asgardchrysalis | AUGUST INTRO LOG: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

AUGUST INTRO LOG: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

Who: EVERYONE
What: the August intro log and first god house competition, More Than Meets the Eye
When: August 8
Where: Gladsheim Palace for breakfast, around Asgard for the game/curse
Rating: PG-13; please take anything higher than this to a private log!

morning: a warm invitation

Everyone wakes up to a friendly invitation to breakfast at the castle with the gods. For most of you, this comes as a message on your bracelet, reading:

Join us at the castle today to welcome some new Wanderers into our midst. Breakfast will be served and a lively game will be available to all of our guests, both new and old.

New Wanderers are curious on their own, and this is the first there's ever been mention of a game. Perhaps it's enough for you to make the trek to the castle, to see what all the fuss is about, or maybe even to see if there's someone you know. Perhaps you want to learn more about the game, or maybe you just want the food.

For our new guests, this comes as a bit more of a surprise. Wherever you were before in your world, without even realizing it, you wake up in a strange new place. No time or space inbetween, just an awareness of There and then Here. A matronly figure tries to explain your circumstances with a sympathetic smile, but ultimately invites you meet them all for yourselves: the Gods of Asgard, and the Wanderers that arrived before you.

The sight that greets you on the castle grounds is a rather festive one, regardless of where you're coming from. Colorful streamers and flags are draped above large tables with room for several guests. Natives bustle about, cheerfully offering food and drinks to anyone that wants some. Everyone is welcomed to mingle and greet the new Wanderers on this bright summer morning.

the game: a friendly competition

Among the brightly decorated tables are ones highlighted in a specific color for a specific god house, and most of the gods themselves can be found sitting behind it with a few of their district's natives. They are here to welcome the new Wanderers into Asgard - but they're also here to explain the rules of today's game. There are coins hidden throughout the city and disguised as mundane items, and the god house that returns the most of their coins will win an upgrade to their god housing! No hints will be given, but the natives are excited to help facilitate the activity and happily invite you to wander through their districts to find what you can.

But you don't have to know about the rules to be playing the game! The coins are already hidden throughout the city, and no one knows what they are until they've been picked up. Whether you're banding together with friends to find as many coins as you can or blindly stumbling over an unpleasant surprise, the game and the curse are in full swing!

evening: a fair prize

At sundown, all of the coins in the city disappear at once, whether they're in your pocket or still disguised as a bowl. Points will be tallied and a winner will be announced (OOCly, on August 17) - but Asgardians are keen to celebrate regardless of who wins a rather inconsequential game. The same colorful display of tables and chairs is still spread across the castle grounds, although now they twinkle with fairy lights haphazardly blinking throughout the air. Snacks and drinks are made available, as well as more dinner-shaped meals for those that request it. Mostly the natives simply want to bask in the strangeness of these Wanderers from other worlds for a moment longer - but they're also eagerly listening to any stories from the day's mischievous game. Relax, enjoy yourself, or again, just stock up on some freely served food. Whatever suits your needs today. Welcome to Asgard, dear Wanderers.

[ OOC NOTE: This is the intro log for August, as well as our first god house competition/curse: More Than Meets the Eye. You are free to play with the curse prompts and searching the city in any way you want! If you would like to submit a map to earn points for your god house, please check out the rules to learn what to do. We will accept maps until August 17, at which point a winner will be announced and members of that god house will be allowed to vote for an upgrade to their god housing. As always, please let us know if you have any questions or need any help on the mod contact page. Enjoy, friends! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Doesn't he look sweet? He does. Really, and not in a way she thinks to mock, exactly. In a way that is - nothing like Pandora.

So what she probably means is clean.

But the hair, and a certain put togetherness that is far removed to what had dominated the last two years, and even before that. Put her that little bit in mind of those old photos of Axton as she looks him over in an instinctive assessment she barely registers she's doing ( guns? couldn't see them but that didn't mean anything if he liked Tediores. Shield? none again, might have lost it, might be backing another enhancement - ). Dahl's military neatness. A collar done up too high and a smile just open enough to be optimistic without the insanity she lived in. ]

Oh shit, that's where I saw you before. Yeah. Honir right? I'm Gaige, they - [ well there was no wanted posters around here to make it a bad thing, so where was the harm. ] Sometimes call me the Mechromancer.

Edited 2019-08-18 14:21 (UTC)

[ He does make it a point to keep himself clean and presentable when he has the chance, but he does realize that not everyone comes from worlds where they often have the chance, if at all. Here, like back home, he doesn't expect to do away with those commodities, since there are facilities at their disposal and Jim's as keen on keeping a good appearance as ever. ]

Possibly, although I've only just arrived.

[ She might've seen him lurking around, though. Briefly visiting what's meant to be his room. He lifts an eyebrow at the last word, smiling. ]

Mechromancer? Is that... literal, or are you just good with machinery?

Just that damn good. Or at least I used to be until this crappy place ruined it.

[ She puffs up proud in that eager rock of her weight. Lifting up her cybernetic arm. ]

I cut off this arm myself just to get this baby. Which I built, to house the robot which I also built from scratch myself. [ she frowns a little, like she's realising that was maybe dumb. ] Probably should have built the arm before I cut mine off, come to think of it. But it worked out okay in the end.

[ Because that's where the real issue is, obviously. Though case in point, the arm does only have three fingers, and is riddled with rust, scratches and bullet holes. ]

[ Jim takes the gesture as an invitation to get closer, which he does, so he can lean in and look over the arm curiously. Even with the rust and dents and other signs of abuse, it's still and impressive piece, and while he's no engineer, he's still fascinated by it.

He smiles fondly, imagining just how excited Scotty would be right now, if he were here with him. But his eyes flicker to meet hers with an incredulous expression when her words sink in. ]

Wait. You-- cut your own arm off? [ He ponders how sensible he wants to be, then decides to hell with it. ] Was there... something wrong with it?

Nah. I was just having a problem where I couldn't work out how to take my robot around with me. Until it hit me, a digistructing rod in my arm. So took a plasma knife, shlick, blood everywhere but arm gone. My dad was freaking out, but some building later, bam, new arm.

[ She wiggles the mechanic fingers, the crease and clicks of metal against itself. ]

Pretty cool, huh?

[ Jim opens his mouth, speechless for a few good seconds, closes it again and shrugs with a purse to his lips. ]

Well, it's... definitely unique.

[ Not sure he'd use the word cool, since that all sounds unnecessarily grisly and and frankly insane, but he's not going to tell her that. ]

We should keep looking. [ He nods down the street, waiting until they're walking together to ask. ] So, what does your robot do?

[ The worst part is probably how little she considers that there is anything wrong with it. Sure, there are explanations. Willing amputation for synthetic upgrades is common. Nevermind people who went all the way, like Wilhelm. Giving over any human parts to robotic upgrades to there was no human parts left. If asked, she'd just say that she was cutting out an expensive procedure, to DIY it. ]

DT? [ She puffs up proud, more so than over her arm. The robot was the point of the arm, for everything.

And he was gone. She swallows. ] I built him for my school science fair project. He was supposed to be an anti-bullying deterrent. But I uh, miscalibrated? A little? Just a little. Didn't carry a 0 on that last equation when I was setting up some of his defensive programs?

So now he turns people into diced meat. He's my best friend, and the best back-up a girl could need in a fight. Amongst other things. He's a legless torso of flying, hovering, death. He's awesome.

Edited 2019-08-23 12:08 (UTC)

[ Maybe it's a matter of perspective, of different realities. Jim's visited more than enough planets to know that sometimes what's perfectly normal among other species and cultures is weird or completely crazy to him, and the opposite applies just as well. So he's learned to accept rather than judge, even if some things do still leave him boggled despite his best efforts. ]

And you find yourself needing to shred a lot of people? [ Before he can help himself, he adds. ] Your teachers must've given you a top grade on that project, huh? Just in case they upset your robot.

[ It's so unfortunate, the wrong thing to say. Because she immediately bristles in an immediate onslaught of indignant rage. The kind only almost 20 somethings are capable of, like a hissing cat suddenly twice its size, her arms gesturing wildly. ]

No! I got. Third. Place. Third Place! Because this bourgeois prat of a princess in my class that stole my idea when her Daddy's paid scientists couldn't come up with anything themselves! Then gave it to the galaxies most corrupt police force!

[ Oh - Oh ] - And then, get this, her dad paid off the entire freaking judge's pannel so her crappy version of my robot won instead of me!

[ It is indeed the worst possible question he could have asked, he realizes quickly. On the other hand, while she sounds indignant, at least it's not directly aimed at him. A small comfort, he supposes. ]

Cheated just to get ahead, huh? Isn't that just the worst?

[ James T. Kirk you absolutely cannot talk about cheating. (But at least he never stole someone else's ideas.) ]

You know I would have been like theoretically fine with it - [ no she wouldn't have ] - if they'd at least built something good? But their robots were soooooo crappy compared to mine.

[ As if she is some great, nuanced artist. But the truth is, she hadn't got the name for nothing. She was damn good at building robots.

As long as that robot also happened to shoot lasers out of its face. ] They just had like - no vision, you know?

Well, not everyone is effortlessly talented when it comes to killer robots.

[ He shrugs, looking over at her. ] So is your robot around here somewhere?

[ And her face, it just falls. Everything always worn just there - too happy, too mean, too sharp on the bite - and just flatly lost. Like somehow, she's still just an idiot 19 something trying her best and just...

Well, just lost the one constant in her life since it went to hell, and it painfully shows before she shoves her face down. Kicks a rock instead of meeting his eye. Something to do with the hurt she's still feeling. Doesn't have ways to grieve, doesn't do anything but live in the running stride to know what she's meant to do but fight. ]

No. They said the magic here means the tech doesn't work. It's such bullshit.

[ Even if the concept of a killer robot as a best friend might be a little too strange for him, Jim's no stranger to that feeling of loss. It's clear on her face, when she looks like that, even if only for a moment, her expression open and vulnerable for the fraction of a second it takes for her to shove it down and act sulky instead.

He's left plenty behind too, coming here. He'd wager that most everyone has. Things that can't be replaced, people he won't be able to see or hear from anytime soon. They're all lost in their own way, and trapped when there's no chance that anyone or anything out there even knows how to get to them-- provided they're even looking to begin with. ]

Maybe for now. It's a new element that's been introduced, maybe eventually we can find a way to make it all work in harmony. [ He rests a hand on her shoulder and offers her an understanding smile. ] I'm sorry, about your robot.

Thanks. I've got a little bit of a relief, at least. Honir showed me where he was. He's off killing Rakks and doing his best, you know. So I at least know he's happy where he is. He loves zapping those things.

[ Like an owner of their beloved pet, she is so proud of him. Because Kirk is right in that, they all leave behind things, and she at least is used to leaving things behind, losing things, not being able to take it back. Pandora was littered with corpses, and it's not just the ones she had. ]

But yeah, you think so? You an engineer?

That's good, I guess. We all could use some comfort, knowing the things we care about are alright.

[ Jim knows he would. Granted, his crew was left in safety the last he saw them, but he would still like that reassurance. ]

Oh. No, I'm a starship captain. I know my way around, but I'm far from an expert. But we do seem to have a few brilliant people around, if we put our minds together to work towards the same goal, I'm sure we could achieve something.

[ It's how they do things in Starfleet, and he's certain it would work here too. ]

A starship captain? No fucking way. [ She's excited, always excited, apparently. Things just are interesting to her, either completely or weren't. ] You don't fly for corporations though, right?

[ Though, maybe, he was really clean after all. ] Guess so. Right now though, I am trying to figure out - if this place doesn't run on, I don't know, physics and chemistry and whatever, what does it run on?

[ Well, between the two options, Jim would rather be completely interesting than not interesting at all. He vastly prefers intense excitement to total apathy. ]

No. I fly for Starfleet, a service maintained by the United Federation of Planets. Corporations no longer exist, in my time.

[ He purses his lips a little and shrugs at her. ] Magic, supposedly. It's a new concept for me, honestly. But this whole place is unlike anything I've ever seen.

[ Her mind just sticks. She doesn't even process the rest of it as she just stares at him a second. ]

Wait, corporations don't exist?

[ Jim's smile widens, and he bites back a chuckle. It's not the first time he's gotten this reaction, though, so that at least doesn't catch him off-guard. ]

No. Money doesn't exist, either. The only currency we have is Federation credits, and even then it's scarcely used.

[ PAUSE. ]

But. How do you get paid for killing stuff?

We don't. Actually, killing is just generally frowned upon.

[ It's a little teasing; he knows (or thinks he knows) what Gaige means. ]

We do it when we have to, of course. To defend ourselves or others, but we're not paid for it.

Uhhh.

[ BLINK, BLINK. ]

What year did you say you're from?

I didn't. I'm from 2263.

[ He keeps walking down the road, glancing over at her. ] You?

Uhhhh, 2580 sometime. Haven't checked the date for a bit. Man. That's weird. Huh.

[ Did she read about this in history class? Hard to remember now. Lost a lot of things since then. ]

Man. You're pretty far back too. No one has money, seriously? 'Cause uh, capitalism rules the galaxy, man. As far as I've always known it, anyway.

AUGUST INTRO LOG: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

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