thisavrou_log | January Intro Log

January Intro Log

Who: New arrivals and old residents
When: January 5 and beyond
Where: Avagi
What: Hello, nice to meet you
Warnings: Label where applicable.

Arrival

A shiver of light, a sense of falling, and Avagi's portals have claimed another traveller. For those first stepping out of the Ingress Memorial, Avagi may be rather disorienting, but some areas are quite lively, and there are plenty of places to explore. As newcomers make their way into their new home, they'll encounter new acquaintances and a few pitfalls.

Last month's time distortions have settled... for the most part. The strange flickering light atop the Ingress Memorial's central fragment lingers, though, pulsing and shifting in strange, hypnotic patterns. Left to their own devices, a character may stand in place for over a day, entirely unaware of their surroundings or the passage of time. They can be snapped out of the daze... with effort. And in most cases, touch.
Over the last few months, Avagi's sudden population has done a good job breaking in old living spaces. Unfortunately, after a century of disrepair, some of those systems have been quietly breaking down. Today? It's the plumbing. The Bar, Bartering Block, and several of the Labs are rapidly imitating a swamp. The Gym has acquired a new pool, and Sanitation is mostly underwater. Residents of the Chemistry and 🙀 housing sectors may need to start putting up sandbags—or bailing their rooms dry.

Whether to lend a hand or loot their neighbors, someone's going to need to (dive) get to the bottom of all this. The water spillage is mostly clean, but if conditions persist, that won't last long.
While a few (aquatic) species of the local mini-dinos are enjoying the new swimming space just fine, their more feathery compatriots have rapidly gone from bedraggled to soaked... and heading towards hypothermic. The recent spate of exterminations has them warier than usual of humanoid life, but less hostile (or more oblivious) station-dwellers may find a small flock trying to get dry in front of their space heaters—or any sources of potential warmth.

[Welcome to Thisavrou! If you haven't already, we encourage you to check out the OOC intro and calendar for January. Oldbies, please also make sure you've glanced through the activity check. A mod update will be going up soon with information on what's coming up, but if there are any questions in the interim, feel free to use the activity check comment.]

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[Unlike most of Avagi's current residents, Capella had been having a good old time as things flooded. She had no real idea of what it meant, lacking context as to what it's doing to everyone's stuff and the whole mess with Sanitation. All she knows is that some places are soggy, some places are NOT, some people are upset, some aren't, and she...

...Well she's wandered around the wet bits already, it's time to find somewhere dry. Which leads her eventually to the library simply through time and process of elimination. The only reason Calla draws any attention at all is the dresses. They looked.. rather fancy, and not like the outfits she knew.

The person guarding them is second, but only after a moment, and for a solid three or four seconds she stays where she is, admiring the vinelike traceries of light. Now that is a fancy pattern, and really puts to shame all the work she'd put into imitating Argon City's two-toned high fashion.]

Okay.

[The assortment of objects, clearly. She's not overly curious about them anymore, because there's an entirely new pattern of circuitry to be in awe of.]

.. I have to know, did you design that yourself?

[She sounds and looks enthusiastic about the question, raising a hand to gesture at the left side of her face - clearly meaning his own. No reproach, just sudden super keen interest.]

[Even though the Created approaching him is a stranger, her appearance immediately puts Calla at ease. Her ornate, two-toned circuitry reminds him of the Programs of Earth, a welcome change from the other alien functions he’s met since leaving his home planet.

Her question, however, is entirely foreign. Calla blinks in non-comprehension for a moment and when he speaks, his voice is bewildered.]

I… I’m not sure how I could have, to tell you the truth. [How could he have designed himself? Creativity usually requires someone existing first.] My Creators designed me. [A gesture at himself.] Custom model and all that.

[His attention turns to the other Program’s own circuitry, wrought in almost arboreal green and gold.] Did you design yours?

[Maybe she isn’t as traditional as he’d originally assumed.]

It's really beautiful. I haven't been everywhere, but I've never seen something so fine.

[And that kind of attention to fine detail wasn't very common. Well, wasn't common among Basics or apparently, the Creator, but ISOs..

Well, he might not be one of those with the 'custom model' thing, but perhaps she was wrong about Flynn after all!]

Ah, I'd like to say yes, but just the coloring, the pattern's sort of common. I thought it was pretty fancy til now!

[Capella can admit that, it had been nice and fancy, but it had nothing on that delicate vine-like structure. Now she wanted to imitate it, but she didn't think she could make a strong appearance at the Games with such a delicate look too.

Choices.]

Sorry if I'm gushing a bit, I guess I've never come across a custom model quite like you. It really is lovely, really.

[If Calla could blush, he would.] Well, thank you! Yours are quite nice, too. Really, I’m not as unique as I look. [He’s being modest on instinct, but it’s hard to miss the delighted grin on his face.] There were eleven other Programs in my batch—same circuitry, just different colors.

[He’s never heard of a Program getting to decide their own circuit color—he hadn’t even known it was possible. Perhaps she’s from a different part of the world? Or maybe not. His experiences in the Gardens had been so very limited.]

I don’t believe we’ve met before. What’s your name?

Hey, eleven sounds pretty limited run to me. No harm in taking a little pride in it!

[VERY limited run. What was he made for? Obviously some fancy purpose if the Creator had taken that much time to create ... what was the word, filigree? Of all the times to be lacking the company of ISOs with a more artistic vocabulary!

Hopefully Calla doesn't mind company because she's going to find a bare spot nearby and plunk down as if she belonged there. It was nice, in a strange and intensely relieving way, to know there actually were other programs around. Being alone when it's not her choice was a terrible thing.]

Ah, yes, I actually turned up here just a while ago. I'm called Capella.

[She offers a hand in a very human gesture, but she'd seen plenty of others do it before so it's probably fine.]

[Calla chuckles, a touch bashfully.] I suppose it is, relatively speaking.

[Certainly his circuitry is more unique than that of the millions of Programs designed off the default template for functions like factory work or agriculture. Still, it's not quite as singular as that of high-end personalized companionship functions, designed to cater specifically to their Creator's preferences. Calla and his brethren were made to suit the aesthetic of a venue, not a single person.

He doesn’t mind at all when the other Program takes a seat across from him. Quite the contrary, it’s a relief to meet a Created whose appearance and mannerisms are so familiar.]

A pleasure to meet you, Capella. My name is Calla.

[And now for the burning question he’s been itching to ask:]

Are you from Earth?

[Calla. Capella. They had a certain consonant theme going on, which she liked.

Though the word 'calla' drifted through her processes, trying to find something to connect with. Something about flowers. She couldn't quite get a hold of it, probably something she'd heard once in passing that might suggest an origin to the name.

It's dismissed immediately upon being asked if she's from Earth, and the response is startled.]

Of course, isn't everyone?

[The Grid was on Earth, and one doesn't say they're not from Earth if they're from Chicago, it was no different.

...Wait. Waiiit. If that has to even be asked..]

...Are you saying there's non-Earth things around?

[Well, that’s a relief. Perhaps she really is just from another, slightly more permissive part of the world.]

Not here, no. People come from all over. [He lowers his voice slightly.] And if you want to see alien, you should see some of the other Created here.

[Her next question actually gets a laugh. He can’t even begin to describe how good it feels not to be newest person onboard anymore.]

Believe it or not, we’re on a non-Earth thing right now. [A gesture at their surroundings.] We’re on a space station.

[The look Calla's given would ordinarily be equated to deer and headlights, but it's possible he's never dealt with that sort of situation.

And she's never even CONSIDERED the possibility of aliens. Intelligent life that wasn't a user or some form of program?? Were they NICE aliens? Mean aliens?

COULD SHE FIGHT THEM??

The possibilities are staggering, and Capella flounders for several moments, her green and gold circuitry vividly bright for several long seconds before dimming back to normal, torn between being certain he's not putting one over on her and wondering if it might be an elaborate prank after all.]

A space station?!

[It's a squeak more than anything else. It takes a lot of struggle to attempt anything like a coherent thought pattern, but she works on it determinedly. Aliens! Space! If they're on a space station does that make them the aliens?!]

It .. it doesn't look that different are you sure it's ... and aliens, really??

[Someone is totally not prepared for this stuff. At least it's not fear, or anything, just a huge dose of WHAT.]

[Calla all but revels in her reaction, a broad grin splashed over his face.]

Yeah! If you don’t believe me, there’s an observation deck I can show you where you can see outside—there’s no planet anywhere in sight!

[His enthusiasm tempers somewhat as he actually hears what he’s saying and he gives an embarrassed laugh.] I mean, it’s a little bit scary when you think about it, but it isn’t as bad as one might assume. They don’t have the same laws here as they do on Earth, but the Creators seem quite safe, all things considered. [A wry smile.] Even the aliens.

I'm not saying you're a liar or anything it's just.. you have to know if you're going to say there's a place I can look at SPACE from of course I'm going to want to see it, right?

[In fact thus taunted she kind of wants to see it right now. And aliens. What would they look like? Or do? She had too many questions and while she's sure she can get them all answered she wanted those answers immediately.

Patience is really hard.]

Okay, do I need to know these laws? Is everything going to go all horrible if I break one and didn't know about it?

[Was there a pamphlet or something she could read? Capella wasn't overly worried about bad aliens, but she was concerned about missing curfew or something and then suddenly being executed for it because today is execution of curfew missers day and--

The train of thought is halted before it can distract her too much. SPACE, THE FINAL FRONTIER is not far away!]

And who owns this station, if it's a space station in space? The aliens, or?

Of course, [Calla says, still feeling oddly proud.] Follow me, I’ll show you where it is.

[He’ll answer the rest of her questions as they walk.] Well, that’s the thing: there aren’t< many laws here at all. That would be bad news, but a lot of the Creators here have never met a Program before. [He lowers his voice, but even so, his scandalized tone is hard to miss.] Most of the time they just treat us like Creators.

[It’s a considerable blessing given how much a Creator could get away with in a place like this if they understood Programs a little better. If they knew Programs couldn’t retaliate, that the could be rewritten, that they could be reset entirely—well, Avagi would become much more dangerous for their kind.]

I’m not sure. I don’t know if anyone owns it. We all just kind of… appeared here. It would be pretty hard for someone to lay claim.

[Capella nimbly hauls herself to her feet again, eager to see this space stuff. She had guesses as to what it might look like but that didn't mean it'd be ANYTHING like she imagined!

Following around someone else who obviously knows more about all of this than she does is comfortable too. She preferred leaving some things to others.. like information gathering.]

That.. doesn't really sound like a good thing.

[She sounds cautious. Being treated like Users? What did that even entail? Were they allowed to build whole worlds on their own?? ... That's way too much responsibility, she wasn't okay with that at all. Maybe they didn't have to.]

I mean while there's something to be said for equality, we're .. not them, and remembering that is sometimes a really good idea..

[Especially for a basic! They have hardwired needs and desires, alongside all the ones they just get like everyone does! Trying to treat that like a User, who just does what they want whenever..]

But if there's no laws.. and nobody's made a claim here ... who keeps it all from just coming apart? Laws and rules and regulations are important, even if they can be annoying!

It’s not a good thing, [Calla agrees.] But given the circumstances… it’s probably safer than all of them knowing what we really are.

[There’s no CCOA to ensure knowledge of the law, no one to fine or imprison anyone guilty of editing or destroying the station’s Created—as backwards as it is, even Calla has to admit that the ignorance of the Creators here may be better than the alternative.

At the same time, he finds Capella’s concerns warranted as well.]

I completely agree, [he says, glad to have met someone else who talks sense.] To be honest, I don’t know why the Creators here have been as well-behaved as they are. I mean, there’s a bar and everything. [Because obviously alcohol should guarantee misbehavior.] If I had to guess, it’s because we have enough resources to keep them all fed. That way, they don’t have to fight over anything. [A shudder.] I just hope things stay that way.

I think they're going to be able to tell, just by looking at us. Unless glowing lines are a local fashion statement too?

[Calla's filigree, even she had lines on her skin, though hers burned green. While Flynn wore things marked, ISOs couldn't escape it. Couldn't anyone just.. tell, looking at them, that they weren't Users too?

After another moment's thought she shakes it off. While Flynn wasn't a ... deliberately neglectful User, if they all ran things the way he did the Grid it's a wonder the place was still standing without a good System Administrator at the helm.]

Maybe when there's enough of them from different places, they have other things to be worried about than having a bar and fights. Like aliens, and being on a space station. A little fighting isn't bad.. [And given Capella looks like she's of the fighty sort she may well never change that opinion,] But I haven't seen any violence here at all yet. Not even against the little ... things.. with the fluff and the shrieking.

[Dinosaurs.]

Maybe things are just.. peaceful here. Something in the air.

Edited 2018-01-29 01:59 (UTC)

You’d think so, but a lot of them have never seen a Program before. They don’t know what to make of our circuits at all. Some I’ve talked to just assumed mine were tattoos.

[It’s funny in a bizarre way. In his world, circuitry was the most obvious visible marker that someone was a Created, but here, Creators will stare straight at it and still mistake Calla for one of them.

Her comment about a little violence being okay gets an odd look, but her mention of the tiny creatures manages to redirect him.]

Oh, yeah. I think they’re called “dinosaurs.” There was one that followed me around for awhile. I called it “Shoo.”

[By which Calla means, he had tried to shoo the damn thing off but had only succeeded in accidentally teaching it a name.]

I think they did kill some of the more aggressive ones a while ago. But for the most part, you’re right—the Creators here aren’t very violent at all. [A thoughtful pause.] Well, at least since we arrived here. The Creators on the planet we were on before... may have tried to kill all of us. [His tone is almost embarrassed.] But nothing like that has happened since we all got here!

..Well. Maybe they haven't. There's probably some pretty isolated places, after all. Or they could be aliens that just look normal and are really spies.

[Well, she doesn't want 'spies' as a word but she's not entirely sure what could convey the idea of a shapeshifting menace to society.]

It's a little bonus that probably nobody's going to get directed to do anything unquestionable.

[And they don't know they can which .. while Capella wasn't comfortable being on the same level as a User, it was nice to not have to worry things would suddenly go pear shaped. She knew basics had a hard time ignoring it when they were told to do something by Flynn, what if it worked on ISOs too?

And clearly Calla is one, or he wouldn't be sporting unusual exotic and interesting patterns in something other than the generic blue. Only ISOs bother!

Now she knows the local gridbugs can be named. This isn't going to end well.]

Well you're not dead, I'm not dead, and everyone still moving here isn't, so I guess it's for the best that other planet got left behind! I like a little scuffle, it's like a dance but better, but serious fighting is ...

[She gestures vaguely, and dismisses it immediately.]

I guess really we're sort of lucky so long as nobody thinks about us too hard, right?

Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that. The aliens here are pretty open about it. [Plus, Calla thinks, there isn’t much to spy on. Without any kind of government on the station, it’s not like there’s any political intrigue.

And there she goes again, talking about violence as if it’s no big deal. She’s so casual about it, so utterly unfazed, that Calla can’t help but wonder what kind of Program she is. She hasn’t explicitly said that she herself participates in the violence, but it certainly sounds that way and that would make her… well, something illegal. But then, many of the other things she’s said are so sensible and familiar that Calla is willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she just has a very odd work environment?

Her last question, for example, gets an emphatic nod.] Yes, that’s how I’ve been approaching things. Out of sight, out of mind and all that…

[Where he can, anyway. The problem with being a companionship function is that he can’t stay isolated for very long.

Calla’s attention shifts as they approach a heavy metal door ahead.] Here we are. If you want to see space, I can’t think of a better place to do it. [A tap at a console causes the door to slide open, revealing the observation deck beyond. Calla motions ahead with a playful flourish, as if making way for a Creator.]

After you...

How would you know if they weren't though?

[Her tone and expression suggests she's merely wondering it, not seriously considering that there might be aliens in disguise spying all over the place. Idle curiosity seems more her thing than serious concerns. Aliens are INTERESTING, not really threats.

There is a fundamental difference in where they're from, and thus the assumptions of what they are, but Capella - and for now Calla - seem oblivious to it beyond a couple questionable things. She herself isn't interested in questioning it. It was ... too nice to assume she's among her own kind, and not having to worry at all about the prejudices of Basics that, while she understood them and sympathized completely, got tiring to deal with.

It was better to think of him as a fellow ISO, from a familiar System and familiar situations. Comforting.]

Well, so far so good then!

[The huge doors seem meaningful, and are eyed. It WAS so far so good wasn't it? Nobody's being oppressed just for being an ISO. No terrorism, no fears. Surely the problems this place had, had nothing to do with them being there, and were just inherent issues. ]

Oh is this the space location then?

[Capella perks up visibly; she had a grasp on the idea that space was everywhere and thus this was a good spot to view, not that she would be stepping into space or anything, but the very idea of it was terribly exciting. What would it be like?? She bounces a little in front of the door, waiting for it to open with barely contained enthusiasm, and doesn't even HESITATE to step through..

Problem is she stops dead a step later, all other intentions eclipsed by simple awe, because the view in the observation deck shows something nobody on the Grid has ever seen before. Space.

The true final frontier.

Give her a minute.]

[Capella’s enthusiasm is infectious and Calla finds himself getting excited as well, even though this is far from the first time he’s seen space. He watches her enter the observation deck, expecting exclamations of surprise and awe as she steps inside…

And is rather confused when she stops within a step of the door and says nothing instead. He waits a few seconds for her to take in the view and when she still hasn’t moved or spoken afterwards, he takes an uncertain step towards her still form.]

Er, Capella? [He taps her lightly on the shoulder.] Are you okay?

[She's fine! She's just a little.. fixated.

There was something like a sky and stars on the Grid, but really, it was a pale imitation at best. The colors alone were strange and unexpected.

As Calla speaks up with uncertainty and taps her lightly, she flaps a hand at him in a very uncoordinated fashion, still fixed on the view. Her voice is very quiet, barely more than a hiss, as if by speaking aloud and properly she might disturb the storm.]

Shh, shh no you'll ruin it just.. take in the moment..!

[Like she is! It's a moment of awe and more than a little bit of an overwhelming sense of insignificance ... and yet that was fine. How could anyone not feel small when seeing that? Mind. Blown.]

.... Can you touch it?

[Didn't she just ask him to be quiet? Well, she's not only contradicting her earlier request, she's not waiting for an answer, she's making an immediate beeline to what she assumes must be some kind of window. When in doubt, touch it!]

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January Intro Log

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