Introduction Log || Have a Merry Starlight Celebration

[eternitymods]

Who: All characters (New Arrivals, Previous Arrivals, and Native OCs) When: December 5th Where: The Dream Width (Airship), the Curti Center, and the Housing District What: It is happening for the fifth time now. More outworlders have arrived in the Dream Width and must be rescued and brought back to their new homes on Vaikuntha Warnings/Notes: Only new players can put up a toplevel. Previous arrivals and established native characters can respond to new characters' toplevel posts. They will get 25 EXP for replying to top levels. MEMORY [ You've been here before...? No, wait, why would you think that? You're here in the moment, everything is as it should be...(?) The memory you are trapped in has completely enthralled you. You stop questioning and accept, you relive and repeat. Luckily, you are not alone. Others have arrived to help you. The travelers in the airships will enter the nebula formed by your memories and attempt to wake you up and bring you back to the present. The dreamer's mind will shape how these newcomers are perceived and how the NPCs in the memory respond to them. For more details on the mechanics, please refer to this post] ARRIVAL [ You wake from your dreams, from your memories, on a narrow cot. There are fleeting impressions- recycled air, humming machinery, movement, strangers waking around you. The room you wake in is lined with cots, with barely enough space between them to walk to the door, though not all of them show signs of having been occupied. The makeshift infirmary seems like it was prepared to hold many more than are here. Stepping out, there is a lobby space that bears the signs of having once held some furniture, now cleared away to make space. Your footsteps echo in the emptiness. As the automatic door slides shut on the infirmary, a light flashes on the far side of the room. A flickering holographic projection of a man’s face and gloved hand appears projected in the space above the arrivals’ heads. He backs up so his upper body is in frame for the recording. An arm, covered in the same orange flightsuit sleeve, hands him a tablet. The man begins to read. A written version of the message scrolls along the bottom of the projection as he speaks. ] ’Welcome travelers’… That’s way too formal. Hey everyone. Hi! [ The second man leans into the frame to add his greeting. ] Don’t panic. You were floating out there, but we pulled you in and rescued you. Yeah, we’re heroic AND handsome. And also the only ones crazy enough to come out here to get you. [ A woman’s voice calls from out of frame. ] Can you two be serious for ONE moment and stick to your scripts? [ The two men give each other a conspiratorial eyeroll. This does not appear to be their first take. ] Anyways, no need to panic. Seriously, don’t do anything reckless. We got our fill of that with Skywalker. [A huff is heard offscreen, and the men finally spare the tablet another glance.] ‘Your pilots will be navigating treacherous environs as this message plays…’ Claire, seriously? Nobody talks like this! [ The tablet is tossed to the side and lands with a thunk offscreen. ] We’re gonna wing it. Look, everyone, we’re workin’ hard to get you planetside safely, and it’s gonna take some tricky flying to do it. So the door to the cockpit is locked so we can focus on not getting us all killed. Don’t try to open it, unless you want to be stardust. We promise you’ll get answers about what’s going on once we land. But for now, please trust us. Right now, we’re your only hope. [ The second man leans forward, close to the recording device, and presses a button. The projection freezes for a moment, and then the message starts on the next recorded message. ] CURTI CENTER [ Finally after hours of flight, you arrive at the Curti Center. The place is covered with snow, it appears to be winter here! The other NPCs await you having been notified of your retrieval in the Dream Width. Jessie gives a long and professional welcome speech, explaining what the situation is: you were lost in a space called the Dream Width. You are now on a planet called Vaikuntha: for ages, the people of this world have used Airships to rescue people lost in the Dream Width, with one person being found roughly every ten years. No one knows why this happens, but this has been a mutually beneficial exchange, with the people from Vaikuntha rescuing people lost in the Dream Width and the rescued ones sharing their wisdom with the people of Vaikuntha. Ten years ago, something unusual happened: two people were found at once, Biggs and Wedge. But that was nothing compared to what happened eight months ago... And six, four, two months ago. And now, here you are. No one knows why such a large number of people has arriving lately, but the Curti Center is a place dedicated to piercing the Dream Width's secrets. Jessie also introduces the other ones: Claire, the woman sighing and writing in her schedule book upon being pointed out as the bookkeeper, Kupoto and Mogaruru, their Mognet representatives and finally the Native OCs: those brave and kind souls who have accepted to help you all on a daily basis. She also mentions Cid, the director who is busy in his office. After Jessie finishes , the employees, including the Native OCs, provide a tour of the facility and help the newcomers navigate their future lives. Now is the time to ask questions and look over pamphlets regarding locations, Jobs, life in Vaikuntha... ] [ If you want to contact an NPC, you can do so on the NPC Contact Page. ] A BALL OF FLUFF NAMED MOOGLE [ It has been a long day, perhaps now you would like to find your way to a place to sleep? Or perhaps you'd like to get some answers, but you can't be bothered to go seek people out? And lo, just as despair begins settles in, a Moogle slams into you! Or stops by your side if their aim is decent... It's the Moogle Jessie mentioned in her speech earlier! And they'll be informing you that now, they will stick to you like your shadow and help you in anyway they can! They're also giving you your iMog Slate- Now you can get onto Mognet! Isn't it great? ] A QUICK CHECK-UP [ Whether it's your Moogle, Native OCs or NPCs, all will urge you to stop by the hospital wing for a basic check-up. You may disagree, but listen. You've just been thrown into a space between worlds, rescued, and brought to another world. For your own sake, that's a good idea. Should you give in and go (or should you be dragged by your Moogle or a Native OC), you will find yourself in the cold and white space very reminiscent of an hospital. For characters with specific medical conditions necessitating help, this is where they will receive it if asked. The doctors and nurses are all White Mages or Chemists, with various levels into their Job as well as medical knowledge. Don't mind the confused looks if you look like nothing they've ever seen before... It's hard for a doctor to be unable to give a proper diagnosis to a patient! For everyone else though, they'll be let go with smiles and be given a candy as they leave. No one likes medical check-ups, but it's a very quick and basic one: testing reflexes, taking your temperature and the likes. On the bright side, while you're grumpily sitting on a bed with a thermometer on your forehead or in your mouth, it might be a good time to socialize with your fellow new arrival who's having lights flashed into their eyes by a doctor. Misery loves company, after all. ] STARLIGHT SIGHTS [ There's plenty of rooms to wander about in, with several points of interest apart from the offices. Most noticeably, the entire place is decorated with Christmas decorations and there are even employees dressed as Santa Claus! Of course, it's not called Christmas but the Starlight Celebration in this world. And everyone appears to be in the holiday spirit, ready for the great day on the 25th! The Airship Hangar is where the airships are kept and the first room you entered. Workers keep guard to prevent the outworlders from getting too close to the vehicles. Airships are expensive and they don't want you messing with them, after all. Venturing into the Research Section, you can walk through public exhibitions on astronomy, airship design, and asterisk studies. A good place to get used to the basic science of this world. The laboratories lie behind a thick locked door with a sign reading "EMPLOYEES ONLY". No going there, for now anyway. Not too far from there are the Employee Quarters - work stations, apartments, and lounge areas. The latter are available to the public, whereas the rest is locked to Native OCs. But if you get them to be friends with you, perhaps they'll let you visit? Also open to all is a Cafeteria - a standard food court with stalls serving all types of Vaikunthan cuisine. The Chef is a very jovial and absent-minded Hypello. Beware of long lines and crowded tables. Should you prefer open spaces, then the gardens are for you! There are different sections in the gardens around the center, but they all look the same at this time of the year, snow covering everything. Oh, and what's that? It's snowing right now! Or perhaps, you want to wait till the sunset. Dusk on a new world, but a beginning of a new life... The sea shines bright in the orange light. A good moment for quiet contemplation. ] HOUSING [The housing accommodations are the best the Curti staff could provide, given that they are still also sheltering most of the previous arrivals from the Dream Width. The keys have been entrusted to the moogles who will be guiding the new arrivals. The new arrivals can stop by the Curti Center storage room to collect some essential supplies that have been donated by charity organizations from around the world (there are boxes of toothbrushes and whitening toothpaste sent from the Zora, hair brushes from the Elezen, quick-drying towels from the Hypello, among the various donations of clothes, toiletries, and blankets), before heading to their new homes. The people of Vaikuntha have done their best to provide for their new neighbors and help them get on their feet. Still, things will be a little cramped until the off-worlders can find employment and move into better housing if they so wish. The staff hopes they can get along with one another until alternate arrangements can be made. You can survive living with roommates for a few months, right?] THE JOB FOR YOU [An important part of life on Vaikuntha is the Job (or Jobs) you choose to take. No, not the way you earn your living. Your Job Class. Most Natives only choose one or two, but you'll have an opportunity to take on more Job Asterisks after you master your first Jobs. The Curti Center's resident Job Master, Ganeshan, is more than happy to arrange transportation to the various Guilds so that you can claim your first Asterisks. ]

Comments

Minimus Ambus | Transformers

[legalcy]

Arrival

[He's exposed. He was safe inside the Magnus Armor, inside the outer armor, and the Dream Width forcibly yanked him out, shrank him down so even humans stood above him, and deposited him in an unknown universe. Was this caused by the rift that opened up? An illusions created by Mederi?

Whatever the answer, Minimus stands in the cleanest corner of the ship, composing himself in time to converse with the other passengers and hopefully find answers. It's just so difficult to focus on his thoughts with the looping messages.

He scowls at the projector. There's no need to have multiple recordings conveying the same information. What sort of unprofessional band of explorers are these people?]

Curti Center

[There are 245 questions Minimus has listed that must be answered, but with how busy Director Cid must be, he must find the answers to some of them on his own. It wouldn't do to bother the chief of staff with inane questions. Thankfully, the Center has provided a room's worth of pamphlets. How to find housing, how to manage currency, how to report unlawful behavior, the forms required to obtain employment (a spark goes off in his brain module when he sees that even an outworlder like himself can join the lawforce), an understanding of the Job System...

Minimus takes a copy of every pamphlet, whether it will be relevant to his personal life or not. It could be important in the future! Yet once he sits down and reads through each booklet for each Job class, he grows frustrated.]

They use a different font for every publication! How can they overlook internal consistency?!

Medibay

[No one in this room has seen a Cybertronian, that much is obvious. Doctors and mechanics crowd around his form, which impedes the necessary and frankly critical preliminary medical survey. At one point, his appointed nurse shoos the crowd away, telling them they can oggle him later.

"Oggle". What an uncomfortable word.

The nurse finally pulls out a clipboard.]

Name?

[...............The green robot looks distressed.]

Moogles and Starlight

Kupo?

[The sweet little thing holds up his employee card, and Minimus' facial insignia twitches at the name.]

Mogsuna, then? Thank you for your assistance, but this isn't necessary. [He holds up a hand.] I can manage on my own. Cybertronians are used to this sort of technology.

[Mogsuna types something on his iMog Slate and sends the message to the one Minimus holds, which he promptly regards.] Ah. I see. Then I mustn't deny your right to a living. [...He's going to have a Moogle follow him every step of the way, is he?] Let us begin with a tour of the Curti Center.

[Mogsuna nods, kupo-ing happily and pressing his paws against his cheeks before leading him around the building, but mostly sticking to the areas with his favorite Starlight decorations. For all that is wrong with the situation, Minimus can find some simple pleasure in the string of lights and paper-based artworks. They're an odd pair, a quiet happy Moogle and a short Cybertronian marching through the hallways as if on inspection duty.]

Curti Center

[saint_sami]

Each of them have their own style, so there's a need for a bit of uniqueness. Don't worry, they all work out in the end.

[And there's a human girl MAYBE his size holding a tray of Starlight Cookies before him.]

Want a cookie? I just got this neat Modifier Skill for one of my Jobs and I had to use it.

[legalcy]

[He looks up at the human - he's never been among humans at this size, so it's difficult to judge at what stage of development Sasami is at, but all the same:]

It's unprofessional. [He holds up the Templar and Magitek Knight pamphlets up with a hand.] They cannot categorize these under "The Job System" and use a different display method unless their goal is to dissuade readers from assuming the Asterisks work in a similar fashion. I will have to file a complaint with the marketing department.

[He looks at the cookies and, still frowning, looks at her.] I appreciate the offer, but I am unable to consume organic food.

[saint_sami]

Oh, sorry!

[She sat the tray of cookies down, though let out a small sigh.] I will admit, the pamphlets are a little confusing with the way the do things. Maybe you could bring it up with them? I never had a problem with them.

Arrival

[singerofspells]

S'reee is faring better on her most recent trip to the Dream Width than her first -- it helps when the staff are now aware aquatic beings are coming along -- so is helping organize things. She noticed the mental being, sending a curious hum of sound to see if she could sense if he was one of the carbon-based humanoids that were reasonably common, or another sort of life.

Either way, she is going to glide over (via levitation magic) and say hello. "It's a bit much, isn't it?" she asked.

[OOC: S'reee's also shrunk from her full size, though she's still a bit longer than a human is tall. Also I don't know how Minimus is at (what is to him) xenobiology to tell that]

[legalcy]

He's smaller than the other humans on board - the adults tower over him much like how nearly all Cybertronians did, and the organic creature floating towards him (he recalls Swerve's talk of a potential encounter with a "space whale"). He registers as something entirely mechanical.

Minimus pulls his attention away from the embarrassing banter between Biggs and Wedge to face the other onboard guest. "I have lost contact with my crew and I am without my...my equipment." He would say his armor, but that would mean explaining the truth behind Ultra Magnus. "I have been rescued by a ragtag group of explorers without immediate means of returning home, and the floors have not been wiped in days."

[singerofspells]

That was interesting. Not unprecedented: wizards were used to treating rocks and even whole planets as 'alive', and S'reee remembered a colleague mentioning species made of silicon instead of carbon. But not the norm.

"I'm afraid I cannot help with those things, though I recall that there is some way to retrieve equipment lost in the Dream Width. I haven't used it myself." A motion with her tail approximated a shrug. "My species is a little less able to keep physical objects with us than a bipedal one."

Moogles and Starlight | Richard meets a (not so) giant robot

[defenestraighttomyheart]

Richard Conway is nothing if not mischievous. He has made a profession on outmaneuvering and outwitting people even after he left his hometown so hard he wound up in an entirely different plane of existence. And in his experience, there are few things more annoying than bureaucracy. Especially the draconian enigma that is the Curti Center Hospitality Offices.

Richard Conway has had to spend five hours waiting in line and being bounced between offices due to the unholy mix of mislabeled occupancy records and the unfortunate, but altogether necessary action of his roommate to move out. Which meant that, since the offices were very not equipped to deal with the possibility that someone remained on the record after they left, meant that he had to go between at least ten different people who had no idea what to do with him.

This, of course, required a petty and disproportionate response.

He stood back and surreptitiously watched the fruits of his labor. The on buttons were off buttons. The tree had every other light dimmed. And most glaringly of all, the great big light up sign that had previously been labelled "Starlight" was broadcasting a very different message.

"Gilt Trash."

[legalcy]

The lights are reminiscent of the time they prepared the cloaking machine by stringing up the luminescent invisibility barrier generators around the Lost Light. They evoke the same calming ambiance, though this time it's not through the comforting thought that they will be protected from the Maulers. Despite the pleasant walk, Minimus wonders if some of these decorations are not securely fastened, considering their placement posts a safety hazard.

Placing electrical bulbs on flammable carbon-based plant life is of his immediate concern, which he voices to Mogsuna repeatedly.

"All that I'm saying is that they check the temperature of each bulb to ensure the Starlight trees will not ignite for the duration of the display."

"Kupo."

"Hundreds of workers are in danger, Mogsuna. See, at least that one understands how dangerous it is." He points at Conway, prepared to dim the necessary lights to present his art to the world.

Minimus pauses when he sees what his goals actually were. He leaves Mogsuna to fiddle with his fingers while he, a four-foot tall Cybertronian, marches up to Conway.

"What is the meaning of this?"

[defenestraighttomyheart]

Conway looks over and raises an aloof eyebrow. His hands were in his pockets, one was indented where he may be holding onto something, and, perhaps notably, he seems to be hanging around a light switch. It was hard not to overhear him blasting on about higher safety standards.

Internally, however, Richard was wondering what the hell to even say. His hair, covered by his charming piece of millinery, proceeded to stand up on end. Come on, Richard. Do a good lie.

"I'm an electrician and things got really weird over here."

Nailed it. Mental high five. Can't be a transparent mess if you're not really lying. Yes.

Starlight

[timecrash]

Serge, of course, is as festive as he ever is. The holidays are a special time of year, and Serge has a vested interest in making sure that the center is as bright and cheerful as possible. He's added a headband with small felt antlers to his usual ensemble. There are bells on.

He also seems to be being slightly overzealous in stringing lights, garland, and various ornaments up on a tree in one of the hallways. The casual observer may overlook how structurally unstable the tree is becoming under the weight of decoration, or how it's clearly a fire hazard with all those lights on, or how a taller pedestrian might accidentally strangle themselves with the garland strung across the ceiling.

Clearly, the kid innocently humming 'The Cactuars' Starlight March' under his breath has no idea how much danger he's putting everyone in.

[legalcy]

Serge was doing all he could to give Minimus a spark seizure. Hazards crammed into every square meter. Unsafe setup of ladders. He knows that he is not in the position to regulate the human's behavior, but by the time he notifies a manager, two employees and visitors could be injured.

No, it is the duty of Ultra Magnus (sans Ultra Magnus armor) to uphold workplace standards. He holds out a hand to let Mogsuna know that his tour had to be put on hold. The Moogle sighed and sat in the corner.

"Excuse me! Up there! Get down at once!" The 4 foot tall Cybertronian jabs a servo at Serge.

[timecrash]

Serge blinks, looking down. Huh. He obliges the command, however, leaning against the ladder. "Hey there. What can I help you with? By the way, that is some badass armor. Where'd you get it?" He beams, far too bolstered by holiday spirits to bother much with being affronted by the demands.

Curti Center

[einspine]

[Papyrus was just minding his own business, but the moment he caught sight of that miniscule metallic marvel, he stopped in his tracks, turning on a heel.

And before long, there's a loud-]

OH MY GOD!!! AN ACTUAL ROBOT!!!

[Followed by the distinct rattling of bones as he darts closer, and... Fonts? Publications? He stops. Squints. Rubs his chin.]

WELL! IT MIGHT BE LESS CONSISTENT, BUT PERHAPS IT'S A MATTER OF CULTURAL IDENTITY! AFTER ALL, EACH ASTERISK IS SPREAD ALL ACROSS VAIKUNTHA. NATURALLY, THE TASTES IN AESTHETICS MAY VARY AS A RESULT.

[legalcy]

[Mogsuna jerks around to find the source of the spotted noise at freezes at the skeleton. Minimus calmly regards the unusual organic.]

Please, the term is "Cybertronian". The term "robot" is considered to be offensive among many of our kind, but I will let this misdemeanor slip this time.

[He taps the side of the stack of pamphlets to ensure their neat organization.]

Nevertheless, I was told that these were components of a system, which, by definition, refers to various components interacting and influencing one another in a delicate equilibrium. To have each pamphlet written up in different fonts refutes that impression.

[einspine]

OH! MY MISTAKE. I CERTAINLY DIDN'T MEAN TO OFFEND!!!

[But wow! So stern. Very professional. He's already taking mental notes. Gotta be respectful. In fact, he even does a bit of a dorky salute.]

ANYWAY, IT'S TRUE THAT THE ASTERISKS ALL HAVE SIMILAR FUNCTIONALITY, BUT EACH ASTERISK ALSO BRINGS WITH IT UNIQUE ABILITIES! AND TYPICALLY COSTUMES. SO EVEN IF THEY DO SHARE BASIC FUNCTIONS, THEY'RE ALL SUPER DISTINCT AND I'M SURE THEY JUST WANT TO CONVEY THAT THROUGH THE TEXT.

Curti Center

[tiredcharmer]

Tyzias' pile of pamphlets looks a lot messier than Minimus' on the surface, but it's actually exquisitely organized. At least by her arcane standards. It would probably drive some people mad to figure out how she knew precisely where everything was no matter the clutter. Perhaps Minimus can pick it up, though.

She's screwing up her face something fierce at a collection of pamphlets on the WONDERS OF JOBS BY AN ANONYMOUS JOB ENTHUSIAST! "Ugh. Formmmmatting's all fucked up too. All these mmmmisaligned textboxes are giving mmmme even mmmmore of a mmmmigraine."

[legalcy]

Claims of organized mess are deflections from taking responsibility for managing one's workplace. Minimus has to fight the urge to reach over and split apart the ranged classes from melee into two distinct piles stacked ten inches apart, oriented in the same direction.

"You bring up a good issue. Has anyone in marketing bothered to test font sizes before publishing materials?"

[tiredcharmer]

Tyzias snorts. Finally, somebody who would understand her pain if they saw one of Tegiri's presentations. "I doubt it. It think the one explaining this wwwwhole 'Onion Knight' thing even changes sizes wwwwhenever the author wwwwants to emphasize sommmmething. Doesn't look like he knowwwws what italics are either, considering almmmmost everything is in all caps. At least wwwwhen Stels does that it's endearing.." She shudders, and it's only half exaggeration.

Moogles and Starlight

[failtsuninari]

[Kenichi had arrived at Curti Center a little later than he had planned. His chocobo, now with antlers and a glowing red beak, huffed when the cavalier dismounted and led her to the closest stable area. ]

Don't worry, we won't be here for long. Sorry I made you go through that snow earlier.

[Kohaku gave Kenichi a light head nudge on the forehead and he returned the gesture with a pat on the beak. As he walked down the hallway, he pulled back the hood of his winter jacket. While he did try to shake off as much of the snow as possible, there may be a faint trail of wet footsteps left behind. At the end of the hallway, He couldn't help but look at all the decorations and that fully decked out tree in the room.]

[legalcy]

[Mogsuna has lead Minimus Ambus to the largest tree, pointing at one painted ornament to indicate artist ownership. Minimus supposes an ornament workshop does boost morale and crew teamwork, though he himself would be too busy to participate...unless this is also one of those things considered to be "fun".

A short robot turns the corner to find the pathway to the entrance to be wet. One quick scan finds the party responsible.]

Excuse me, your shoes are tracking in the snow.

[failtsuninari]

Wha-?

[Kenichi perked up when he realized someone was talking to him. He turned around to face the speaker but stopped when he realized there was no one there at first until he looked down. Even after living for more than 100 years, even a sentient robotic figure can surprise him.]

Whoa! Geeze, sorry about that. Guess I didn't dry myself off enough. Hang on, I better get a towel to wipe this up. I think I found some in the chocobo pen area back there.

Uh, you're definitely a new face I've seen here. I take you just arrived?

Moogles and Starlight

[musicinmysoul]

(It's a quieter part of the Curti Center where Minimus and his moogle escort can find Matilda filling out some much needed paperwork. She's been making regular visits here to work on her custom asterisk and she's just about finished with all of the testing she'd need for the day. She didn't mind the bureaucratic parts of it as much as others, keeping the warm cup of cocoa by her side and double checking what she's finished so far.

Seemingly satisfied, she looks up from her paperwork and, after a moment's consideration, waves down the cybertronian.)

Excuse me. Do you know if Ganeshan left for the day? I may have taken too long getting this all done before that...

[legalcy]

I'm sorry? [He turns and looks upward at the curious organic. He is certain he met this "Ganeshan" person earlier, the name is not unfamiliar, but he cannot answer with certainty.]

Mogsuna, please remind me who Ganeshan is. [His Moogle promptly pulls up a picture of the Zora leaping off the top of the Curti Center building. Candid images are prime meme material among workers.] ...Thank you.

I'm afraid that I haven't seen him after the introductory lectures. At what time does he usually leave?

[musicinmysoul]

(Oh no, that's not a picture of him demonstrating Dragoon, is it? It's hard to tell with him sometimes...)

7PM usually...but it wouldn't surprise me if they had to send him home for working too many hours again. Explaining overexertion to passionate people is running into a brick wall.

(She sighs wistfully. Tilly dealt with a lot of that back home...)