[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

[potentite]

I called it adorable, didn't I? Not sizzling.

[splinten]

What the fuck, man. You're saying you're not hot for my ass. That has to be against 1950s courtship rules.

[potentite]

Maybe I'm hot for other parts of you, Strider!

[splinten]

So you're confirming you are not into my ass. Real sweet, English.

[potentite]

[He flusters, looking down.] Well, I like all of you, really...

[splinten]

All of me, huh.

[He leans a little closer to Jake. Part of him can't believe this. Jake doesn't like him, Jake doesn't like guys, this is a fluke, something Dirk tricked him into.

Other parts of him tell that part to chill, to mixed success. He forcibly pulls himself away from 'insecure and anxious' and tries to keep settled in 'flirty and fun.']

I can understand that feeling.

[potentite]

[Oh. He feels so warm and shifts closer, lifting his head to look at him better.]

Is that so?

[splinten]

Yeah.

[Dirk leans closer, and glances at Jake. Cautious, knowing Jake might pull away, he leans his forehead against Jake's.] Hey.

[potentite]

[His heart jumps and flutters in his chest as he leans against him. Dirk is so careful and considerate. It's incredible.] Hey.

[splinten]

[He's so, so nervous. What if Jake doesn't want to be this close to him? What if Jake changes his mind? What if Jake realizes right here that he's the worst? God he can't even come up with a good compliment. He wants to praise Jake by parts, drop a blazon like it's hot, blazon blazoff. He doesn't know what to do when all that's in his head is that Jake's still the only person Dirk has ever wanted to kiss.]

Your eyes. Are an ocean.

Your ass. Is also an ocean.

[potentite]

[For a second, he blushes with how sweet that is. And then Dirk keeps talking. Jake blinks. Did he hear that right? Yeah, he did. Another second passes before Jake bursts out laughing, ducking his head as his shoulders shake. Holy fuck.]

[splinten]

[Well. It definitely didn't go badly. Dirk maintains a straight face.]

I know. That level of sweet moves can be hard to endure without breaking into hysterics.

[potentite]

[He stifles his laughs and brings his head up again, smiling.] Were you trying to be cool?

[splinten]

Cool isn't a thing I need to try to be.

[An ironic statement, of course, but really Dirk's eyes are just on Jake. He loves it when Jake smiles like that.]

[potentite]

[And that smile is focused solely on him.]

Hm, true enough. You're pretty cool to me how you are.

[splinten]

[Jesus. That's a double KO.]

Not really. But you're one of the coolest people I know. [Tentatively, he touches Jake's cheek.] Definitely the coolest dork.

[potentite]

[Oh. His skin grows hotter as he tries to process that.]

'Cool' and 'dork' are rather opposite ends of the spectrum.

[splinten]

That's the surface reading. [Jake feels warm? Dirk doesn't pull his hand away.] A deeper analysis will prove that they're way fuckin' closer than you might think.

[potentite]

[He rests a little against Dirk's hand.] Wanna run that by me, Professor Strider?

[splinten]

You want a Strider dissertation. [Dirk bites his lips, not sure he should do this. But, tentative, he tries: he scratches his hand back through Jake's hair.]

[potentite]

[Oh. His eyes flutter. It feels nice.] Mhm. I haven't heard one in a month of Sundays, you know.

[splinten]

The true nature of cool isn't contained in an aesthetic, insofar as it isn't actually a pair of shades, no matter how wicked they may be, nor beats of any level of illness. This is a variety of cool, a coolness of appearance, but it isn't reflective of the reality of cool, the coolness that matters. It is the coolness of temperment, the coolness of Beowulf when he says, "Gyf him edwendan æfre scolde bealuwa bisigu bot eft cuman, ond þa cearwylmas colran wurðaþ." It's the cool of King Henry V when he says, "In the cool Insolence of Pride, and Majesty, Ask me again—if I can wish Thee dead?" the cool of Shakespeare's "She was a cool put-together chick / That made men thrill. But Hamlet, he thought / She was from Uglyville." It is a coolness that means nothing.

Real coolness is contained and represented by the phrase, "That's really cool of you." You have to consider: you don't use that cool when someone makes like Tony Hawk and does a wicked 360 double touchdown on a ramp. You also don't use it when someone fights off a horde of enemy monsters. You say 'That's really cool of you' when you have to move all your stuff and a friend volunteers to help out out of nowhere. This cool, the true cool, is one of spirit rather than style. In that, it's completely compatible with dorkiness, because dorkiness is a style rather than a spirit. So a person can have the aesthetic of a dork, but the soul of a really cool person.

[potentite]

[Jake listens through all of it, following it to the best of his abilities.]

Pretty much all of that went over my head but I think I get it. So... you're really cool, Dirk.

[splinten]

What? No. Dude, you're the cool person.

[potentite]

[It's bold and impulsive but he tips his head and kisses him, brief and sweet.] You are cool. In the real way.