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

[frontier_doktor]

Some people have antigravity boots. That's probably more likely to not burn off your calves. [He half jokes, but he shifts his blue eyed gaze to and fro in the meantime.]

[truth_is_the_enemy]

All right, I can accept that. Still just a little disappointing, though. As they say, the future isn't what it used to be.

[He notices Visscher's restless gaze.]

Sorry, am I keeping you from something? You must be busy; I can leave you to your work, stop being a distraction.

[frontier_doktor]

Oh, no. Now. [He twitches half a nervous smile, and raises his hands.] Sorry, I am generally an uneasy person. Consider it a bad habit I have never been able to shake. I am much more confident when I am helping someone. In conversation, I've never been particularly good at it.

[truth_is_the_enemy]

Well then, maybe you can help me. You're a doctor, right?

[Pottinger looks around, makes sure no one's close enough to hear.]

It's a sort of embarrassing problem I don't really want other people to hear about.

[frontier_doktor]

I am. General practitioner. And if we can find a private room- you may have to take a number and wait a while unless you can find us a private space in the meantime.

I am used to making due with whatever room is available. I volunteer at emergency events often.

[truth_is_the_enemy]

Well, my problem's not the sort of thing that's going to require me to strip down and have uncomfortable examinations of sensitive body parts done. Just something that I don't want other people to overhear.

[He leans in a little closer and whispers.]

Drugs.

[frontier_doktor]

[Visscher pauses, and he feels a little cramp in his back that makes him stand up a little straighter.]

Ah. I can see why that would be a problem.

Are you hoping to wean yourself off or non-addictive replacements to ease the symptoms of withdrawal.

[truth_is_the_enemy]

I haven't quite managed the weaning off yet. But I'd like to. Preferably with as little withdrawal unpleasantness as possible.

It's Adreno. Have you heard of it? I only use synthetic, "no humans were killed in the making of this drug" kind.

[Yes, he's a drug addict, but he's a drug addict with a few principles.]

[frontier_doktor]

I have not heard of it, but if I can have a sample before I leave then I could probably synthesize at least a more diluted version of it.

[Which he doesn't want to leave the man with the ability to do drugs relentlessly.]

I'd also like you to find a physician to maintain your prescription once you're gone.

[truth_is_the_enemy]

I will.

Just getting started...it's been difficult.

[Not because he's reluctant to get off the drug, but because he didn't want to face the possibility that he'd be tisked tisked and lectured and then whenever he saw that doctor--whoever it was--again around town, in the shop, in the cafe, he'd know that he was being judged and found wanting. He couldn't stand that.]

It's funny, it's easier to talk about it with someone who's practically a stranger. I suppose because if you'd judged me for it, it wouldn't have mattered as much.

Thank you for not judging me. Or at least not telling me about it.

[frontier_doktor]

I don't think any person is in a position to judge another unless they have been victimized by them. Otherwise, we all should do our best to help one another.

There's a great deal of conflict that could have been subverted with those conditions... [He sighs, before going to find a sample cup and handing it to Niles.] Can you get me a sample?

[truth_is_the_enemy]

That's a remarkably tolerant attitude of you.

[He takes the cup.]

A sample?

Oh, that kind of sample. I think I am going to want a private room for that. I wouldn't want to frighten the animals, as they used to say in my home country.

[frontier_doktor]

A sample of the drug. No need for shaming yourself entirely by parading around any bodily fluids. [He twitches half a smile again, his brow quirking on that side in a slightly unnerving way.]

[truth_is_the_enemy]

[He holds the cup a little less gingerly now that he knows he isn't going to need to piss into it. It's just a normal lab sample cup instead of an "I'm going to put pee in this very shortly" cup. And that makes all the difference in how he thinks about it.]

Ah, my mistake. [He grins.] And this is one of those moments where I'm very glad to wrong.

[He wonders about that uneven face. An old injury maybe? Or maybe congenital. Whatever it is it's apparently something that, even in the future they can't fix.]

[frontier_doktor]

[He hid the bad side of his face by rubbing his eyebrow so he could get away with looking as amused as he wanted to be.]

Well, I only have a few days but let's see what we can manage for you.

[truth_is_the_enemy]

Thanks, doc. I owe you one. Whatever your fee is, I'm happy to pay it.

[He slips the sample cup into his jacket pocket, which bulges and ruins the nice sleek line of his clothes, but it's better that than to walk around town carrying it openly and leaving people to wonder why he might need one.]