acatalepsy_logs | World Jump #2: Struxta

World Jump #2: Struxta

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welcome to
the collected nations of struxta.

It will happen at random- you could be asleep, or wandering the Temple, or a variety of other options. It will feel a little strange, like a sudden warmth spreading across your skin, and then your bracelet will light up. When you blink again, everything has shifted - changed, developed, like in that blink of an eye you have advanced thousands of years into the future.

Around you is a city, a technological marvel. Buildings rise up from the dirt and through the clouds, figures of all shapes and sizes buzz around you. They seem to pay you little mind - a quick glance, maybe a pause, and then they will continue on their away. Ahead, there is a low rumble of thunder, a dim flash of light. It doesn't seem to be raining, but there is an electric hum in the air.

A NOTE FROM YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD WITCH

But before anything too weird can happen . . . your watch flashes again, beeps once, and on it has a new message, a hologram-sparkly image with a young woman who (to some individuals!) looks a fair bit brighter than she did a few weeks ago. To those who are new, you will recognize the voice -- Astoria, the guardian of the Temple (or, if you're a bit more pessimistic, your effervescent kidnapper).

"Hello, my beloved travelers ♥ and new ones, too! My name is Lady Astoria the Witchess-san." The way she says it, though, it is very clearly something of a joke. "I'm so glad you are settling in, adjusting to your new powers . . . I apologize for not coming forward and greeting you all like last time. But I am feeling much more like myself, and ready to send you to a new world ♥

This one is named Struxta . . . Struxa? No, I think it's Struxta. It's very metal. I'm not sure what's wrong in this world . . . but I can feel something building. Pulsing, it's very chaotic. I'm afraid I can't be more detailed than that, I did have a headache earlier . . . Akira told me I was fine ♥" And, again, you can likely guess that Akira definitely did no such thing. Astoria clasps her hands, her bright blue eyes shining, with a bright smile. "Now! Please be safe, and please mind your manners, and tell me all about it when you return! I'll see you soon. ♥"

And, just like that? The humming in the air grows louder, you feel an odd tug in your stomach, and before you can properly adjust yourself to the sensation of being cast across the universe . . . you find yourself in Struxta. (Astoria, it seems, did have it right the first time.)

THE HOSTEL

Just as it was in El Minha, it appears that upon arrival, each character is outfitted with a room at one of the largest, arguably most impressive skyscrapers in the city. Nearly two hundred stories tall, and with each floor containing nearly sixty rooms. Every floor, every room, every door is of the highest tech and the more advanced security. The watches that Astoria has given each of the Circle Members act, in many ways, like a key, a credit card, an ID, and any other form of identification the players will need during their stay.

The rooms themselves are simple - one bed, roughly full sized, with a light, a desk, a chair, and a variety of plugs and buttons. Characters are welcome, if they are able to find the appropriate plug, to charge any and all devices they may have. There is a TV of sorts in the room as well, with access to all manner of shows and news stations.

The bottom floor of the building is almost as large as a city block. It is open, sleek, and clean-cut. A kind of open meeting room, which has - upon inspection - been modified to include what appears to be a restaurant. Which, given the fact the group of Circle members who have arrived in the city are the only natural bodies around? Includes the fact you are the only members of the city who have to consume food and nutrients. Upon even closer inspection, the technology used to make the food seems a few decades behind that of the rest of the city, but it still works, and the food can still be produced. It might taste a little weird and turn out to be some sort of glorified goop, but it has some nutritional value.

The rest of the floor has a variety of seating arrangements and places to sit and chat with your other Circle members, but beyond the Welcome Committee, who is set up on the far northern corner, there doesn't seem to be many of the natives walking through.

THE SUPER CENTER

Have you ever wanted to go shopping in the most technologically advanced superstore possible? Here is your chance! It appears that if you use your watch, you have been given a moderate amount of credit to buy clothing, toys, electronics, items, and anything else that might suit your fancy. You will not have enough to buy anything significant, such as limbs, organs, advanced computer technology, etc. But you are more than welcome to find a job to help collected more credits! Many of the stores within the Supercenter are hiring - greeters, cashiers, manual labor, errand runners, and everything in between!

The Supercenter is attached, as most of the buildings seem to be in this city, by a roadway of interlocking bridges and stairways- to a point that you could, if you wanted to, move about the entire city without stepping foot outside. There are bridges on every level of the Supercenter, as well as a network of pathways and semi-roadways within the center itself.

There are no restaurants or bars, but there are plenty of areas to relax and ~~people~~ robot watch if you so desire. Otherwise, shop, explore, find weird mechanical devices of the likes you could never imagine back home. There are all manner of stores, some art galleries, music centers, arcades, and more here. There is no limit to what you can find and what you can experience.

Everything is automated, but there are still helpful employees of various appearances at each of the stories to help you decide and browse- small, flying blocks that speak in primarily beeping noises that (thanks to Astoria's wonderful watches) you can somehow understand, completely human-appearing androids of the utmost style and elegance, and everything in between. Take your time, do a little shopping or go to work, and enjoy the pique of futuristic capitalism.

THE RACES

In the south-eastern district of the city, a large section of the city has been modified into a multi-level, vast, complicated race track of sorts. Think Tron, meets Speed Racer, meets a type of racing that is something all their own. It's fun as hell, fast as hell, and dangerous as hell. Sounds great, right?

What is simply known as ‘Racing’ here in Struxta is complicated, but at its heart is exactly what it says: it is a race. A race of cars, bikes, and everything in between through an obstacle course of everything you can imagine. It seems to all be linked, electronically, to a motherboard that decides - each race - what the drivers will find. Each race was drastically different, with dangers galore. One day you might find that the road is full of spikes, the next it might be slick as oil, there could be loops that defy gravity and breaks in the road that seem to be impossible to cross, but that's what the modifications and specialists in the garages are for, right?

The rules are simple: if you have a vehicle, and you have a driver, you are allowed to race. First one to complete the track, wins.

Surrounding the main track is an entire industry of shops, stores, garages, meeting places, lounge areas, and viewing rooms. There are robots who make entire livings on the industry surrounding the Races, without ever having to step food onto the course. Some of the areas will be cleaner, like the rest of the city, while others may air on the side of back-house garages. While there won't be any dirt or natural life forms, for the first time you might catch sight of rusted metal, oil slicks, broken down previous versions of what's out on the road. There are some practice tracks, some experimental safety sections to test out new additions, etc.

The one thing that holds everyone together, here, is the excitement around watching. The excitement around the competition. There are Races every five days, so that gives you just enough to get settled. And maybe find a car.

THE LIBRARY

As many have already come to hear, there are plenty of libraries and museums all across Struxta. However, there is one that is known as The Library, which archives anything and everything in the history of all of Struxta, spanning back its entire history, over thousands and thousands of years. The building itself is as large and impressive as The Hostel, nearly two hundred stories tall, possibly more, and as wide and long as a city block. But where in the Hostel each floor had been made up of rooms, each of these floors are large, open areas, with dark, imposing servers held behind tight, clean cabinets.

No one else seems to be here, which gives the impression that The Library is not open to just any native of Struxta, and that in fact - as members of the Circle you are being given special access to what would normally be off-limits.

In the middle of each floor, there is a small collection of tables, with large screens. These touch-screens will be your access into the Library archives. And that is the thing - you will have access to everything, but as it turns out, everything really means everything, and with backups spanning the course of thousands of years in the past, it will take a lot of time and a lot of energy and a lot of research determination to find anything of use. Not because it is difficult, just because it is so massive and so overwhelming.

The only natives you will find will be on the first floor, as a kind of secretarial position for the building. They are more than happy to try and help guide you through the search process, but they will not follow you up to any of the other floors, and there is a distinct feeling of being entirely alone when you do go up to begin your search. Alone, but watched, somehow.

Remember- if there is something that you wish to look up specifically, please ask over on the world interactions post so we can be sure that the correct information is shared! The best way to go about finding something in the Library will be going at search terms in teams, as there is so much information there is no way one person will be able to wade through it all.

Additionally, please feel free to write up and work with your own prompts! These are presented as jumping off points for your characters, not limitations. The idea of this world- as with all the others- is to explore. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask them back on the mod questions thread back in the OOC post from before! And if you have any ideas regarding how your character will interact with the world, also feel free to check back into the world interactions comment from the OOC post from before, as well!

From this point forward, the Circle has become involved with the Collected Nations of Struxta. What your character finds out, decides, and does from here on out will affect the future of this city- one way or another! But what you do is completely up to you. What you discover, explore, and uncover will be yours to discover, explore, and uncover. Who knows what you might find? :)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You don't--

[ooooh. but, in taking in her appearance, that actually doesn't surprise him. human she may look, but there are definitely enough about her that belies her android status]

[he gives a soft, amused snort]

You're not missing out on anything.

Especially not now.

[His scrutiny, brief that it is, makes her frown anyway, her shoulders tightening. The "androids" here had been curious about her too. Too much. She'd greatly preferred solitude over the stares, the questions about her appearance. Eventually she reasons that the humans so far had done little more than exist where they shouldn't, and in some cases been stupid and too friendly, but largely harmless. He probably didn't mean anything by it.

Her eyebrow raises, and gradually dismissive irritation gives way to a tentative, slow-blooming curiosity.] What is it?

[he doesn't mean anything by it, of course! once he reaches the "not human" conclusion, he moves on pretty quickly. he won't even ask questions. mostly because he's focused on hers]

Gray goop special? Lunch surprise? Take your pick. I'm going to copyright whichever name is most popular.

[She seems a little at a loss, because she doesn't know how to talk to anyone, but eventually a voice that is not her own emanates from the floating drone near her.]

Analysis: substance contains some nutritional value.

[She responds, blunt:] Nobody asked you.

[that startles Akira, evident by the way he jerks his head back a little bit, gaze flickering towards the floating drone]

Huh. . . it's a helpful analysis.

Now I know it won't poison me.

[not that he thought it would in the first place]

[A2 notes his surprise. Conversation is not something she excels at, but body language she knew well enough. She gives Pod a disapproving look, though this is perhaps less in defense of Akira and moreso because she finds Pod annoying.

She speaks to Akira, this time.]

Don't encourage. It never shuts up.

Negative. This Pod only supplies feedback and support when necessary.

[his mouth quirks upward, amusement sparkling on his features]

It sounds you two just have very different definition of "necessary."

[A2 rolls her eyes.] It's unnecessary all the time.

[Her eyes narrow at the amorphous gray blob on Akira's plate again. Even as someone who had no real need or desire to eat, it looks unappealing. Barely edible. She goes through her mental backlog of what humans could digest. Fish, boar? Maybe? Her knowledge is limited to what still existed on her earth. This looks like neither.]

What do humans eat?

[It's brusque, and sudden. The question of someone unused to making conversation.]

[it might be a brusque question, but Akira answers it as though it's the most normal conversational topic in the world]

Plants and animals. The list of things that are edible for us is actually pretty large, so it'd take me forever to name it all.

[buuuuut. . .]

I eat a lot of fish, chicken, rice, carrots. . . steaks and hamburgers, french fries-- oh, those are potatoes, by the way.

[this is only the beginning of his list but he is not a healthy eater at all, way to go teenage boy diet]

[A2's brow furrows. She crosses her arms. Almost all of that was unfamiliar to her, but that's to be expected. It's so much...

All she can gather is this weird gray stuff is none of those things, from his reaction. She nods toward the plate.]

Have you tried it?

Nope.

[Akira, buddy, you have to eat]

I think part of me is hoping it morphs into something more. . . edible? The longer I let it sit.

Don't be stupid. [Said flatly.] If it were going to change, it would have.

[Finally:]

I'll try it.

[-- oh]

[not as expected, and A2 earns a few surprised blinks for her declaration. but, in the end?]

[Akira doesn't argue. he merely holds up a spoon, watching A2 expectantly as he does so. GANBATTE, NEW FRIEND]

[She stares at the spoon with the offending gray goop, pensive. With the caution given to open heart surgery, A2 takes it, and tentatively pops it into her mouth.

She immediately makes a perplexed face. It's not really the taste that bothers her — it doesn't taste like much of anything, and she doesn't have as discerning a palate as a human — but the texture is so weird. (A2 has never had jello before.)

After a long pause.]

...It's bearable.

[and at that, Akira just]

[huffs out a laugh, head bowed and hand pressed against his mouth. it's short and light, but when he looks up again, his eyes are twinkling with amusement]

You really know how to sell it, don't you?

[She frowns, puzzled. She hadn't said anything particularly funny, she thinks. Humans were bizarre.]

It doesn't matter if I sell it or not. You still have to eat it.

A harsh truth, but one I have to accept nevertheless.

[is Akira solemn reply, complete with him placing his hand over his heart]

[Frowning, A2 runs a tongue over the roof of her mouth. She has never had a real desire to eat, and if she had, this would've completely killed any budding foodie aspirations.]

It's got a weird film on it.

[Just a semi-polite warning, there.]

[that]

[does not help]

[at all]

Like grease. . .? Or oil?

[A moment of thought. She gently sets the spoon down.]

Oil.

[...]

Good luck.

[With those foreboding words of encouragement, she moves to leave, Pod bobbing behind her in silence.]

[-- wait, hang on a second]

Oh-- hey!

[he calls as she turns away]

I'm Akira. And you. . .?

[She pauses, looks over her shoulder at him. What's visible of her expression, not obscured by the fall of her bangs, looks slightly caught off guard, as if she still isn't accustomed to the routine of introductions.

For a moment it seems as if she will not answer. Eventually, though...]

A2.

A2-san.

[huh. actually, that makes him think]

It's nice to meet you. Do you know 9S?

[The smallest of sighs, barely audible.]

...

Yeah.

[She doesn't have it in her to lie to a human, but she seems disinclined to elaborate.]

[. . .]

[there's a pause where Akira debates on whether he should ask for elaboration or not. in the end, he lets it slide]

I was curious. I've never met him before, but he seemed to know me already.

World Jump #2: Struxta

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