4th Wall Event

[travelagency]

Who: Various
What: 4th Wall Event
When: M12 D3-D5 (on Mar 7 - 15)
Where: Around Blackway and Blackstaff
Notes & Warnings: Please attach any warnings necessary to thread subjects. This does count for game canon. All 4th wall threads go here, and information is available on OOC and news. The game's navigation is here.


Welcome, ladies, gentlemen, intersexed, androgynes, robots, energy beings, and life forms of all kinds. I am Jeffers, your servant, host, and resort AI.

Let me extend gratitude to you all on behalf of the entire community for agreeing to come and render service in the wake of our unfortunate incident with spontaneously frictionless surfaces. Your assistance in rebuilding is greatly valued.

Visitors, I encourage you to speak with the other Imports. Imports, I ask you to help our guests enjoy their stay.

Please consult with any terminal or one of my android drone avatars if you have any questions that cannot be answered by the residents. I most sincerely hope you find your time at Blackstaff a pleasant one.

• For those of you who enjoy “fun” [Jeffers says as if he’s not sure that any of this really qualifies as fun in his book], Mr. Jellicles’ Emporium requires extensive repair. There are broken windows and bottles hither and thither, and do be careful of the broken glass; we wouldn’t want any further injuries. Broken arcade games must be fixed. Furniture repaired, or, if it is beyond hope, taken away. And small, colourful plastic balls are scattered asunder and must be gathered up to be relocated into a “fun cage,” but worse and far more deadly are the skiballs and bowling balls. I must insist no one drop one of those on one’s own or another’s foot


• The local restaurants require new food to be brought in. Because of the quarantine, food shortage is somewhat of a danger, therefore any food will do, but I for one would especially appreciate champagne and truffles. In addition, new dishes must be unpacked, furniture repaired, and cooking areas cleaned. I expect the cooking areas to be able to pass the most rigorous of health inspections once the cleaning is finished. Not that we have a ministry of health and safety here, but it is the principle of the thing.


• With the clinic having been overwhelmed by recent events, they are currently understaffed to handle the full scope of injuries. Assistance treating the wounded and the ill would be a very great help. Do note that only persons with appropriate physician or nursing qualifications will be able to assist patients with direct care. It would not be at all appropriate to have, for example, vehicle mechanics performing surgery. Unless perhaps the patient is a sentient robot car. Then the clinic will make an exception. Many other tasks are available for other volunteers who desire clinic duties, however. In particular, wounded patients may require assistance retrieving personal items, sending messages, or returning home. Furthermore, as always, the clinic would be grateful to receive donations of medicines from your homeworld


• The loss of friction created an extensive mess around town and I so dislike messes. I would like it very much if knocked over displays were righted, broken glass cleared, and disabled vehicles removed from the streets. Let’s have a nice, tidy village, shall we? Furthermore, some residents misplaced pets during the hullaballoo and would very much like them found and returned. (Not to mention the havoc stray beasts are having on the songbird population.) Shelves in various shops must be restocked with new, unbroken merchandise, and many storefronts and signs are in need of general repair.

---

And with Jeffers announcement to the population, the town was opened up to anyone willing to help. Some of the citizens who had tended towards suspicion towards imports for some time (an as-of-yet unidentified one took part in sabotage against the town) have changed their views and are now extremely welcoming, offering whatever they can to in return for the help they're getting from the visiting imports.

While the guests are here, they have free rein of the village, and even visiting the wilderness if they have a permit. First they must be instructed on how to defend themselves against the planet's hostile species. A guide is still recommended, but with the busy schedule one is not absolutely essential.

Comments

Utrecht Visscher | OC | Visiting

[frontier_doktor]

Bringing Medicine

Visscher didn't come lacking. When he heard medicine was going to be necessary, he'd made a point to bring plenty.

He had been sad to have been sent home before- it wasn't the town's policy, but rather a fault of the occasionally unsteady universe. He had a couple of people that he wanted to check on, but without a communicator this time he was unsure he would be able to reach them.

But right now he was trying to juggle a too heavy box into the clinic, grunting with some effort. "I hope it's not imposing, but could someone help me?" he asked in his faint German accent.

Going back to the Resort

Many of the people he wanted to see had gone, and that was a little bit sad. It was also why he never spent time in any place too long, he ran from impending disappointment like he knew it was coming.

But it was worth trying to meet new people, though, he enjoyed company, and to anyone that passed by the gardens as he helped the clean up there, he would say a quick hello and give them one of his half smiles.

Bringing Medicine

[truth_is_the_enemy]

Allow me.

[Niles trots up and stabilizes the corners of the large and heavy box.]

That's quite a package you have here.

Niles Pottinger, recent Import. I'd shake your hand but it's probably best to leave it until we both get inside.

[frontier_doktor]

[Oh, he's getting help! Visscher's smile is nervous and, unfortunately, noticably uneven. So after he flashes it he tries to keep staring at the box and closes his lips tightly.]

Yes, ah, I decided to bring what I could carry with me. Sadly I don't have access to my own tiny pocket dimensions or I would have tried to bring more.

Thank you, though. Thank you.

[He repeats, then worries he's thanking him too much.]

[truth_is_the_enemy]

[Niles notices the uneven smile, but doesn't mention it. There's probably some story behind it, but stories like that usually bring up bad memories and he's only just met the man. He doesn't even know his name.]

Not at all. So, are pocket dimensions a common thing in Germany in your universe?

[Niles is putting clues together and he may not hit the mark, but he's interested in the man's response anyway.]

[frontier_doktor]

Braunschweig. [He corrects, as if it's not in Germany.] It was a human space settlement, but most of the residents were originally from Northern Europe. I grew up in the German district.

[Not wanting to ask for a life story or not, Visscher seemed keen on giving it with the slight bit of favorable attention.]

But there are pocket dimensions, not so readily accessible as I was letting on but sometimes we tell jokes and your tomato is not my tomato. [He pronounced the two words differently, but with his accent the long "a" was even more affected. They have the box inside by the time he stops talking.]

[truth_is_the_enemy]

A human space settlement? So humans colonize space in your time?

It sounds like either you're from far in the future or that I'm tomahto and you're tomayto.

[Different times, or different universes. Or both.]

[frontier_doktor]

It's complicated. [He nearly slips, rights himself, and then continues to carry the box inside until they can settle it beside of some other donations. Then he dusts his hands off.]

My parents are probably from your past, but I would be from your future. Ah... consider it temporal meddling. [He makes a so so motion with his hand.]

[theugly]

For a certain ex-bandito, one of the unexpected advantages of the fallout was one of the main disadvantages for everyone else: objects were out of place. Valuables that had once sat stacked high on a display had slid across the street and into the gutter. Things that should have been inside had ended up outdoors. It was chaos, really.

And Tuco was never against playing the good samaritan when it came to retrieving said valuables—especially when the owners were nowhere to be seen. In light of this, he was winding his way down the path in a zig-zagging motion, head tilted down like he was lost in thought. And he was, funnily enough; his mind was as busy as his eyes, rolling along in some convoluted thought stream that only stuttered to a stop when he heard someone greeting him.

He jerked his head up, glancing around himself before letting his eyes settle on Visscher. His brows drew together. "You and me, we know each other?"

[frontier_doktor]

He looked away, back to the hunk of debris he was helping move (not the strongest man, obviously).

"No, I'm just being friendly." And he already seemed to be embarrassed by the effort. It didn't take much to coax that reaction out of him, but he was awful forthcoming with that friendliness.

[theugly]

Maybe that was his cue to bob his head congenially and continue on his way, but like a shark with blood, Tuco had spent a good portion of his life trying to spot weaknesses, and surging after them came naturally now. The rewards in stopping weren't exactly clear to him—not yet, anyway—but he was intrigued all the same. Embarrassment and gregariousness weren't usually bedfellows, after all.

"Friendly's good," he said, stepping over a broken bottle as he approached. "A time like this, people... they better working together, hm?" Ignoring the debris, he shoved a hand in Visscher's direction, holding his palm out. "Tuco," he added.

[frontier_doktor]

"Hallo, Tuco." He took it and shook vigorously. "That's what I am thinking. I usually don't stay in one place at once, not for very long, but I try to help as much as long as I'm there."

He stooped to pick up that bottle, worried someone would hurt themselves, and then debris from some overturned maintenance cart on the garden's path.

"Do you like it here? I didn't stay very long before."

[theugly]

Tuco sucked his cheeks in, pausing thoughtfully. It was a question he hadn't really considered before. He'd stuck around because the alternative was a short rope and a long drop, but as to whether he actually liked Blackway?

"One place is as good as another," he said eventually, shrugging. "It's a little harder to like when the ground forgets how to work, but otherwise?" He smiles. "Sure. Why not?"

Then, dropping down to his haunches in an effort to look at least mildly helpful, "And what about you, huh? You miss it around here, or was the prospect of picking up bottles just too good to say no to?"

[frontier_doktor]

"Other than one place, I have enjoyed everywhere that I've been." He dumped a few things into a bag, something that the glass inside of it wouldn't slice open, and gave Tuco another half smile. "Even when the ground forgets how to work, a place with better people is better than a place that would constantly look down on a man that can only look happy half the time." He joked about the unsteady expression, motioning to the good side, but he did his very best to keep that dulled side turned away from Tuco.

#2

[athousandcurses]

A young looking woman returned a faint nervous smile of her own and a glance behind her to make sure she was indeed the recipient of the smile and hello. It spoke a little to her self confidence she checked, though she really was the only one around at that moment in the garden.

"Are you... new here?"

Re: #2

[frontier_doktor]

Half of Visscher's face was paralyzed, so all she got was half of a pondering look. The right side remained uncomfortably placid- sometimes he wished he was outright deformed because then he felt as though he would have an excuse.

"I am new again. I was once her before. Right now I'm with the temporary clean up crew."

She seemed nice, and he was never partial to conflict. It made him panic, unsure of what to do with himself. "It is a pleasure. I'm Dr. Visscher." He pronounced it as a German would, "Fisher", (although it came from his grandfather's Dutch side), R soflty pronounced in his accent.

Re: #2

[athousandcurses]

Once she saw his face change expression, she realized what was odd about him. People she had grown up with had similar problems, medicine being what it was in Ancient Ireland, and it wasn't hard to adjust.

"Oh, i-it is nice to meet you, Dr. Vissher." She stumbled a little over trying to duplicate the sounds exactly. "I'm Grainne, I do odd jobs around the resort. Are you stationed at the clinic?"

Re: #2

[frontier_doktor]

"Temporarily," he assured her. "I was sent back by accident previously, and I've gotten myself some more lengthy work at home. But when I heard this place had come upon difficulties I made a point of returning. I don't recall meeting you here, though."

And it seemed, unfortunately, that some people he had known were long gone.

[athousandcurses]

"Oh, I came here shortly before the quarantine was placed." Grainne replied, running a hand through a lock of hair sitting on her shoulder. She felt a bit awkward, but he seemed nice enough. "I... well, I came here to... recuperate and I try to do that most days."

[frontier_doktor]

It was always unfortunate when two incredibly awkward people met.

"I hope that despite the difficulties, the recuperation is going well. I know that for recovery stress free environments can do wonders. This is hardly lacking stress but with the appropriate emotional support one can- I should probably stop before I get ahead of myself." He winced, but also decided to continue what he was doing with his good side towards her so that she wouldn't see the uneven skew of his expression.

It was easy enough, as he was keeping himself busy with tasks.

[folkscallmewander]

The gardens was one of the safer places in the resort, which put Wander at relative ease. It was easy to keep an eye on his kitten while sweeping the walkways and tossing retrieving branches that fell into flowerbeds.

"Evenin'," Wander replied automatically and looked up at the newcomer. His eyes widened in recognition. "Oh! Doctor! You came back!" He dropped the broom and dustpan to run and give Visscher a right hug. "I haven't seen you in so long! What've you been up to?"

[frontier_doktor]

"I never thought I would see you again," Visscher said warmly, stooping down to greet Wander and offering his hand. "How are you, good fellow?"

[folkscallmewander]

Wander grabbed Visscher's hand and shook it vigorously. "Doin' fine, 'specially now that we're not slidin' around anymore." He took a step back. "It's been real busy, but there's a whole buncha folks visitin' so it's great!"

Off to the side by one of the bushes, a mutant, four-eyed kitten was pawing at a pile of flower petals.

[frontier_doktor]

"I see you've become a father." Visscher joked, crouching beside the animal and offering it his hand with a friendly half-expression.

[folkscallmewander]

The kitten shied away at first, but seeing that Visscher didn't mean it any harm, it went back to its pile of flower petals.

"That's Niko, actually! Niko, the human guy, not the cat, gave her to me a while back." He took a long leaf from the ground and waved it in front of Nikolina (as that was her full name), who began pawing at it.

[frontier_doktor]

"She looks very lively." He knelt down to give her his finger to play with, as well. "And kind of Niko, too. I've often noticed some rougher people to have a soft spot should you show them kindness."