by all means feel free to prioritize them. Wanda's sorta a giant walking deus ex machina :\

[faceofbeau]

Jack's got a Torchwood stun gun with a kill setting, but that'd be taking it pretty slow. He is willing, however! And used to pest control for MUCH larger and more dangerous pests!

[neverginger]

rude, jack, RUDE

[faceofbeau]

Really, Doc? [Eyebrow.] Have you seen how fast these things are multiplying?

[neverginger]

you're just mad cause we named one after you

[faceofbeau]

You're just jealous because Rose named hers after me instead of you.

[ihope]

Lex is of course going to try and find a way to somehow make a buck out of this disaster. If that means he'll have to offer to take dead tribbles off of someone's hands only to sell the meat or fur as some high quality product, so be it.

And he's totally going to bash any little fuckers who start swarming him, because they're vermin and too cute to be of use. It'll be slow going but... yeah, he's somehow contributing to the extermination!

Re: Extermination

[saved7]

You would think that cutting them in half one at a time would be kind of slow going, but Miria can do this really quite fast, I'm just saying.

[storm_warning]

One word: Lightning.

Instant toasted tribbles, lbr.

Though, on the containment side of things, Ororo could work in conjunction with Jack Frost to lay some serious blizzards down?

Re: Extermination

[mopirates_moproblems]

Cinna reallt likes the tribbles but I guess he could turn them into nice clothes