ataraxionlogs | (no subject)

CHARACTERS: EVERYONE
LOCATION: MED BAY
WARNINGS: ... Partial nudity? It should be pretty tame, but let me know if I need to add anything.
SUMMARY: Side-effects of a jump may include disorientation and temporary memory loss. Fortunately, there are a handful of others who have been through this before.
NOTES: Yes, it's a rehashing of the game premise. Don't worry, you can personalize your own (re-)introduction!

You wake up, alone in the dark.

There's a breathing tube jammed down your trachea, and you're suspended in a tube of clear blue fluid. Upon registering your level of consciousness, the gravity couch drains the fluid surrounding you and retracts the breathing apparatus; the doors in front of you open, and you're deposited on the floor of a stark, sterile medical bay.

Don't worry, you are not alone. There are others who have come before you, others who are awakening beside you. Some may be familiar to you, perhaps even friends. They will help you through your disorientation, even though they might suffer from it too.

After you catch your breath and your vision returns, you notice a number on the inside of your forearm. Maybe it's a familiar number. Maybe it means something. Maybe it's just a number. But the number—completely unique to you—is a tattoo, and it does not come off.

If you enter the room adjacent to the medbay, you will find a small locker with your number on it, surrounded by rows upon rows of identical lockers. Inside, you will find a few of your personal items, a communications device, and a ship's uniform in your exact size. The comms device is fully powered and connects directly to the ship's network; it's your only means of communication beyond physical conversation. Upon turning the device on, a neutral, automated voice will say, "Please take the blue lift to the passenger quarters." Any other attempts at communicating with the rest of the network are met only with static.

This is your welcome party.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I've never eaten a human! Just some bears and stuff, but only beclaws I was hungry!"

To prove her point she clambers to feet, trying to look as non-threatening as possible. It can be hard, given the fangs in her smile and all, but she tries. She even considers rubbing her cheek against him and purring, but Equius probably wouldn't approve of her doing that to people she just met. That and the Doctor is still kinda wet. Kinda counter-productive to her drying off mission.

"Then again, I've never seen a human up close until today. I don't think I've seen an adult-looking one ever. You're the first! I hope you're a good representative fur what others are like."

"Still not human," he reminds her - although he has acted as their representative on occasion. He shakes his arms about to get the last large flecks of liquid off of them, letting the cool air of the med bay take care of the rest. "Adult, technically yes, but I think of that more as a state of mind. Much prefer the term Child-at-Hearts."

"I like that term! Sooooo if you're not human, what are you?"

She leans in slowly to give him a hesitant sniff. Not that it really helps she doesn't know enough about human scent to discern them from other aliens, but she can pretend.

He leans in obligingly, letting her have a smell.

"Time Lord. I don't hold it against humans for the coincidence in evolution, but actually, we did come first."

Now she just looks confused. Suddenly it occurs to her that maybe this aliens thing is going to get more and more complicated.

"Really? I assumed the human universe inherited qualities from our universe. You do look a lot like them, much more than trolls do, and I think Terezi's furriend has some time traveling powers...

But I guess if you live in the same universe as them, it's all the same principle. I just didn't know there were other aliens in the universe we made! Then again, I'm not really an expurrt."

She scratches her head and giggles. "Gosh, this is messy. Either way, trolls came first!"

...the universe they made?

It's been a long while since the Doctor was at the Academy, but he can't remember any mention of trolls in the Dark Times. There had been a lot of things going on in the Dark Times, to be sure - aside from being just plain dark they'd been incredibly chaotic, and even the Time Lords couldn't have kept a perfect record of everything that had occurred. But none of the creatures who'd existed back in the time before reality could lay claim to having created the universe. That would make them... well... gods.

"Loads of aliens where I'm from," he says. "Loads of universe to put them in. Planets and stars going on for longer than anyone's eyes are able to look." Except perhaps for his, but he's a bit of a cheat. "When you say you made the universe..."

Probably not best to mention that there are other galaxies and life forms in Nepeta's universe too, but they've been violently conquered by the adults of her species and have likely been decimated. Not exactly a topic to bring up right after meeting someone.

"I mean that we made the universe! Every successful session of SGRUB creates one. Sure wasn't easy either. It was tricky enough breeding frogs to make Bilious Slick, but then the Black King turned out to be an adfursary we could barely beat."

Obvious implications are you live in a frog, Doctor.

Obvious? Possibly not as much as Nepeta thinks. The Doctor takes a moment to try and let that all sink in.

"...I'm not entirely sure, but I'm starting to think we might come from totally different realities." Which is a big problem if it's true, but it's the only possible reason he can come up with for her speaking such utter nonsense.

Nepeta nods. Hey, if different universes can exist, why not parallel ones or different realities? She just hopes that no one here is from a parallel 'doomed' time line.

"That could be pawsible! Admittedly, I'm still in the purrocess of the learning about how universes work. I only have the basics down, but I guess not everyone the frog thing, heehee."

"Yeeaaah, frogs." He sounds uncertain about that at first, but then - well. "Well, I've heard stranger explanations for the beginning of all things. Any thoughts on that name yet?"