( intro log # 1 )

[acatamods]

I ▫ main IV ▫ premise       XI ▫ applications XIV ▫ activity II ▫ logs V ▫ rules VII ▫ bestiary   IX ▫ canon updates XII ▫ taken XV ▫ drop/hiatus III ▫ ooc VI ▫ faq VIII ▫ setting   X ▫ mods XIII ▫ reserves XVI ▫ players the temple of beginnings. we're all a little mad here. Needless to say, the Circle has been out of sorts as of late. Fortunately, the weather has stabilized — residents will find that they are no longer plagued with snowstorms or heat waves. However, it appears that the flora and fauna have...come to life. Vines may wind around your feet and legs, entrapping you in a vice-like grip. They will eventually let go, but it seems like you need to speak nicely to them first. Bizarre, but it'll get the job done. Mushrooms have also sprouted and now sing at you when you pass by — they aren’t particularly good singers either. Trees extend their branches to poke at you from behind, but when you turn around you’ll find that no one is there. ...And worst of all, the flowers seem to be especially privy to your thoughts; when you’re close, they’ll blab out whatever is on your mind at the moment and will only be silenced once they are picked. Best of luck surviving in this more, er, animated environment! Perhaps even plant-life can be reasoned with…? Or destroyed. That’s always an option, isn’t it? oh my god they were roommates. It isn’t a proper welcome until you’ve picked out your room! In the hallways, you may find a table or two offering cookies and tea as you survey your newfound surroundings. They seem to be left by invisible people . . . weird? The Unseen Servants seem to be playing a bit more nicely from your arrival, and seem to be apologizing for their antics with sweets! (These cookies, neverfear, are not magically cursed. They are just normal cookies.) These rooms are a bit magical, you see — should you decide to room with another person (or multiple people), you’ll find that the room itself will accommodate your needs and expand accordingly. They look the same for the most part, so some might say that it would be wise to make your decision based on what your neighbors are like. Say hello or potentially someone else’s room by accident; it’s a bit of a Russian roulette. Regardless, it seems that this is your new home in sense of the word. Make the most of it! wildcard. The Temple is a pretty big place! The Forest of the Fey stretches on endlessly, Lake Dona (and the resident Nessie) is free to explore, and there are plenty of creatures who are curiously inspecting the new arrivals. The wyverns seem to be particularly precocious today, given the singing mushrooms, the psychic flowers, and the new people checking into new rooms! They are relatively harmless (as are most of the creatures in the Temple), but can be pretty annoying . . . especially if you have something resembling a snack in your hand. At any rate, free to explore the rest of the Temple, the Forest, or the Lake at your leisure! Unless otherwise designated in the bestiary, everything is free to play/free to explore. :)

Comments

[dogwood]

[ Jun's trying to commit all of this to memory. He doesn't like not knowing things. Even with somebody as weird (and kind of annoying) as Mettaton, he's going to try and figure things out. ]

So what kind of [ um ] people do you live around?

[ If not humans nor other robots? ]

[metalcrusher]

MONSTERS.

[For once, Mettaton gives a simple answer that isn't cushioned by his ego.]

I'VE COME TO UNDERSTAND THAT MANY PEOPLE HAIL FROM DIFFERENT SORTS OF WORLDS HERE IN ASTORIA'S CIRCLE. SO THIS MAY EXPLAIN WHY YOU ARE UNAWARE OF OUR EXISTENCE UNDERGROUND. OR PERHAPS YOU DO KNOW OF MONSTERS...?

[dogwood]

No, definitely not. I think we've decided that the only stuff underground on Earth is more rocks. And oil.

[ Different sorts of worlds, indeed. ]

How've you been able to meet a human before?

[metalcrusher]

A SMALL HUMAN FELL UNDERGROUND. GIVEN THAT THEY WERE SO FIERCE AND AMBITIOUS, I INVITED THEM ONTO MY SHOW A FEW TIMES! [His screen shows a heart, and he clasps together his hands.] THEY CERTAINLY KNOW HOW TO RILE UP A CROWD. BUT I EXPECTED AS MUCH FROM A HUMAN: TOGETHER, WE PUT ON QUITE A SHOW FOR MY AUDIENCE!

[Yeahhhhhhhhhh that's exactly how it went. Mettaton conveniently omits the part where he tormented them, then tried to kill the human for personal gain. But it's the long and short of it, he decides.]

WITH THEIR PERSISTENTLY SQUISHY KINDNESS, THEY WOULD EVENTUALLY OPEN THE BARRIER I MENTIONED EARLIER... SOMEHOW. MONSTERS WERE FINALLY FREE TO RETURN TO THE SURFACE, EXCEPT ASTORIA BROUGHT ME HERE INSTEAD. [He crosses his arms.]

[dogwood]

[ What audience... what show... were monsters underground that desperate for entertainment? ]

Did you want to go to the surface? [ It's kind of hard for Jun to gauge attitudes without facial expressions or telepathy. Also, robots? ]

I guess I don't really understand your world.

[metalcrusher]

WE ALL WANTED TO GO TO THE SURFACE!! MY STARDOM WAS A PLEASANT DISTRACTION FROM THE WOES OF MONSTERS EVERYWHERE. THE REASON PEOPLE COULD KEEP GOING. WOULD YOU ENJOY BEING TRAPPED UNDERGROUND FOR ETERNITY, SLATED TO NEVER AGAIN SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY OR THE TWINKLE OF STARS?? I DOUBT VERY MUCH THAT HUMANS WOULD ENJOY IT. HUMANS ARE, AFTER ALL, MADE UP PRIMARILY OF WATER, PROTEIN, AND VITAMIN D, MOST OF WHICH WERE SCARCE DOWN THERE. WATER WAS THE OBVIOUS EXCEPTION.

[dogwood]

[ That's understandable. And while Mettaton is annoying, he doesn't seem that dangerous or against humans in general. ]

How long were you underground? Are the humans who put up that barrier still there? [ He pauses, not disbelieving, but trying to understand it. ] It sounds horrible.

[metalcrusher]

GIVEN THE AVERAGE HUMAN LIFESPAN, [Which he doesn't actually know for certain, but won't admit,] THEY ARE NOT. IN FACT, THIS BARRIER WAS PUT IN PLACE LONG BEFORE I CAME TO BE.

[He stops for a minute, realizing such a statement is still incredibly vague and asking about how old he is... That's a misaligned question that he'd rather never have to answer. So he'll provide an addendum on his own terms.]

WHICH DOESN'T SAY MUCH, I ADMIT. GIVEN MY COMPARATIVELY SHORT EXISTENCE. A FEW YEARS IS NOTHING COMPARED TO THE MILLENNIA WE SPENT UNDERGROUND!