[ When you're 35 people stranded in a foreign town of medium size, it really is bound to happen that you run into one another when exploring. This means that as soon as Ponta spotted Hung on the S.U.P.E.R., this has become a two man expedition. Arcade trip, arcade trip!!
It's during the day, so luckily it seems less crowded than could be. ]
Man, I don't usually go to these. Kind of a fun change of pace. Does anything like this exist on Terra?
[ being a furry - and a friendly, open one at that - means that there's no hiding his reaction to people. his tail gives a quick one-two wag in response to seeing ponta. hello new friend! ]
They do, yeah! The nomadic city I'm from, Lungmen, is a lot bigger than Oceanside, at least from what we've been able to get to? So it's got a colorful collection of stuff, this included.
Nomadic cities are built on giant vehicles. I've never seen the specs before, personally, for any of the cities, even if I've seen them up close from the ground. But they just up and move without a need to rebuild, and they can actively keep going because of the Originium that provides them power. It helps to avoid any disasters and makes evacuations less dangerous for people if the whole place can do the evacuating instead of there being mass panic in the streets.
There's not really many sedentary cities anymore on Terra, either, honestly. But that's a win/lose kind of thing, because the people that do live in them aren't super well off.
[ This is... baffling. Like, oddly cool, but also deeply baffling. ]
Huh. That's pretty nifty, to be able to move a whole modern city just like that. In my world, if there's a natural disaster and your city's in the wrong place, then... tough luck, right? It can get ugly fast.
We have a lot of natural disasters on Terra, so we kind of had to adapt? [ they don't state how often iirc beyond "much more often than on earth" ] It definitely used to be a much bigger "tough luck" situation. A lot of Catastrophes have completely wiped places off the map... and we've lost a couple nomadic cities, too, because they didn't act fast enough.
[ scratching his cheek a little as he thinks about it... ]
You guys are sedentary on Earth? City-wise, I mean.
Edited (when you see a typo a day later) 2023-09-20 15:34 (UTC)
Yeah, totally. There's a few nomadic people, but they live in like... tents and stuff. Anything big is firmly anchored to the ground, pretty much exactly like Oceanside here.
[ Whether or not that is always a good idea is up in the air, but hey... not everyone has mobile platform city options. ]
Honestly, prinnies and destruction aside, this place really feels like just any other town to me.
Besides being in one place, yeah, I'd say Oceanside is pretty similar to some cities I've been to. Smaller than Lungmen, at least as far as I can tell. But pretty similar.
[ destruction and prinnies included, for him. ]
I wonder what world this city is on... [ frowns ] Or if maybe we'll see any people like that? It seems mostly human to me, so far, except for a few of us new arrivals.
[ Aaaand the award for 'least surprising person to find at the grocery story' goes to Ponta and Hung in a spectacular tie. They have produce now! Real proper ingredients! Of course it's time to take advantage of that!
Ponta already has his basket filled with a lot of stuff, many of it oranges, and is still on the lookout for more. Seeing Hung, he smiles brightly. ]
Hey, hey~ Anything specific you need or are you also just browsing?
[ It's worth noting that his hair is still down and he's standing up notably straighter than last week. ]
[ ponta your BEAUTIFUL HAIR hung finds it so neat, actually, and he comes from a world full of technicolor animal people. but he does also notice that he's standing up straighter so he's ? briefly. ]
Hi, Ponta! [ he is still tired from jailbreak shenanigans and also vitriolic rage at seeing the rules this morning, but he is a good and friendly boy in return immediately. ] Stocking up on... everything, really, so kind of just browsing?
[ he has a cart. he's a Man On A Mission. ]
The corner store had some decent enough stuff, but sorely lacking in everything you need to actually make a decent homecooked meal.
Yeah, the only thing that'd stand in our way is expiration dates and shelf life. But even then, we have whole dorms of people to cook for, and plenty of people with big appetites. [ ace ]
... maybe to lift some spirits we can get everybody together for a big meal at some point. Might be nice to do.
That sounds like a neat idea. From what I saw, the park's been repaired too so we have space for a huge picnic. I imagine that's easier than getting 30 people together into the same room.
[ Though it also means exposing them to the prying eyes of the residents of the city. That one he is not as excited about after... everything. ]
Could probably set something up... only problem would be extra people showing up that we don't account for. Food-wise and company-wise both. [ he's right there with you on that logic, ponta.
surely there are some nice people, but he's very hesitant to draw attention to all of them if they don't have to. he did kind of get arrested, and all that. ]
I don't know where else we could have it, though, that would fit all of us and all the, uh. Personalities and powers?
[ Ponta laughs at that. Such a kind way of describing the chaos of their group...
But his face soon turns a bit more serious. Hung said out loud what he'd only been thinking, after all. ]
Yeah, I was also thinking that... I think we'd all like some privacy after being gawked at so much last week. Maybe one of the open first floors for the dorms could be good enough? A bit cramped, but not impossible to deal with.
[ "we're all a bunch of rowdy fucking idiots with superpowers" is really the undertone of this, fond or not.
but, he does nod, humor fading as he leans his arms on his cart. ]
We're already a spectacle that they're obviously following closely, like we're free entertainment, so I don't want to give them more ammunition. I could probably ask Ox is there's an alternative, but doing a dorm lobby wouldn't be a bad idea necessarily...
If I'm honest... I don't know if I trust the leaders either, at this point.
[ Ponta looks up towards the ceiling, just kind of aimlessly tracing the caulk joints with his eyes as he thinks. ]
Fox does seem genuinely clueless about what is happening right now, but... I don't know, their position as go-betweens for the city just keeps feeling weirder.
I think... something bigger than them is at work, but there were only twelve of them instead of nearly 40.
[ his ears are a little perked up, to listen for anyone coming down their aisle as they talk, eyes scanning. ]
Ox and Mouse both seem to want to put a stop to it. They're the ones I've talked to most, so far, but I haven't quite asked for the details about how they lost their four. I'm going to talk to Ox about the rules and everything that happened, Sunday, though. Since they were all given the order to take us in but didn't want to.
Fox at least said that the other four definitely died in a battle rather than anything like this.
[ Ponta takes care to speak a little more quietly here. Maybe not the best talk to have in a grocery store, but then... is there any place that's super safe right now? The dorms are provided by the city and all. ]
Where the citizens seemed to think executions were pretty normal overall, Fox had never even heard of that happening before.
That's... [ very weird. ] Was that something that came up while we were in jail? We could only see the execution itself, not the crowds, so we missed a lot.
The leaders have been here for months - if they haven't heard of it happening before, then it has to have been something from before their arrival. Or else there's a lie here that has to be caught.
Yeah, some of us chatted with the people in attendance while it was happening. Execution is what they do for the 'really bad' villains and it's treated as a totally accepted measure.
It's just... even if the last execution was before the team leaders arrived, it's really weird that they hadn't even heard of the fact that they exist, y'know?
Will and I went to the library and weren't able to find any records on the place at all. Just weather reports. If these buildings have had to be rebuilt constantly, it could be records that are lost...
But you'd think they'd be on the internet, right? That kind of news? Even if they didn't talk about us being arrested, there'd have to be something about mass public killing.
[ hate to think about the fact that there'd be mashups and compilations and people doing fancams of their favorite executions. jesus christ. luna. this can of worms. ]
So where is it? Just... wiped from everything? Can't be. Everything exists forever on the internet, so it has to be somewhere.
Yeah, someone surely is sick enough to download things like this too so even if official streams disappear, re-uploads should happen... Just how hard are they cracking down on this?
[ you know i had to put them in the knockoff williams sonoma with all the cooking stuff and kitchenware. hung's tail is slowly swaying behind him, for this momentary respite from all of the terrible things the weekend has been bringing lately, as he considers the merits between one appliance and another. ]
Do we need another rice cooker..? It wouldn't hurt, maybe...
[ Nodding enthusiastically at the idea of a small portable ricecooker. They're great!! Warm rice wherever, whenever!! ]
It really is a few people just feeding the whole squad, huh? Vane cooks up lavish meals for the Fox dorm all the time, I almost feel like I'm out of a job over there.
[ Being Cooking Guy was his whole Thing at home... but he's learning that being cooked for is nice as well. ]
[ he reaches out, squeezing ponta's arm and lingering there, both for comfort and for the weekly effect. (he still hasn't realized it's affection week.) ]
[ his hand lowers, so that he can bump his arm into his. ]
Let's make some stuff, then. I promised Hanako donuts, but, man - muffins sound great. Maybe I'll make fa gao this week. They're like cupcakes but they're steamed.
[ Sometimes you watched your buddy kill an innocent man in a fight to the death. Sometimes that's just how your weekend goes. Ponta hasn't contacted Hung after the execution, mostly because he figured that he'd want some space for himself.
This afternoon though, Ponta is lingering in front of the Ox dorms, hoping to catch Hung as he heads out. Hung gets a wave in greeting, though Ponta's expression is pretty serious. ]
[ sometimes... things are bad. but hung does come around from the ""secret entrance"" for the dorm, picking a little at his sleeves to make sure they aren't caught on his bandages. he's got his bangs pinned back and his hair in a ponytail, allowing for a bandage on his face to not go disturbed, and he just seems comfy today.
he looks up from this and offers ponta a light smile. ]
Hey, Ponta. I'm - well, chaos of the morning aside, I'm doing alright. Sore but holding up. How're you? Hopefully no exciting surprises in your dorm.
Lucky. But that's what happens when there's someone with explosives in our dorm... pretty interesting mess to clean up.
[ no injuries, though! just... the ones that ponta is looking at, now, that he's just letting heal at their own pace now that he's had them taken care of to some degree. ]
Would've been worse if I kept trying to chase him. There was no way I could've kept up with him, especially when he was fighting for his life in there. [ ... ] Shouldn't have had to.
[ Ponta nods slowly. It was a difficult fight to watch, with how viciously Hans was going at him. Even though he seemed to be enjoying the act of combat in itself, he surely would have preferred to meet a different end. ]
... yeah. And now there's still someone out here who put Yae in a cage and murdered her. Not to mention that we don't even know who crushed Satan.
[ Really makes you look at the whole group with different eyes. ]
[ and for as much as hung wanted to live, it... was not enjoyable for him. he meant his apology at the end. even if hans himself was not sorry. ]
... mm. [ complicated feelings about the yae miko murder, still, but he shakes his head. ] I know we don't... really know one another, as a whole, but I want to look at everyone that remains and just hope that if they killed once...
Well. That we don't get serial killers, I guess. It's bad enough to think about the fact that they've killed the once.
[ If they've killed once and gotten away with it without even the minimal amount of social consequence, what's there to tell them to not do it again? Whatever they got out of killing this once, will they get out of it a second time? ]
There are guys here I do trust well enough, but... not everyone. Not nearly everyone.
[ Running into Hung at the grocery store is nothing unusual. Normally, Ponta would wave and ask what's on the menu, but today he only gets as far as waving before a scene begins playing out behind him. He's too startled to even say anything about it.
Hung may feel Ponta's intense sense of emptiness while watching the memory play out. ]
hung opens his mouth to offer a greeting, but then there's a comic panel slapping them both and he just has to stand there and blink for a moment. it's so... strange, almost, to see and feel something so hollow there. ponta can sometimes feel a little distant during trials, but this is very, very different in the long run. ]
[ Do you ever have your depression (and also two random guys' insane yakiniku flirting) broadcasted for a friend to see...? For a moment, Ponta just stands there, unsure of what to even say to this.
Though he's dropped a lot of his act from the first week, he hasn't gone this mask off... and he hadn't really wanted people to see that either?
In the end, all he can think to do is laugh awkwardly. ]
Sorry about that, haha... Seems like the curse this week is pretty invasive, huh?
... yeah, I've seen some. Pretty private things. [ and had some private things rear their heads up, that he normally wouldn't just out and out talk about with other people. ]
Are you... [ alright? he pauses before he asks that, frowning, his ears twitching a little as he thinks about it. ] I mostly want to give people outs, if they don't want to talk about it. Or ins, if they do.
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bottleking) wrote2023-09-19 07:02 pm
Week 0, Tuesday
It's during the day, so luckily it seems less crowded than could be. ]
Man, I don't usually go to these. Kind of a fun change of pace. Does anything like this exist on Terra?
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They do, yeah! The nomadic city I'm from, Lungmen, is a lot bigger than Oceanside, at least from what we've been able to get to? So it's got a colorful collection of stuff, this included.
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[ The arcade lights are dazzling around them, but this question is more pressing than the need to game. ]
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There's not really many sedentary cities anymore on Terra, either, honestly. But that's a win/lose kind of thing, because the people that do live in them aren't super well off.
[ i hate this canon ]
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Huh. That's pretty nifty, to be able to move a whole modern city just like that. In my world, if there's a natural disaster and your city's in the wrong place, then... tough luck, right? It can get ugly fast.
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[ scratching his cheek a little as he thinks about it... ]
You guys are sedentary on Earth? City-wise, I mean.
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[ Whether or not that is always a good idea is up in the air, but hey... not everyone has mobile platform city options. ]
Honestly, prinnies and destruction aside, this place really feels like just any other town to me.
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[ destruction and prinnies included, for him. ]
I wonder what world this city is on... [ frowns ] Or if maybe we'll see any people like that? It seems mostly human to me, so far, except for a few of us new arrivals.
Week 1, Monday
Ponta already has his basket filled with a lot of stuff, many of it oranges, and is still on the lookout for more. Seeing Hung, he smiles brightly. ]
Hey, hey~ Anything specific you need or are you also just browsing?
[ It's worth noting that his hair is still down and he's standing up notably straighter than last week. ]
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Hi, Ponta! [ he is still tired from jailbreak shenanigans and also vitriolic rage at seeing the rules this morning, but he is a good and friendly boy in return immediately. ] Stocking up on... everything, really, so kind of just browsing?
[ he has a cart. he's a Man On A Mission. ]
The corner store had some decent enough stuff, but sorely lacking in everything you need to actually make a decent homecooked meal.
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[ Though his posture has changed into that of a normal upstanding (literally) person, the enthusiastic good mood at least appears to be the same. ]
We can cook whatever now! Sky's the limit! And honestly, with the infinite cash situation we got going, it'd be a shame to not take advantage of it.
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... maybe to lift some spirits we can get everybody together for a big meal at some point. Might be nice to do.
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[ Though it also means exposing them to the prying eyes of the residents of the city. That one he is not as excited about after... everything. ]
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surely there are some nice people, but he's very hesitant to draw attention to all of them if they don't have to. he did kind of get arrested, and all that. ]
I don't know where else we could have it, though, that would fit all of us and all the, uh. Personalities and powers?
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But his face soon turns a bit more serious. Hung said out loud what he'd only been thinking, after all. ]
Yeah, I was also thinking that... I think we'd all like some privacy after being gawked at so much last week. Maybe one of the open first floors for the dorms could be good enough? A bit cramped, but not impossible to deal with.
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but, he does nod, humor fading as he leans his arms on his cart. ]
We're already a spectacle that they're obviously following closely, like we're free entertainment, so I don't want to give them more ammunition. I could probably ask Ox is there's an alternative, but doing a dorm lobby wouldn't be a bad idea necessarily...
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[ Ponta looks up towards the ceiling, just kind of aimlessly tracing the caulk joints with his eyes as he thinks. ]
Fox does seem genuinely clueless about what is happening right now, but... I don't know, their position as go-betweens for the city just keeps feeling weirder.
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[ his ears are a little perked up, to listen for anyone coming down their aisle as they talk, eyes scanning. ]
Ox and Mouse both seem to want to put a stop to it. They're the ones I've talked to most, so far, but I haven't quite asked for the details about how they lost their four. I'm going to talk to Ox about the rules and everything that happened, Sunday, though. Since they were all given the order to take us in but didn't want to.
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[ Ponta takes care to speak a little more quietly here. Maybe not the best talk to have in a grocery store, but then... is there any place that's super safe right now? The dorms are provided by the city and all. ]
Where the citizens seemed to think executions were pretty normal overall, Fox had never even heard of that happening before.
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The leaders have been here for months - if they haven't heard of it happening before, then it has to have been something from before their arrival. Or else there's a lie here that has to be caught.
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It's just... even if the last execution was before the team leaders arrived, it's really weird that they hadn't even heard of the fact that they exist, y'know?
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But you'd think they'd be on the internet, right? That kind of news? Even if they didn't talk about us being arrested, there'd have to be something about mass public killing.
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[ This stuff would be going viral, whether through people cheering or through people being appalled! ]
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So where is it? Just... wiped from everything? Can't be. Everything exists forever on the internet, so it has to be somewhere.
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Yeah, someone surely is sick enough to download things like this too so even if official streams disappear, re-uploads should happen... Just how hard are they cracking down on this?
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Pretty hard, I imagine, if we haven't seen any of it. They kept our jailbreak out of the news and everything... but they're not really infallible.
wk 2; monday
Do we need another rice cooker..? It wouldn't hurt, maybe...
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[ He doesn't even hesitate on that one. Rice cookers are his one true love. ]
I had three in my apartment at home.
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Maybe I'll get a small one like you have. [ because that really was so genius. ] But we had two back home, too, and it was a lifesaver.
It's mostly just me and Ox cooking in the dorm but I'm cooking pretty much every day for a lot of people outside of it...
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It really is a few people just feeding the whole squad, huh? Vane cooks up lavish meals for the Fox dorm all the time, I almost feel like I'm out of a job over there.
[ Being Cooking Guy was his whole Thing at home... but he's learning that being cooked for is nice as well. ]
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Couldn't hurt to see if him, Vane, and us could cook up something sometime. Still have that whole potluck kind of thing on the back burner, after all.
[ no one's cooked for him yet, but, man. they could use a pick-me-up if things keep going on like this. ]
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[ Because who knows how long the people they want to hold it for are going to keep being around? ]
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Let's plan something. Get things together.
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[ He nods, a bit more enthusiastic again. The touch is nice, though he can't really figure out why that is either. ]
I haven't made muffins in a while, I think that'll be on the menu.
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Let's make some stuff, then. I promised Hanako donuts, but, man - muffins sound great. Maybe I'll make fa gao this week. They're like cupcakes but they're steamed.
Week 3, Monday
This afternoon though, Ponta is lingering in front of the Ox dorms, hoping to catch Hung as he heads out. Hung gets a wave in greeting, though Ponta's expression is pretty serious. ]
Hey. Hope you're holding up okay?
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he looks up from this and offers ponta a light smile. ]
Hey, Ponta. I'm - well, chaos of the morning aside, I'm doing alright. Sore but holding up. How're you? Hopefully no exciting surprises in your dorm.
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[ He spilled so much juice... Which was unfortunate, but also the most mundane problem to be facing in recent memory.
Ponta gives Hung a good look over. That's still a lot of bandages, but no wonder... ]
He really did a number on you...
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[ no injuries, though! just... the ones that ponta is looking at, now, that he's just letting heal at their own pace now that he's had them taken care of to some degree. ]
Would've been worse if I kept trying to chase him. There was no way I could've kept up with him, especially when he was fighting for his life in there. [ ... ] Shouldn't have had to.
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... yeah. And now there's still someone out here who put Yae in a cage and murdered her. Not to mention that we don't even know who crushed Satan.
[ Really makes you look at the whole group with different eyes. ]
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... mm. [ complicated feelings about the yae miko murder, still, but he shakes his head. ] I know we don't... really know one another, as a whole, but I want to look at everyone that remains and just hope that if they killed once...
Well. That we don't get serial killers, I guess. It's bad enough to think about the fact that they've killed the once.
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[ If they've killed once and gotten away with it without even the minimal amount of social consequence, what's there to tell them to not do it again? Whatever they got out of killing this once, will they get out of it a second time? ]
There are guys here I do trust well enough, but... not everyone. Not nearly everyone.
Week 4, Monday
Hung may feel Ponta's intense sense of emptiness while watching the memory play out. ]
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hung opens his mouth to offer a greeting, but then there's a comic panel slapping them both and he just has to stand there and blink for a moment. it's so... strange, almost, to see and feel something so hollow there. ponta can sometimes feel a little distant during trials, but this is very, very different in the long run. ]
... huh.
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Though he's dropped a lot of his act from the first week, he hasn't gone this mask off... and he hadn't really wanted people to see that either?
In the end, all he can think to do is laugh awkwardly. ]
Sorry about that, haha... Seems like the curse this week is pretty invasive, huh?
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Are you... [ alright? he pauses before he asks that, frowning, his ears twitching a little as he thinks about it. ] I mostly want to give people outs, if they don't want to talk about it. Or ins, if they do.
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It's...
[ Want to talk about it is putting it very generously, that's for sure. ]
I mean, you've seen it now. I'd rather you ask me your questions yourself than be left to interpret it all on your own, you know?