[WORLD ONE | SEPTEMBER INTRO LOG]

[spellbindmods]

Who: The new coven members, old blood & Palai people
Where: In and around the city land of Aimintas
When: Day 61
Open/Closed: Open to All

The initial setting information found here should be utilized for threads here.

There's no official OOC account for the Palai people. You're free to roleplay their actions and reactions on your own, as in depth as you want -- asking questions, hand-waved interactions, becoming best friends. The new world is your oyster!

All characters are told briefly what their powers are by Genette -- no extemporaneous details. For instance, if your character has the ability to detect lies, they'll be told as such -- no warning about limitations, repurcussions or the like. They'll also be given a variant of this letter so they aren't totally ignorant of the situation -- though of course adapt this letter to the current setting and surroundings of the game.

This setting may be familiar to you -- maybe you caught a glimpse of it when you first visited. Maybe this is your first time experiencing this weird world and the panic is setting in. If you're totally lost, a tall human woman with a long scroll of paper will stop by to give you the run down. She'll also give you a letter, which may give you more questions than answers since the information is a wee out of date. (Maybe someone else can fill in some gaps for you). What you may not know is that this world recently experienced something of a tragedy. You wouldn't be able to guess this based on the festive energy in the air. The main marketplace where you've shown up finished reconstruction last night, and after grief comes joy to the Palai -- those lizard creatures you see wandering around. They're now hosting a festival to celebrate their success and the lives of those both still present and those lost. It's also a chance for them to host one of those big celebrations like they'd previously seen in human books. However, their resources are limited -- don't blame them if things are a little cut-and-paste! A ▢ One of the preferred methods for masking grief in the Palai world is playing games. Because the Palai are still on their shrimp kick (the old blood characters are probably sick of them at this point), the shrimp are being used as part of a few festival games: Shrimp Scoop: Live prawns have been placed in a tank of water. Instead of paper scoops, players are handed small scraps of cloth which they may then dive into the six-foot tall tank to try and grab the prawns with -- no hands! And no magic or your prawn will be revoked. For extra incentive, sacks of golden coins have been tied to the prawns. These coins can be exchanged for goods and prizes, though what your character receives for their coin -- no matter how bland or wacky -- is up to your character. Shrimp Shock: Dead shrimp have been placed in a wading pool. Your character and another character enter the pool while Elto shock the shrimp out of the water. With about 20 shrimp in the water, the character with the most shrimps caught out of the air wins an allotment of coins. Whack-a-Shrimp: Eltos have powered six large, stuffed shrimp dolls (made with cloth), that will pop out of cut holes in a large game board. Hit the shrimp as many times as you can in 30 seconds, and your number will amount to the coins you receive. Shrimp Fest: Is your character a big eater? Your character is given a plate of cooked jumbo prawns. If they can eat all 50 jumbo prawns in 30 seconds, they win 100 coins. B ▢ What good is a festival if there's no face painting? Don't worry, you have more options than shrimp. Palai have an assortment of paints and are making colourful designs on both their kin and coven members -- your request may not look exactly as you want it to since they have bumpy hands and claws that get in the way.

This is all pretty juvenile, but fear not! For the mature sort and adults of Aimintas, there's a more quiet part set up that may cater to your older interests. A softer atmosphere, away from the excitement of things. If you want to wind down from the thrill of being magicked away to a new world, this is probably the best way for it. C ▢ Fans of alcohol will find that the Palai have broken out their best spirits for themselves and the coven. Some of these aged spirits are decades old and have aged accordingly, giving them a bitter flavor with a nasty bite of alcohol. Others are more recently distilled or imbued with magic for an extra buzz. Accordingly, some drinks can get you inebriated pretty quickly. Some drinks are essentially giddy truth serums. Others may have an effect on magic or telepathy. Pick your poison! D ▢ The environment in this more secluded area of the marketplace is supposed to be more relaxed, but it's also the best place to sit if you want a front row seat to the fireworks exhibit the remaining Eltos are putting on. Through balls of dye and their electrical powers, they're quickly blowing up the sky with arcs of color that rain down in the form of bright pieces of glitter once the spectacle is over. They also have a special service they're offering -- the Eltos have a grasp on electrical magic, which means they can draw certain things in the sky with these dye balls. If you have a request for a written message or a drawing of some sort, they'd be happy to comply with your wish! For the real adult experience, however, you may want to check out the large rolling cart that Palai are pushing around the marketplace, landing it in the fireworks area. This cart is filled with all of the eggs that were a product of their mating season, and this part of Aimintas is the warmest. E ▢ For newbies and those who missed the egg train, your character can instead be Egg Parent for a Night. The Palai are holding their eggs to warm them for the evening, but (like most parents with new babies) they're certainly trying to show off their creations. Hold them, pass them around -- or maybe even act a fool and fend off a fiercely angry Palai parent.

Finally, the Palai are getting used to the standard familiar faces, so they aren't unaware that there are quite a few new faces in the mix. Based on how familiar your character is, they'll receive a nice little gift from the Palai. Older coven members will receive a scrolled parchment that lists them as honorary citizens of Aimintas and a handmade, harden clay sculpture of their likeness. It may not look a lot like them, but they tried. F ▢ What about new members? Well, they get the Aimintas Starter Kit: an unmarked vial containing Palai mating pheromones (makes your character affectionate, etc), a bag of cooked shrimp, a collection of their baked goods and energy drinks (containing Elto magic that makes magical abilities hard to handle), and a harmless paper flower. Your character likely isn't used to the dangers of some of these items, so maybe someone can help them...or is it too late? G ▢ Because the Palai recognize new faces, these new coven members will be dragged to other coven members who they do recognize. In an effort to help make introductions, the Palai are trying to connect new members with old members in order to foster friendships. Say hi to a new, awkwardly introduced covenmate...? H ▢ Wildcard! How will your character interact with this new and unusual world?

Comments

[apatheia]

I imagine it'd be the same for me if I tried to imagine your world.

[Although now that she thinks about it, she's not sure if she knows much about Jude's world specifically either.]

The ones I saw before weren't as nice as the ones here though.

[talim]

Hmm... What was the difference?

[ the general atmosphere, maybe? being in sea of excited palai and coven members alike was certainly a nice bonus. after everything that had been going wrong, seeing something go right was a miracle in itself. ]

[apatheia]

... They were done by machine lifeforms in what I assume was mimicry of humans. The point of it felt more like to imitate rather than to celebrate.

[It was much emptier, both figuratively and literally when the only inhabitants of the amusement park were machines. As big and pretty the fireworks were, the fact that they were done out of a hollow routine was noticeable even to her.]

[talim]

Ah.

[ so that's it. jude has never delved much into the topic of machines — he doesn't know whether it's a sore subject or not, but there have been so many things to ask about that he's been more interested in he just... hasn't.

jude is guessing they're something like spyrix. maybe they even are spyrix, or fit the definition, in any case. something milla would destroy in her path before moving along.

jude cocks his head to the side, curiosity getting the better of him as it always does. ]

These machines... What's the difference between machines and androids, anyway?

[apatheia]

They're our enemies. [As if that explains enough on its own.] While they're the reason humanity was driven to live on the moon, we're what humanity created in order to reclaim the planet.

[There are a lot of other differences, like appearances and presumed levels of intelligence or how the machines have a shared network, but she thinks that's the biggest difference. Their goals and what they were made for are complete opposites. Androids fight to restore mankind's glory whereas machines are trying to ruin them.

(Of course, she's not the one who knows better.)]

[talim]

[ he's pretty sure 9s mentioned humanity living on the moon — hard to just forget a little tidbit like that — but at the time jude had been so absolutely baffled by not only that but by having just wound up on this planet in the first place he hadn't pressed him on it. it was quite awhile ago. ]

So what you're saying is that in general the chain of command of sorts is, starting from the bottom and working up top, machines, androids, and then humans. Am I correct?

[apatheia]

Essentially, yes.

[She considers leaving it at just that, but given what she saw from machines like Pascal and his village or Adam and Eve, she feels like there's something a little lacking in her answer. It's not the whole truth, even if that itself is a little complicated. (And frankly, she doesn't even know how complicated.)]

Although many machines achieved intelligence similar to ours, [and she hesitates to include "emotions," especially when they're prohibited for herself in the first place] and some were even non-hostile and wished for peace, that was how my world was structured as I knew it.

pretend that "in" last tag isn't there

[talim]

Were all machines your enemies, then? Even the peaceful ones?

[ jude... doesn't like the sound of that. rubs him the wrong way. ]

pats i didn't even notice lol

[apatheia]

Not the peaceful ones. [Never mind the potential for play cruelty in attacking non-hostile machines or destroying Pascal's Village, but ANYWAYS.] They were... allies, you could say.

[With how much Pascal and the other villagers, there's really no arguing that they helped them, but it still feels strange to say.]

i'm just super anal

[talim]

That's good to hear. There are always exceptions.

Reclaiming the planet is a big job, I know...

[ understatement of the century. ]

... but you should make more time for things like this. For standing and watching the fireworks.

pats...

[apatheia]

[It occurs to her that with her death, she's not even sure that's her job anymore. It seems more prudent to protect the humans right in front of her, and even though she's miraculously come back to life, she has no idea if that would still be the case if she returned to her world.

Honestly, she doesn't even know what condition her world is in. 9S has said so little on it. With YoRHa gone and both 9S and humanity here, is there really even a reason for her to try and go back?

... But none of that seems like anything worth mentioning to Jude. To anyone, really.]

When the opportunity arises, I don't mind. Although we still have duties to fulfill here, too.

[talim]

I think we all have certain duties to fulfill, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves along the way, right?

There's a certain human saying: It's about the journey, not the destination.

[ he's a huge nerd i can't believe he just quoted that, philosophy 101 with jude mathis. ]

[apatheia]

[Deep Life Advice featuring Doctor Jude Mathis, PhD in being a do-gooder.]

The journey and not the destination, huh... [Well, considering that the Qri's intended "destination" or goal for them is pretty far-reaching, it makes sense not to focus on that too much. And she's been told that she ought to enjoy things around her plenty of times. It just never seemed like an actual option until now.] I'll try to. If nothing else, this has already proven to be a journey unlike anything I've ever seen.

[talim]

[ phD in everything ever. except bazongas i guess. ]

You can say that again...

[ he rubs his temples, but still offers 2b a small smile. he's glad she seems to understand where he's coming from. ]

[apatheia]

[someday i hope she hears the word "bazonga" from him and asks what it means]

Have you been taking the time to enjoy the journey too though? You worry about people a lot. [One might even call him a worry wart.]

[talim]

[ i hope so too. he'll teach 2b about bazongas. ]

Just because I tend to worry about others doesn't mean I don't know how to look out for myself, too.

[apatheia]

[> accidentally gets himself listed as a wanted criminal
Yeah that's definitely looking out for yourself!! At least 2B doesn't actually know that... So for now it's just a Hunch.]

Hmm. [Yeah she doesn't completely buy this, but she won't say that.] Since you're a doctor, I would hope that you can look out for yourself.

[talim]

I mean... maybe I can overdo it sometimes, but...

[ it's no big deal! really! he isn't a meddlesome do-gooder at all. ]

[apatheia]

[JUDE.... YOU'RE NOT INSPIRING MUCH CONFIDENCE HERE!!]

... I'm glad I can be here to look out for you. [It comes out rather frank and matter-of-fact. She doesn't think he's not capable or anything like that, but she's worried?? It's her job to help humanity anyways, it won't hurt if she wants to help Jude specifically too.]

[talim]

[ a light flush creeps onto his cheeks. what is it with these androids? making him blush all the time... ! ]

Something tells me I should argue, but deep down, I'm glad, too.

[ 2b makes him feel... safe. secure. he can trust her, and jude is a trusting person, but 2b in particular is different. it's a deeper kind of trust, real trust. ]

[apatheia]

[Oh... She's not sure what answer she was expecting, but that wasn't it. It's a pleasant surprise to know that Jude trusts her to be able to take care of him. This isn't the pride of completing a mission of fulfilling her duty, something she's doing solely for the sake of just that. It's warmer, more personal.

She's glad she can help out a friend.]

What are friends for, right? [Look she's really trying to get used to the idea of them being equal friends!!]

PLEASE IGNORE THAT LAST TAG I H*CKED UP

[talim]

[ friends. they're friends. they were so adamant against the idea at first, so hesitant, uncertain, but little by little they've warmed up to it, and that alone has warmed jude to his very core.

he couldn't ask for anything more. ]

Right. Friends.

[ ♥ ]