Stellaris ★ Anew Returner (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lingeringlegacy) wrote2010-11-06 09:53 pm
lingeringlegacy) wrote2010-11-06 09:53 pm
07 ☆ Returning Returner
The Tree has seen fit to greet my return from the elevator with a flashy getup I cannot change out of and alterations to my personal effects. I suppose it confirms that one thing has not changed since I last wrote.
Youth, 00, Smoke, Mindelan, Gene, Huo & Hawk - My gratitude for your concerns. I am safe and sound. It was difficult to tell apart day and night back there, but from the cycle of eating and getting hungry, I estimate 1-2 days have passed. Yet, the number of journal pages filled suggests a longer period. How long have I been away? Imis would enjoy meeting you over a cup of tea or coffee. Or pie or pasta. Or anything, really. Foodless is fine too.
Dr Valeth and [Housekeeping NPC supervisor] - My apologies for the absence. I shall report for duty on Monday if it is acceptable to you. By acceptable I also refer to the long fringe trims on my jacket. They look awfully easy to get caught in things.
How did post-hurricane cleanup go for everyone? My house got through just fine, but the humidity seemed quite severe, judging from the state of my components rack. (Unlikely but) does anyone have a proper chamber oven for baking PCBAs? Otherwise I'll have to use a toaster oven but... not sure if the heat distribution's even enough.
-Stellaris
[ooc: Mun feels like going local. For the Rockstar event, Stellaris is dressed as Anggun from her 90s 'lady rocker' days [1][2], meaning: red beret & garish fringe jacket, with black top, denim shorts and suede boots. Accessories include xbox hueg digital watch, at least 3 necklaces and enough bangles to compete with an Indian bride.]
Youth, 00, Smoke, Mindelan, Gene, Huo & Hawk - My gratitude for your concerns. I am safe and sound. It was difficult to tell apart day and night back there, but from the cycle of eating and getting hungry, I estimate 1-2 days have passed. Yet, the number of journal pages filled suggests a longer period. How long have I been away? I
Dr Valeth and [Housekeeping NPC supervisor] - My apologies for the absence. I shall report for duty on Monday if it is acceptable to you. By acceptable I also refer to the long fringe trims on my jacket. They look awfully easy to get caught in things.
How did post-hurricane cleanup go for everyone? My house got through just fine, but the humidity seemed quite severe, judging from the state of my components rack. (Unlikely but) does anyone have a proper chamber oven for baking PCBAs? Otherwise I'll have to use a toaster oven but... not sure if the heat distribution's even enough.
-Stellaris
[ooc: Mun feels like going local. For the Rockstar event, Stellaris is dressed as Anggun from her 90s 'lady rocker' days [1][2], meaning: red beret & garish fringe jacket, with black top, denim shorts and suede boots. Accessories include xbox hueg digital watch, at least 3 necklaces and enough bangles to compete with an Indian bride.]
hawt
Yeah? How'd you two figure that out? Cause I haven't had as much luck so far. I thought this girl, Fracta, was from my world because she looked so familiar. But as I got to know her, nothing clicked. So now I'm just not sure. She's gone at any rate.
[He looked glum for a moment but the look turned into a puzzled frown as he considered the question]
Huh. How did I meet Name Twin? Hmm, I think we just talked a lot on the journals--we only met for the first time in Disneyworld. He's Bell's twin brother and he's close friends with Fred. Proximity was a factor.
[The elevator dinged, announcing their arrival at the S-yard]
no subject
I'm sorry to hear that she's gone. Well... a part of it is recognition. There are some concepts that our world's people are drawn too, and the rest... is the sort of vague familiar feeling at the back of your brain. Since you've been here longer, you might know what feeling I meant?
[She stepped out of the elevator and looked around for any familiar faces, but the few Scavengers around weren't anyone she recognised. They barely spared a notice to the arrivals, perhaps because that day every other people looked as if they just stepped out of Woodstock.]
Oh... yes, he or Bell mentioned they hatched together, but it was a different kind of brother than with Aim. And I think I've spoken once to Fred before, if you mean the lady scavenger. We know a lot of the same people, after all! But since Edensphere is not very large, I suppose it's not difficult.
So, do you have any suggestion where we can eat?
no subject
She may come back...sometimes they just do. I know exactly what you mean, although I've noticed there's different types. Sometimes its just a vague feeling of remembrance and sometimes its intense, almost painful.
[He'd had that painful feeling with Gene recently and of course being with Stellaris made the Gene associated memory come floating up again. Dollhouse. What did that word mean? He pushed aside the feeling for now.]
The lady scavenger makes her sound all fancy like Madam Steampunk or something. But yeah that's the one. It really is a small sphere after all.
Ah eating...I honestly don't come down here all that often. Youth swears its safer here and I don't entirely know why...this place is kinda spooky if you ask me.
no subject
Troublesome, indeed.
[She could, however, try and lift the atmosphere again. Being gloomy was not what she was here for.]
Madam Steampunk? That's a funny-sounding nickname, I don't even know what it means. And I've only been here exactly once before, but there was quite a nice place with seating.
[She began to walk a sure step in one direction, towards a path flanked by heaps of junk.]
no subject
Steampunk. It's a genre of ...well its a genre. It's a mixture of technologies from different eras, typically the era where steam originated with a more modern era. But I guess that doesn't make much sense here where lots of times are mixed. Point is, Fred's a good friend of mine.
[He followed her, one step behind]
So ah...what was it we wanted to discuss here?
no subject
[She led them towards a location she had been shown before, to the abandoned frame of a 21st century sedan. Engineless and dented in several places, but its interior was clean.]
This is the place! Well, I believe the idea was spurred when I asked you what year you were from.
no subject
[+1 in Genius' affection for creative nerd-ness. He also approved of the sedan seating]
Wow they have cars here?! And no one's ever tried to fix one up? Having cars would be--er--problematic. Can't get those things over the bridges. YET.
[His visions of a superhighway was derailed by her reminder about their purpose]
Right. So I can't tell you for sure, I can only give you my estimates. Der and I are sure we're from the same time period, probably the same country. I'm from Los Angeles and that doesn't ring a bell for him. From my own group I can tell you I'm probably from a later time period than Bell and Youth but Fred thinks she's from a more advanced era. In one of my memories I used computers and advanced medical technology that isn't anywhere in the Sphere or in Medical. But the technology in Disneyworld and in the Mall of America was also familiar.
So what I've deduced from that is that my brother and I are from the United States of America somewhere in the ballpark range of 2010. That was the year that was printed on stuff they were selling in Disneyworld and the Mall of America. Both of those places are in the US and it sounds right. It fits more than any other wilderness I've been in although admittedly that's not a lot.
no subject
The engine was missing. Perhaps the Scavengers couldn't find suitable parts. But even if they did, couldn't fit a whole car in the elevator either, could we?
[She wasn't sure there was fuel for it either. The car had a tank-filler hole but no charging port, dating it one or two century before her time, a fossil-fuel engine. But everything in Edensphere seemed to run on electricity. Mysteriously available electricity.]
2010, hm. The Tokyo wilderness was also around that period. I've met several people from a far earlier time, and though they are perfectly nice people, there are things I would like to discuss with someone to whom I don't need to explain what a terabyte is. Do you bring something to put your share in? Otherwise I'll just use the lid.
[She pointed using plastic fork to the content of her now-opened lunchbox: baked penne with tomato, spinach and cheese.]
I will be blunt here, Genius. I heard you're working on a communication system.
no subject
[He sat down next to her and pulled out his peanut butter sandwich, dividing it carefully into two halves.]
I know exactly what you mean! You do not want to know how great it is to talk to you and Gene without having to backtrack and explain what a computer is first. Hm. I have my bag? Lid works too. [He offered her half of the sandwich and some more M&Ms]
[Oh.Well that was straight to the point]
You have? I mean I have. I am. You know in between disasters and trips to medical for head injuries. The hurricane kinda threw everything up in the air. I'm trying to make a simple two way radio--walkie talkies. I've been using the shells of cellphones found..here actually. They're crude though, nothing that would work long distances...why?
no subject
There, now we're even on the lunch front. And I think I already know how that feels.
[She chuckled. For someone dabbling in electronics work, scavenger work is essential for getting parts. Once making a pictorial guide of resistors, capacitors and diodes to one and still can't get what she wants, it was obvious why Gene was her favourite Scavenger. Besides... other reasons. She started eating her lunch before continuing her conversation.]
Before the hurricane I found a book on 'ham radio' in the Bookstore, which has some simple schematics. I tried building one but haven't got all the parts and after that, well... weather and elevators.
But it's hard to believe for me that this Steampunk Land had operated for years without anyone attempting an alternative communication system. One that can't be read by anyone, one where they won't need to ink out things. Technology is built upon previous inventions, right? Have you ever heard of any such attempts?
[Her mind wandered to the generator schematic Gene showed her during Kagerou's party. It was also in Stardust's journal, and comparing it to her journal, she couldn't find that person's handwriting anymore. That was disconcerting.]
he has the tastebuds of a 5 year old ~ also edited for random tense fail sorry
That's so good. Hmm so wait. You found a book about radios? ...Why didn't I think of that!
[Seriously. It never occurred to him to do research before hand, let alone pick up a book]
I've been just fiddling with things, making it up as I go along! Hey I bet if I took a look at it we could get it done quicker. I mean, I know a thing or two about electronics.
[His ego. Let him show you it.]
Huh. You know I also never thought of that. [He took a bite of food as he thought about it] I mean none of us know how long this crazy hippie commune's been running but the rainbow dudes like to make us think it's been a long time. Then again who knows, they could be trying to condition us to think that. I've never heard of someone building...anything.
That probably means something. Something not good.
mommy says he needs more spinach
There isn't much about electronics in the Bookstore, this one is from 1978. But I figure starting with something rudimentary might be easier than stressing over lack of parts. I am all for joining our efforts. Two heads are better than one.
[Next bite as she listened to him.]
More than a year, at least? Considering some had birthdays a few months ago. I find it hard to believe no one ever tried. I wish it's possible to know what has failed. I'm not... the type to jump at things fearlessly, I guess.
i think if it wasnt for derrick he would never eat anything remotely green
Right. Unless you're a two headed monster. You know? Usually the two headed monster in a movie or video game is defeated by the hero convincing the first head into fighting with the second head and--you totally aren't going to be able to follow this are you?
[Sigh. Shoving more food into mouth now]
Well I think Lezard and Kazahana have been here for a long time. Not sure how long. I talked to someone who had been here two years before he disappeared so at least that long. But I totally hear you on the 'looking for you leap' thing. In my case it's more of a 'terrified to leap' situation--I'm man enough to admit it! The ways this place can kill you are numerous!
...But I do think a two way radio would be worth some risk. I keep thinking about that massacre in the bazaar a few months back. You know, where that guy shot up the place for no reason? If we'd had radios back then maybe we could have warned more people or communicated with medical to know how many casualties were coming in. The hurricane's another example. I mean, I'm no hero. I'm just the tech support.
no subject
I know. Sometimes I even worry a rope bridge would collapse while I'm on it. Some people are really strong, though. Like Smoke or Gai, or the people who didn't bat an eye about running around in the middle of a hurricane.
[...Two mass murders within months. Outrageous.]
I don't know of any massacre in the Bazaar, so maybe it was before my birth. But I was here when that Butcher murdered people in Square Zero. You know, the one imprisoned in Crystala? There were accounts that someone had to go in person and alert the Watch before they found the crime scene. Completely unacceptable. But as disappointed as I am in the Watch's inefficiency, if what held them back was beyond their control, faulting them would be unfair.
It was why I wanted to try making a radio, actually.
no subject
Oh God those bridges. They're unfit to walk on! Why doesn't someone fix that--although how do you fix that. I have no idea how you build a bridge between two floating islands.
[Genius paused and frowned.] But the Butcher...Oh. Oh.
[He went quiet for a minute, his head tilting down so Stellaris couldn't see the emotions in his eyes.] I guess it was before you came, but before that other guy, the one they locked up in Crystala. There was...another. His name is Zombie. One day--he snapped. Out of the blue, he just started...shooting people. I wasn't there, I just saw the aftermath. There was so many people wounded and killed.
Then before that, there was a massacre of Greeters, people living in Section 4. And then the Fire--even I wasn't around back then.
...'S not really their fault, the Watch. They're human too. It happens so fast.
[He shook his head slowly and finally looked back up at her. Surprisingly, his eyes were dry and focused.]
We need a lot more than just a radio here. But it's a start.
no subject
I don't know either, but steel wires might be a start?
[Catching his interlude, she looked attentively as he recounted the Zombie incident, and then some. The look in his eyes as he looked back up, so much in contrast to when he had babbled about the merits of M&M's, refrained her from taking yet another potshot at the Watch's inability to protect residents. She met his eyes with a determined smile and nod.]
We certainly do. So shall we put two heads, and maybe more to come, together in this effort?
no subject
...That's brill. We could get some of the iron workers to build them. There are flying things around here right? Like dragons? They could help too.
[Her encouraging smile relaxed the unconscious tension in his shoulders and arms. He smiled and nodded.]
We should. Shall. If we build it, they will come!
[oops. movie reference again.]
Er--I mean, help will come faster. With the radio. It sounds like a plan.
no subject
[Her smile widened at his proclamation. She did not get the movie reference, but his enthusiasm got through.]
Splendid, then! Where do you usually work on these things? I have a makeshift work bench in the spare room at my house.