☆MINGLE IN THE CITY

[interdimanagers]

Who: NEWBIES FROM EVERYWHERE.
What: More rescuers and musicians have arrived. This is a non specific mingle log for whatever you want to do that is intro related!
When: March 9th, 2055
Where: Anywhere in Vista City!
Warnings: Could be anything, or possibly nothing.

☆VISTA CITY

You'll quickly notice that Vista City comes with multiple levels - the ground level, that actually touches the earth, and then a second level of streets and walkways that occurs halfway up the mountainous buildings. Cars streak down both sets of speedways, and the signs of life scatter every inch of the towers surrounding you. At the same time, though, a city of this magnitude leaves a lot of nooks and crannies left frequently unseen - something you'll definitely have to take advantage of. In the outer ring of the city the population is less dense than it gets towards the center, so at the least it gives you the opportunity to get your bearings.

You'll find that there is no shortage of people stalking around in the darkness, even as the sun sets and night totally takes hold. A lot of them are dressed pretty funny, too, and any insecurities you had about looking ridiculous can tentatively be put aside. The costumes you were left do allow you to blend in about as well as you could hope. You've been advised to avoid talking to locals as much as possible, at least until you've figured things out better. There is a notable absence of homeless people on the streets, which could mean any number of things.

RESCUERS WILL BE GIVEN THE FOLLOWING LOOT:

• ENGLISH LANGUAGE TRAINING: if your character doesn’t already speak English, they will be given some time with a crown like technological device that seems the be able to psychically teach people languages at a rapid pace. Whatever has been enabling communication so far won’t cover you once you enter the city, so it’s important that you’re prepared. How easily a person’s brain accepts this information will vary based on unseen neurological factors, and can range from perfect fluency to an uneasy second language. (On an OOC level, whether or not your character struggles with picking up English is completely up to you.) Most of this training will be done on the trip to Tera.
• THEIR DESIGNATED TOOLS: any items your character was designated on your application will be given to them now. They’ll have some degree of choice in what they get, but everything is limited in supply. There are manuals for everything, but how much you can be fucked to read them will vary. Also, some of them aren’t in English or anything else even remotely recognizable.
• COMMUNICATION DEVICES: Everybody will get a communicator, which are worn around the back of your ear and project a holographic field over your eyes when activated. The device itself must be manually switched on with your fingers, and from there on out your exact method of controlling it depends on the settings. Some of the more basic functions can be manipulated with “brain waves” (though nothing very complicated) and the rest is mostly voice or touch activated, though you can also set it up to be controlled with blinking and eye movement if you are a “pro”. Its functions include voice, voice-to-text, and a sort of janky manual text mode that you have to touch the screen to use. Video chat is not available, though it is capable of recording video from your POV to be shared manually after the fact. It can also share still images. Various channels can be set up and accessed, both private and public, much like a Teamspeak server is used in gaming.
• HOLO EMITTERS (LIMITED): The amount of these available are limited by “plot convenience.” Do you want your character to have to struggle with their alien appearance to get by constantly? Then imagine there wasn’t enough of them to go around and your character was unlikely or benevolent enough to not receive one. Would you rather they have access to one? Then you can have one. A holo emitter is capable of projecting a holographic image around your character and disguising their appearance, the complexity of which is entirely up to you. The major problems with it are that 1) it can’t conceal things that the hologram doesn’t actually touch – cow horns could be covered in a hologram to look like a hat, but it couldn’t make them look as if there is nothing there at all, and 2) the holograms have no mass, and so if anyone tries to touch them they’ll realize they are just light projections. Also, like most of the equipment, they only work for a few hours before running out of power.
• AMERICANA DISGUISES: Clothing, make up, the works – everything the average joe needs to pass themselves off as a resident of Vista City. Outfits are perhaps a bit more eccentric and flashy than you’re used to...or maybe a bit less, depending where you come from. Either way, it’s a specific look, and there should be enough here to accommodate new outfits for all the humanoids. If you’re a horse, you’re sort of on your own. What your character ends up with is up to you, though “space rave” is a good way to describe common aesthetics. There are also a lot of hooded coats, hats, and other articles that would be good for hiding inhuman characteristics.
• RATIONS: Enough food at water, tightly compact, to last everyone for a few days. It’s going to start to run out quickly, though, so the group is going to need some breadwinners sooner rather than later.
• FAKE IDS: Complete with each individual's image (or a human approximation) and a made up name. It's enough info to get a job with, they'll explain, if you can manage it. Avoid pushing the forgery's limits, though, if you can. Silver and Gold made them themselves so they expect they are excellent quality, but you can never be too careful.

Comments

[spaghettimonster]

[Papyrus twists a little to look where she's patting. Thanks to Doctor Connie's-Mom, this second-hand information might yet save the day.]

They don't? But I've seen so many muscular men... Flexing in front of mirrors, showing off their physique. Isn't that what humans want to look like?

[Have movies and magazines misled him all this time...?]

[missknight]

Oh! Well, some guys. But those muscular men usually don't have shirts on when they're showing off, right?

[spaghettimonster]

[Phew, that's a relief. At least it wasn't all in his imagination.]

Hmmm. If they did... they wore sleeveless shirts.

[missknight]

Then there you go.

But don't worry. Even cool muscle guys get cold, and have to wear sleeves in the winter, so most people won't think too much about it.

[spaghettimonster]

Well.... Okay.

[He tugs off the outer layers, enough to pull out whatever he'd been using as shoulder padding, then replaces them. He certainly looks more... normal that way.]

[But not like he just walked out of a wrestling ring. And it's a bit of a disappointment.]

Like this?

[missknight]

Like that. [Sensing that it's not what he wanted, Connie pats his arm.] You look great.

And anyway, everyone knows that muscles are just an associated trait with what's really important.

[spaghettimonster]

[Fun fact: magical skeletons can blush. Papyrus presses his hands to his pink cheeks and smiles down at her.]

They are? I mean, they are! Yes! Muscles are associated with... bones.

[Swing and a miss, there.]

[missknight]

[Excuse her as she briefly gets distracted by that, but then- the Gems aren't really flesh and blood either, but they can still blush. Mysteries for another time.]

No, being a great hero! I know someone who's an amazing defender of the Earth, and she's not muscular at all. She's tall and thin- like you!

[spaghettimonster]

Really?!?

[Undyne's really muscled, and nobody can accuse Gerson or the various royal guards of being thin. It's enough to make a skeleton feel like he can never measure up. Or, well, around.]

Well! That stands to reason! She must be very... flexible! And precise! And skilled. Like I am!

[missknight]

She is! When she fights, she's amazing, it almost looks like dancing.

[Rose's sword is just too big for the kind of moves Pearl uses, so Connie leaves it by Lion's side to pick up a stick. Diligently, she begins to demonstrate some of the twisting sharp moves Pearl loves.]

Like this!

[spaghettimonster]

Oh, wow!

[His eyesockets sparkle as he watches her demonstration. Connie's probably just in training, like he is... so just imagine what Pearl must be like! Really impressive.]

Those are amazing techniques! I'd hardly want to take a turn, fighting against that.

[missknight]

Yeah, and if I can get to be anywhere near as good as her..

[Fired up again, Connie whirls to Papyrus with stars in her eyes.]

So even if we're not super muscular, lets be amazing heroes!

[spaghettimonster]

[It's the starry eye singularity. The force of their fervor could rouse the dead. Look, a skeleton is already cheering her on.]

YES! We'll save everybody! And people will think of us, when they think of what incredibly cool people look like!!!

[And he sincerely means it. Both parts.]

[missknight]

[A skeleton cheering her is a point in favor of raising the dead.]

Yeah! Maybe they'll make statues or something... Or a documentary.

[Because surely after they've rescued everyone, they won't just keep this a secret from the people of the world, right?]

[spaghettimonster]

[The real test is whether any others join in. It doesn't look likely.]

Oh my god! Yes! A documentary! So all sorts of people can see our accomplishments! A statue would be like just another hedge trimmed to look like me. It would be nice, but... just more of the same.

[Spoken with the proud boredom of someone who's already seen their face immortalized in sculpture. Not that snow sculptures really count.]

[missknight]

Oh wow, you've already gotten things like that?

[Connie knows she hasn't... Although, to be fair, she guesses the Crystal Gems are pretty lowkey about protecting the Earth.]

[...As lowkey as monster fighting can be.]

[spaghettimonster]

Yes, a hedge! The king trimmed it. Outside the queen's school. In... recognition of all I did? To help the human help free us?

[Really, jut to make up for the fact that he couldn't join the Royal Guard since they were disbanding it on the surface anyway... but details shmetails.]

[missknight]

The king? [Wait... Why is this seeming familiar?] Oh, is the human short with a brown bob haircut?

[spaghettimonster]

[Maybe because it's a very famous story! It was on all sorts of news outlets. Ancient legendary monsters returned to the surface of the world...]

Yes! Have you met them? Frisk is their name! But I knew them first as 'the human...'

[missknight]

Yeah, I... think I sort of met them in a dream.

[Oh, 'them', okay. That solves the question Connie had been awkwardly wondering.]

They mentioned being an ambassador!

[spaghettimonster]

[Well, probably 'them'. Frisk hasn't corrected Papyrus on it, anyway.]

They are! On behalf of all monsterkind. A lot of people thought the humans might be nervous to see us coming back... and Frisk is telling them that we're friends! So nobody fights anybody.

[missknight]

And they don't seem like they're older than me... Wow.

[Connie can only hope to reach that level one day.]

I guess I should show them a lot of respect when we meet!

[spaghettimonster]

Well, I'm not... sure how old they are... But what does age have to do with accomplishments? They are very great! And they had me to help!

[With Papyrus around, now, maybe she can. By the way, Connie's not wearing a striped shirt, is she?]

[missknight]

Well, when you're younger, you don't have a lot of time to do amazing things. Or your parents won't let you. That's how it is for humans, anyway.

[Although Connie knows she's managed to somehow deal with that particular thing, even if her mother hadn't like it.]

Still, that's amazing!

[spaghettimonster]

Isn't that the truth. All 'child safety' this, and 'reduce hazards' that. It's so much rubbish! Kids don't want to be kept away from cool things.

[He can't really reply about parents, because... well, his childhood memories are a little vague. He's sure he didn't do as much dangerous stuff then as he did growing up, though. Or else why did he feel so annoyed by Asgore's proclamations about changing the puzzles?]