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doubled down
"I used to live in a room of mirrors, and all I could see was me..."
The Ingress has pulled you in. Your body experiences several sensations at once: being pushed forward as if a hand is resting on your back, momentary and startling blindness, a gentle ringing in your head. You have difficulty discerning whether it is hot or cold, but where you have been prodded is noticeably warmer than the rest of you. Some may suffer from dizziness while others are perfectly fine. Once equilibrium has been reestablished, you will notice you are standing on a long platform and that the room is filled with a soft cerulean light. It's slightly humid and dark despite the glow around you, and nothing is familiar.
Those that arrive will find they have a very short amount of time to actually adjust to time on the Moira before the ship is preparing to enter the orbit of a nearby planet. Shifts in gravity are normal, but for the most part, things carry on as usual.
WELCOME TO EMIRI
Despite recent events, it seems things are slowly coming to a standstill. As the Moira comes closer to this new planet, the Captains relay a message to the crew informing them that they are required to dock and stay on Emiri for an indeterminate amount of time due to the nature of its most prized resource: matchmaking. Although it is universally known by many other names, Emiri is a central hub for pairing others with their true intended—or second self. Each crew member will be asked to participate in a series of MANDATORY tests - both physical and mental - so that their profile may be uploaded into an efficient database before being allowed to explore what Emiri has to offer. Curious about the process? Don't be! Side effects to these simple tests are rare, and while some of them may be lengthy, the majority of them are timely, efficient, and short.
However, the company responsible for this modern miracle is well-known, especially throughout Emiri, and each Morian should verse themselves as to exactly who they are and what they do.LINK'D INC.
The Art of Once
Link’d Inc. knows that finding your second self isn’t easy, so we take the guesswork out of it for you. If you’re looking for love, a perfect genetic match, a person to help you build an empire, or something more, you’ve come to the right place. Link’d Inc. runs mental and physical screenings and performs a background analysis--all at your discretion. Immediate customization of a detailed profile is ready for you in seconds.
This profile is then calibrated into our system and cross-examined with over 99.9 billion others. We’ll find you your second self, the perfect counterpart, the very first try. It’s the chance of a lifetime. It’s the life you deserve. It’s... The Art of Once.These are some of the many different sorts of advertisements found throughout Emiri describing the corporation responsible for this advanced science. Its founder, Frederick Link, is not easily contacted, but there is some information available about him. Anyone that asks will be told bits and pieces of the following: Frederick Link searched the universes for his perfect match, only to be met with disappointment and loneliness. A businessman at heart, but a romantic to his very core, Link decided to take that perceived failure and channel it into a company that could provide others with the very thing he longed for: the perfect second self. Two years into development, during a trial run, Link was matched with a woman from a neighboring galaxy, and they’ve been together ever since. A prosperous thirty year relationship shows that the methods of Link’d Inc. can provide a person with love, romance, a business and life partner, or anything else that one might need. Whether they hear all of it is determined by how much the crew explores the vast cities of Emiri, which are connected to one another by a railway system that makes travel quick and simple. There are also numerous other modes of transportation that range from cars and trucks to boats and bicycles.HARASHANCommercial & Professional
Map of HarashanPopulation: ~ 7.28 million
Major Landmark: The Aerospace
Literacy Rate: 95%
Harashan is the main district for education and learning. There are countless programs and schools offered to those of varying races and ethnicities throughout the galaxy. Want to learn another language? Perhaps brush up on some of the arts that were never quite mastered? This is the place to perfect things that need a bit of fine tuning. It is also the main business capital and transportation hub of Emiri—the aerospace is located centrally, a busy place that monitors the comings and goings of every ship. The Link'd Inc. corporate office can be found here, as well as its chains and subsidiaries (i.e., screening facilities and health services). Their motto is: Finding your second is a business strategy. Get it right the first time.☄ DATING 101: Someone thinks you need a little more education before meeting your one and only because you're now being forced to attend reform school. Ettiquette, dining, dancing, and more, there are countless lessons you'll be taught and tested over through the course of your stay on Emiri. Perhaps you won't be so unlucky and have someone to share in the experience. ( 01.01 - 01.17 ) ☄ BOARDED UP: Crew members located in this city will be passed a flier by an unrecognizable stranger who is immediately swallowed up in the crowd of Harashan; being able to follow them will be impossible. Yet, the thin paper has nothing on it but a specific address. Asking some of the locals eventually leads to an abandoned station on the outskirts of the city in the opposite direction of the Aerospace. It's dirty and falling apart, like the residents of Emiri have completely ignored its existence. There are also signs of a struggle in random areas throughout—black scorch marks, bullet holes, and dried blood stains. Yet, the most noticeable feature is the single flag tacked onto a wall just down a flight of steps that leads to a closed subway system bearing an unfamiliar symbol. What happened here? Why won't anyone know what you're talking about if you question them? Something seems to be brewing beneath the business-driven energy of Harashan. ( 01.18 )
AvelleRomance & Love
Map of AvellePopulation: ~ 2.1 million
Major Landmark: Wem-Run River
Crime Rate: 15%
Avelle is Emiri's second largest city and is centered around those individuals looking for their second based on love compatibility versus the "entire package". However, it differs from Harashan due to its increase in families rather than individuals and is more suburban in its layout. While it does have schools and general places as Harashan does, its most noted feature is the Wem-Run River, which courses through the center of the city. Much of Avelle's energy and livelihood is generated by this natural formation, but the water is not drinkable. Their motto is: Finding your second is finding your soulmate. The first time is the only time.☄ FAMILY MATTERS: Congratulations! You've been given the keys to a new place of your very own, completely furnished and with no strings attached. But there's always a catch, right? Well. It's the starting foundation of your new life with your second—regardless of whether or not you've met. So, get settled and get comfortable. You have a while to figure out what you're going to do. ( 01.01 - 01.17 )
☄ BOMBS AWAY: Crew members located in this city will suddenly feel the slightest tremor shake the ground. Depending on how close you are to the Wem-Run River, it might be possible to see the remains of a burning ship. You might even notice the few figures in the water who are immediately swept up by - what appear to be - the authorities of Avelle. If you're further from the water, there will be thick black smoke pouring into the air, and as the crowd begins to grow larger, it's almost impossible to see what happens across the river. Yet, some of the debris will wash ashore eventually, and pieces of the boat will bear an unfamiliar symbol. What happened here? Why won't anyone know what you're talking about if you question them? Why do they whisper Komai? Something seems to be brewing beneath the light-hearted energy of Avelle. ( 01.18 )
St. MurtelGenetic & Biological
Map of St. MurtelPopulation: ~ 867,000
Major Landmark: Link'd Inc. Gen-Lab
Success Rate: ERROR
Unlike other cities across Emiri, St. Murtel's access is extremely limited and monitored closely. It is the center of medicial-related queries as well as laboratories and other screening facilities. Physical and mental conditioning and other educations are held in the pristine buildings of St. Murtel due to its heavy focus on pairing people from a genetic level to "create a better future". The streets are clean despite the vast highways that runs either side of the center of the city. Settled between these busy roads is the Link'd Inc. Gen-Lab. Their motto is: Finding your second is for the future. A perfect legacy is only born once.
☄ INFANT POSSIBILITIES: The future is closer than you think! With help from several Link'd Inc. sources, you can now know what your offspring will look like. Accessing the system is easy, and all candidates who have been logged through Link'd Inc.'s matching process will be available to view by anyone. Not the most precious thing you've ever seen? Don't worry! There are even programs that assist with altering what those genes may produce so that you can have exactly what you've always wanted. ( 01.01 - 01.17 )
☄ CUFFED: Crew members located in this city will notice an unrest arising within the people slowly gathering outside the Link'd Inc. Gen-Lab. Upon closer inspection, it seems the authorities have been contacted due to some sort of threat, and if you look even closer, that "threat" is a person being arrested and detained for questioning. What might strike you as odd is the an unfamiliar symbol inked into the back of their jacket and the shout the stranger gets out before being shoved into a locked vehicle. "The Komai won't stop until it's over!" What's happened here? Why won't anyone know what you're talking about if you question them? Who was that person and what did they mean? Something seems to be brewing beneath the strict energy of St. Murtel. ( 01.18 )
( ooc; For questions or more planet information, go here. Please comment to activity check to receive new ranks (if applicable)! )
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hownkai) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thisavrou_log2016-01-01 12:09 am
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[ If any at all - it was a little difficult to tell, at times. ]
Of a sort, yes. Images made with light. More or less. [ He tilted his head. ] You haven't seen one yet?
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[She shook her head.] No, not yet. I've seen the 'video' messages on the cuff, but nothing like a still image. [She eyed her cuff.] Can these take 'photographs'?
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The bit about recordings, mementos, that hit close to home - harder to let go and move on. She was right there. And yet... would he really prefer to not have recorded memories at all? No. It didn't mean he hadn't let go, though. He just liked to keep the memory of some people more alive. ]
Then I see how all this must be so strange for you. [ He'd expect more shock and awe, but then she might have had days to adjust, if not longer. ]
Yes, they can. It's not exactly the same as the original photographs. You see, the name comes from a process through which you expose a film with a light sensitive chemical to a certain image for a very brief period of time. Because light reflects on surfaces and people in different ways, it also passes onto the film with those variations, and once you process the film, you get the picture of the scene captured there. These, though-- [ He lifted his arm and gestured at his MID device. ] They use a digital process. It's just a machine that captures the image, there's no film or paper or any actual physical material on which the image is engraved. Does that... make sense?
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Eh, I'm getting me future legs under me, I guess. [She sighed.] Or at least, I hope I am. M'sure Ratchet don't think so; he's the one who has to walk me through 'programs' [She did actual air quotes there, something she picked up and loved] when he's stuck in Nav when I'm in the Nest. But even for me, after three months some of the weirder things can seem mundane. Like, at the bar, I've this 'electric' kettle for tea. It boils water in minutes. I have no idea how I'm going to live without one when I go back, they're amazing. Also, y'know, one of me good mates on board is a talking yellow-orange cat man, so. What can be weirder than that??
[As Bruce explained to her the process, she listened closely. That sounded right fascinating.] Aye, it does! Cor, that's amazing! Oh, I hope they figure that out during my life time; I'm a fair decent miniature painter, good at painting squirming babies, but even I cain't work miracles.
[Excited, she began to poke and prod at the options in the cuff. And promptly blinded herself with the flash.] Bloody hell!
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You seem to be doing alright so far.
[ With a lot of doubts, a lot of questions, but then, that was how people learned new things. She seemed open-minded, not really the kind to panic and call everything new and unknown to her some devil's work or a thing possessed by demons. Which may be an unfair generalization on his end, but it's what he would have expected from someone coming from her time. ]
I'm sorry to tell you that electric kettles are a very recent invention, so you probably won't see any in your lifetime. [ Unless she wasn't human and would live longer than one, but he was guessing that wasn't the case here. ] You should get the first attempts at photography, though. Around 1825, I think? Nothing like what you'll see here, but it was a pretty amazing achievement back then.
[ He leaned in and watched her fiddle with her MID, the flash making him flinch a little too, then he chuckled. ] Wait, flip the camera around. [ He reached for her cuff and changed the settings, then gestured in front of her. ] Try to take a picture of the landscape now.
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Boy, am I glad to hear it!
[Throwing her head back, she laughed again, light and free. She wasn't often self concious any more, but being in the future was knocking her. In a lot of ways, it was like being in Rangoon; then, she'd just gotten angry, but she'd had her Ravi to look after, and between the two of them their smarts kept them going. Here? Alone? It was hard to not let it get to her.]
I had a feeling about the kettle; not sure when anyone's going to harness electricity, but if Mister Franklin couldn't quite do it, I'm sure it's a far way off. Cor, though, I hope you're right about the photography! I will drag all me and mine down and take a hundred pictures. They'd be perfect heirlooms for our grandkids! [Even if trying to convince Amy to do it (with or without Ezra) would be like trying to herd cats, it would be worth it.]
[Watching him closely, she committed the buttons he pressed to memory. Later, she was definitely going to play around with it further. Looking around, she eyed a fascinating little metal arch covered in lights and took a picture.]
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Benjamin Franklin? Well, he did make some progress in that area. But it was only closer to the late 19th century that electricity became a more widespread necessity, safely harnessed and used even by the average citizen. [ The average very rich citizen, mind. But details. ]
The first cameras were pretty heavy. But you should see a number of new models popping up in your lifetime. So maybe you'll get that chance. [ He figured they were rare and expensive then, but he didn't have enough knowledge to say for sure. Regardless, it was a nice sentiment.
He leaned in again to take a look at her picture once she snapped it, nodding at her with a smile. ] That's nice, isn't it?
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[Focussing on her cuff, she frowned as she tried to figure out the settings.] Aye, but it's not as clear as I might've hoped, and I got the composition all wrong. Still, every artist has to start somewhere! And these cuffs are a lot more forgiving than oil paints.
[Glancing up, she recognised the cross street they were at and guided Bruce down towards the right. Hopping down the open concrete steps, she turned and bowed.] Et voila! The park, just as promised!
[Looking out over the green and the river, Jacky breathed in deep. There was nothing like a bit of shore leave to make a sailor feel good!]
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[ Merely an observation, much more of a compliment than anything else. It was nice to be with people this cheerful and energetic, and it did good things for him too. ]
You'll get the hang of it in no time. [ It was a bit of an impulsive picture, and for a first try when she had no experience with any kind of camera, not a bad one at all.
He looked around as they got to the park, enjoying the clear open view there, lifting his own MID up to snap a couple of pictures of the area. ] Strange culture aside, it's a very pretty place.
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Ah, well, that's just me! It's just my way, to try and enjoy the finer things in life.
[Ignoring the times The Black Cloud rolled over...
Smiling, she looked around, taking in the artful sprawls of green.] That it is. I'll be honest with you, Bruce, I still think Rangoon was stranger.
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That's a nice way to live life.
[ Pausing on the pictures, he glanced over at her. ] Rangoon, really? You've been there? [ Impressive, considering when she's from. ]
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[Digging in the loose cotton of her shirt, she pulled up her small locket and opened it. On one side was a handsome man near her own age, with serious eyes and a curl of black hair curved over his face; on the other, a young Indian boy dressed in a fine white jacket, its high collar lined up just so under his chin. He hadn't sat still for the portrait, but like Jaimy she could paint him from the very faintest of memories, so it was still a good likeness.
[Tilting the locket towards Bruce, she tapped the picture of the young boy, smiling despite the melancholy that looking on her boys brought.] That's him. Ravi, Ravi Faber. I'm glad the clever scamp picked us to try and swindle in Bombay. He's such a good sort; being with me is bad for his Karma, he says, but I'm proud to call him my son.
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He sounds sweet. [ He smiled at her. ] And it looks like you had a lot of adventures.
[ Strange and exciting and entirely unexpected, the kind of thing Bruce might have read in a book, actually. But that was after all true to most of the people on board the Moira.
He gestured to the other picture. ] What about him?
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[When he asked about Jaimy, her smile faded, becoming smaller and sadder.] That's Jaimy, my fiancé. We were Ship's Boys together on The Dolphin. We were to be wed, but I got pulled here. [Snapping the locket closed again, she tucked it into her shirt, nestled safe between her breasts once more. Hopefully he'd wait for her; hopefully he wouldn't go mad for her again. There was enough blood on her hands without adding that shed in her name.
Turning to Bruce, she flashed him a foxy grin.] How about you, Mis--Bruce. You have a bonny lass back home to call your own? Or a bonny lad?
[She's not one to judge, not with her own history and the company she keeps. He seemed nice, though, and rather handsome; she couldn't imagine that he didn't have anyone waiting.]
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I'm sorry to hear about that. [ He offered a little more solemnly, leaning away when she closed the locket again. It never was a pleasant thing, when one was forced to stay away from the people they loved, and even more complicated in these circumstances. ] I'm sure he'll be waiting for you when you come back.
[ He might not even realize she went missing to begin with, come to think of it. Remembering a few of the people that had gone home and come back here, Bruce knew that was a very real possibility. ]
Me? No. [ His smile gained an edge of wistfulness to it, thinking back to different - simpler, happier - times, but his answer was firm, resolute. There was no hesitance there. ] I don't have anyone like that.
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[Understatement. Jaimy went mad and tried to kill her enemies in Intelligence, and Amy, dear, sweet Amy tried to kill herself over Jacky's 'corpse'. She's still not too sure what she did to deserve friends like these, but she loves them all the same.
When Bruce stated so very definitively that he had no one waiting for him at home, she sighed.] Ah well, I'm not sure whether or not to give you my condolences, given our circumstances. But you seem a good man; who knows what the future might bring. [Spying a likely bit of statuary near by, she scrambled up it and gestured to the park around them.] I mean, just look at where we are! An alien planet, so many miles across the heavens! Me, in the the future here with you! Any thing is possible, eh?
[Jumping down, she grinned at him. She is just such an optimistic person.]
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[ It tended to happen, when someone disappeared without a trace. Even Bruce himself left a few people behind before, both worrying and wondering where he'd gone off to. Not that he didn't have good cause to leave, though in his particular case, no one really though he was dead. Just... hiding.
Bruce didn't bother saying that it wouldn't happen. He had no interest, at least, and he certainly wasn't looking for a connection like that, but she was right. No one could know what their future might hold. He was sure, though, that even if he grew to care about someone like that, he wouldn't think to pursue it. Not like he could offer them anything resembling a normal relationship, after all. ]
Right. [ He smiled genuinely, watching her bubble excitedly as she hopped onto the statue and waved around them. ] Anything is possible.