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

[old_stoneface]

"... Er," was just about all he could manage, in response to that. There was... precisely none of that he actually understood. "Alright." He backs up a minute, tries to process the words one sentence at a time, fails. "Right. Lad- er." He's not so certain of that, actually, but he doesn't see a skirt, so best to err on the side of caution, there. "Let's pretend I don't know what any of that meant, and try from the start. There's no buildings made of metal in Ankh-Morpork, or in Quirm or Sto Lat, as far as I know, so the question remains where I've been taken to. And- sorry, what d'you mean, giant dragon? Somebody summoned another one, thought I had that bloody book destroyed-"

[sassafrisk]

Okay. Maybe they should take this a bit slower. Not everybody came from worlds where multiverse theory was a common thing. Frisk takes a deep breath, trying to figure out how to explain this whole mess in simpler terms. "Let's... try this again. We aren't on your world anymore. Period. We're somewhere else. That make sense? And it's probably a different dragon, unless the one you're talking about is named Bahamut." They pause. "Aaaaand I'm not a lad."

[old_stoneface]

"Well, I never really stopped to ask its name, on account of all the burning." He rubbed his forehead. Gods, he needed a drink. "You'll have to forgive me about that. I'm not in what you'd call a good state of mind, what with having been swept up in some loony's plan to muck about with dragons and quantum and gods-only-know what else..."

[sassafrisk]

"No, no. It's fine," Frisk says, smiling and shaking their head. They couldn't really blame Vimes for being in such a state, considering how confused they were when they first showed up. "Don't worry about it, really. Some people on the planet we're heading to are a lot better at explaining of this ridiculousness than I am, so you can probably get some more thorough answers from them. Anything I can do to help in the meantime?"

[old_stoneface]

Vimes narrowed his eyes. "I'd ask how old you are, but apparently they teach kids to fight young here." Not that he could complain about that too much; he himself had been a member of a street gang, as a boy. "Anything you can do? I doubt it, unless it's also common for young girls here to carry about their person packets of Pantweed's Slim Panatellas. Or a bacon sandwich." On reflection, he added, "I'd also settle for a drink."

Something about what was just said sticks in his mind. "You said we're heading to a planet? What d'you mean by that?"

[sassafrisk]

"Nnnnnot a girl, and bacon sandwiches are gonna have to wait for when we land, but!" Frisk takes out their iMog slate, fiddles with the magitek for a few moments, and in a flash of light the two dozen hidden blades on their person is replaced... with a beer cooler at their feet, which they kick open to reveal liquor of every kind. It was kind of hard to believe that their little breakdown in July was somehow still paying dividends. "Take whatever you like."

They cock their head to the side at Vimes' confusion, then snap their fingers. "Oh! You're from a medieval-ish world! Okay, so, um. Planets are huge spheres of rock that can have stuff like water and animals and plants on them. Where everybody lives, pretty much."

[old_stoneface]

There seemed to have been a misunderstanding. "Ah. Sorry, not that I don't appreciate the offer, but I'd meant something more along the lines of a coffee. I don't drink, er. Well, I don't drink." Not that it wasn't horribly tempting in the circumstances. "Hang on, sphere? Like a ball? That seems a bit mad, what sort of god makes a planet out of a great bloody ball? Things'd fall off all the time."

[sassafrisk]

"No prob!" Frisk gets out their slate again, and the cooler disappears. Seriously, somebody should've thought to check those things for utility in smuggling, because if Frisk had just slightly looser morals they'd be turning a massive profit right now. "Coffee, coffee... there should be a coffee maker somewhere in the lounge. C'mon, follow me." Frisk gestures for Vimes to come with them as they walk away.

Their jaw unhinges when Vimes explains his unfamiliarity with the concept of gravity. "Okay. Um. How do I explain this." They sigh, pinching the bridge of their nose. "Every object in the universe exerts a force that pulls other objects towards it. The larger the object, the more powerful the force. Since this force pulls stuff in in all directions, matter tends to accrete in a sphere. Which creates planets. And since, like I said, gravity pulls stuff in from all directions... you can live on the bottom of a planet and not fall off."

[old_stoneface]

Vimes was thankful for the prospect of coffee. "Gavity- I thought that just made stuff fall down? And you can't just live on the bottom, can you? That's where the elephants've got to hold it all up..."

[sassafrisk]

Frisk was just going to disregard how apparently their fifth-grade science lecture went in one ear and straight out the other and gape at Vimes. "Your- wait- I- most. Most planets. Don't? Have elephants holding them up?"

[old_stoneface]

Vimes looked confused and mildly horrified. This was uncharted territory, as far as he was concerned. "Well there've got to be elephants, you can't just balance a planet on a turtle's back, it'd fall off and then it'd just be spinning out in space like-" he struggled, for a moment, for an appropriate metaphor. "Well, like a bloody great spinning disc!"

[sassafrisk]

"...there's. There's not a turtle either," Frisks says, equally dazed. Wow, this guy really did come from medieval times if he still believed in stuff like that. "The. The world is suspended in space by its own gravity and that of the sun. Do, do you understand?"

[old_stoneface]

Vimes was getting the sneaking suspicion that this child thought he was stupid. Not that he was a terribly intelligent man, but Vimes was aware enough to understand that he was being patronized by a twelve-year-old. "Look, I'm not messing you about, there's a turtle and four elephants. Carr- one of my officers jumped in this- he took iconographs, obviously I haven't got those on me but I know people who've been over the edge-"

He snapped his fingers, as though suddenly remembering something. "I remember Carrot going on about this- some mad artificer spending a mint in dollars to prove the Disc was round, it was all over the Times for a week- he had a light, only it was really damned bright, and it had a hood on so the light all got focused in one direction, and he went out to the salt flats of Quirm and sent his assistant five miles off and told him to record whether he saw the light or not- and he did, which you can't get on a ball. It's all 'cos of the angles, things'd get in the way." He looked slightly triumphant, there.

[sassafrisk]

Frisk gapes at Vimes. That science was... oddly sound. Well. If there were worlds as frankly ridiculous as theirs was, it stood to reason that there was one out there that conformed to all of the medieval conceptions about science. "Okay. Well, you got me there." Frisk shrugs. "Kinda pot calling the kettle black considering how weird this world can get, I guess."