[WORLD TWO | INTRO LOG]

[spellbindmods]

Who: All coven members
Where: In and around the new world’s apartment building where the coven is staying
When: Day (the calendar isn’t syncing for me hELP)
Open/Closed: Open to All

You’re in a room. It’s pretty bright — blindingly so, even. There’s something very stark and very clean about the place, and also the person you’re sitting in front of. You’re sitting? You’re sitting. There’s also a pane of very powerful plexiglass separating you from the uniform-clad person who is now speaking to you. It’s impossible to transcribe what they say verbatim, but here’s the gist of it: - You’re being welcomed to a city called Shehui. Depending on who you are, the level of technology may be light years ahead of you or child’s play. - There’s a very strict policy about magic. While there are measures put in place to prevent magic from happening, this is still something that they reiterate over and over. They don’t want to take chances. - Crime is also frowned upon. Small infractions will result in credit deductions, while major crimes will get you banned. Antisocial behavior is also looked down upon. You’re locked in the city for your initial eight weeks. You can leave afterwards, but trying to break out of the city or cause social unrest will result in monitoring and a potential ban. - This city is supposed to be somewhat relaxing. Is it a free pleasure cruise? No. Is it a self-contained society that runs on community and indulgence? Yes. - You’re being given an allotment of credits in order to stay in the city, which is what the economy there runs on. This goes on for quite some time. - You’re being moved to a housing location. Despite the slotted speaker in the middle of the plexiglass, the only time you have a chance to ask questions is when a small slit opens in the bottom and a package is slid towards you. - What’s in the package? There’s a credit card-like apparatus that has apparently taken a picture of you. It contains a place to write your name, an identification number and barcode. It also has a thin strip near the top that has scrolling script floating by. It states “WELCOME TO SHEHUI. YOUR ID WILL UPDATE WITH COMMUNITY NOTICES AND PERSONAL PINGS FOR JOBS AND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES RELATED TO YOUR INTEREST.” It’s a lot to take in, but that’s the long and short of it. Have questions? The person will reiterate a few times that there are information desks around the city. That’s all for now…now you’ll be traveling to your next destination: your new home. The floor slowly lowers as if you’ve been in an elevator the whole time. It connects to several other glass containers, much like your own, all suddenly clanking together in a chain. After a short wait, the chain begins to move — quickly. Faster, maybe, than you’ve ever gone before. It’s hard to even make out the scenery when you’re zipping past everything so quickly. Where does this trip lead you? The ground floor of your new apartment building. The plexiglass cases open up and you’re in a hotel lobby. There’s a flashing board on the wall — NEW ARRIVALS, COME HERE. A ▢ So now’s the time to get settled into your new digs. Your name is on the board, and there’s a promise that your things — which, by the way, were mysteriously taken — will be located in your room. No need to fight over bedrooms; those also hold name placards that are digitally installed. Maybe everyone else is already there. Maybe you’re the first person there and need to find a way to stake your claim on the fridge or a bathroom. B ▢ Maybe you don’t want to fuck with anybody right now and are busy exploring the apartment building. You may encounter some aliens, some strangers, some ice machines. There IS that floor that’s nothing but recreational stations. If you’re overwhelmed, the garden is a good place to start. The sport court is pretty empty right now, if you want to have any regrouping meetings.

The apartment building is locked up tight for three hours in order to let new arrivals get their bearings. After that, the ground floor lobby doors open into the city of Shehui. There’s a lot to take in, but let’s cover the biggest bases: C ▢ Right outside this communal apartment building is a large, digital job board. The list of available jobs and credit opportunities are constantly flashing by. Want to pick one out? Just hold up that ID card you were given and the instructions and location will be sent to the ID’s text scroller. D ▢ You’ve got 500 credits to blow on clothes, food, strippers…whatever you’d like? Right next to the apartment complex are tons of local businesses, from bistros to outlet malls. A movie theater, an arcade, a video game store…and the best thing about Shehui? Most everything is dirt cheap. Where are you shopping? What are you buying? Enquiring minds would like to know! E ▢ Right next to the shopping area is a wooded park. It’s akin to a nature trail that’s similar to Yellowstone in scenery and topography. If you’re more comfortable someplace less…tech or modern…then this may be exactly where you’d like to be. F ▢ Wildcard! How will your character interact with this new and unusual world?

Comments

[rootandbranch]

It's a lot of work, and different people are different. I see why you were trying to get out of it.

[he considers their conversation thus far.]

I really wasn't ignoring anything, before. I can see why you say you were arrogant and made bad decisions that hurt people. It's just... not really my place to tell you what to practice? You never do that for me.

[splinten]

I used to do it to my friends a lot. I'd tell Jake to be more skeptical and Jane to be more open-minded. I... pulled stunts, to encourage that, because at least if they made mistakes practising with me, it would be in a safe environment with someone who wanted the best for them.

But the truth is I'm someone who doesn't have any business telling anyone what to do, not the least of which because I have no damn clue myself. All I did was hurt their confidence.

[rootandbranch]

Oh...

[Geir's eyes widen. Dirk's logic was good. it makes sense. that's a dangerous trap, he realizes. he should watch for that, when he's trying to logic things out himself.]

Oh, I might do that. That doesn't even look like arrogance if you're just thinking about it, does it? That's sneaky.

[splinten]

Yeah. You can make all sorts of things seem like the okay thing to do if you rationalize them the right way.

[And it's Dangerous and Bad.]

The problem is they never really agreed to it. If they'd expressed an explicit desire for that, sure, that could have been okay. But I just pushed them into it and ignored the hints that they didn't appreciate what I was doing.

[rootandbranch]

Did you notice them and do the other thing anyway? Or did you not realize...?

[functionally, those are the same thing, but Geir knows that he's guilty of doing the second thing a lot.]

[splinten]

I think I didn't want to notice them. Like I knew and registered it, but I didn't want to face what it would mean if I was wrong about all this, so I decided I knew best and kept pushing onwards with the conviction that I'd turn out to be right in the end.

[rootandbranch]

[narrows his eyes, an insight coming to him:]

Because Best Dirk wouldn't be wrong about it.

[splinten]

Right. Best Dirk is always right about shit and never fucks up.

[rootandbranch]

[Best Dirk sounds horribly insufferable, actually. huh.]

Was Best Dirk right? If you'd been right and made it all come out okay, it'd have been fine...?

[splinten]

No. It would have been stupid and dickish anyway. Best Dirk is a fuckin' douchebag.

[rootandbranch]

Okay. That's sort of what I was getting out of all that.

[Geir's relieved. Best Dirk is officially a dick. everyone important agrees.]

You still beat yourself up for not being that way, though. That's what you're saying every time you say that you tried to be better and couldn't.

[splinten]

Well, yeah. Best Dirk is a dick, but at least he has the merit of good things coming out of his dickishness. I'm an asshole who can't even accomplish anything.

[rootandbranch]

[head tilt.]

Ummm. So if you fail at being a dick, you're terrible, and if you succeed at being a dick, you're... less terrible... if the results are okay? How you do things doesn't matter as much as whether your intentions were good or not and whether you get them done...?

[splinten]

I'm a dick either way. The difference is that I'm a dick without any redeeming features.

[rootandbranch]

...

...

...

...

...

Wait, no, I'm missing something. We went backwards somehow. You were being a dick in the first place because you were trying to be Best Dirk, we already said that earlier.

Are you saying you're terrible because you used to think he was cool enough to try to be him?

[splinten]

No, it's not that. Normal Dirk is a manipulative, arrogant dick who sucks at people and thinks he knows what's best for them. Best Dirk is all of that, but at least he does help people get better. As opposed to normal Dirk, who just destroys them.

[rootandbranch]

[...Geir nudges Dirk's chest with his nose

he's pretty sure that what Dirk needs at this particular second is to pet him more??]

[splinten]

[Okay, he will pet Geir. That seems to make Geir happy so he will do that.]

[rootandbranch]

[it does. Dirk has succeeded at creating more happiness. Geir likes being petted very much.]

You don't have to do all those things, though. You haven't destroyed me even a little.

Are you afraid you'll start again?

[splinten]

[This doesn't count because he says it doesn't.]

Yeah. I think... that's the kind of shit it's easy to fall back into.

You talked about Names with me before. In the world I'm from, players of Sburb have something called Mythological Roles. They're basically titles you're made to fulfil. The Aspect is the element of the universe you interact with, while the Class defines how you interact with it, so that two people might have the same class or title, but they'll operate in very different ways. Like, a Thief of Light steals luck for themselves, while a Rogue of Light would steal luck and redistribute it to others. Meanwhile, a Seer of Light would see the most fortuitous path forward.

[rootandbranch]

[he listens with great attention, and when Dirk pauses, interjects agreeably:]

Sure, that all makes sense.

[Terezi mentioned that she and Dirk were gods of a sort, and this all sounds easier to remember than the murky, intensely personal journeys that await those who draw close to the Tree.]

[splinten]

[The important thing is most of these dumbasses failed to do their planet quests.]

Mine is the Prince of Heart. Heart deals with selfhood, or basically the soul of a person. Prince is an active and destructive class. A Prince destroys with, or destroys through, their aspect.

[rootandbranch]

[that was a very dramatic statement and all, but Geir's reaction is...

well, uh,

relief and delight?]

--! You're like me!

[he shoves his head against Dirk's side more.]

No wonder we get along!

[splinten]

Dude, you are going to destroy my ribs if you keep that up.

[SOMEHOW! SOMEHOW HE KNEW GEIR WOULD BE LIKE THIS]

[rootandbranch]

Diiiiirk! I'm really good at not breaking human bones! I haven't broken any.

[he hasn't. he's so good at this. he does ease off slightly though, just enough not to be actively shoving Dirk halfway over. Dirk has a sweet armrest now.]