video

[made_up_names]

[ Hey look, it's another teenager! A totally and completely normal teenager that has managed to scrounge up some clothes that aren't just whatever the hell he was wearing under his suit. Looks like a hoodie and some kind of shirt that looks like it might be nerdy? He tried for a nerdy aesthetic, anyway, which is hard when he doesn't even know what nerd culture looks like here. He's seated outside in Nova City somewhere, trying to figure out what to do next.

Anyway. He. Waves awkwardly? ]

Hey, um. I'd ask if people really just introduce themselves online like this without making it like "Welcome to My Star Wars Vlog And/Or Podcast" but I went back and looked at a bunch of posts and I guess that's exactly what it is? Which is cool. But weird? I'm weirded out.

[ Focus, Peter. Maybe breathe a little. He looks incredibly awkward, which is still only 50% of the Awkward Peter Parker Experience. ]

Anyway, I'm Peter Parker! I just got here like. A couple hours ago? And I have one really super important question.

[ Pause. Try not to look too excited. Look incredibly excited. ]

Did I see something about Pokémon? Like, actual physical Pokémon? Is that real or is this some super convincing AR thing? Because I'm down with both but if it's the first kind I am literally going to explode.

Comments

[light_of_willpower]

It isn't so far, although with these cities you have to be careful.

Did you read the pamphlets in the bay? Has anyone given you any warnings?

[Trunks is amused.]

You're taking all of this really well so far, which is a nice change. I remember when I first arrived--was glad to have Mai with me. We also got lucky in that we had people here who already knew us, including my mother.

[made_up_names]

Uh ... I guess I got then. Haven't read yet though.

[ A pause. ]

Wait, your mom is here?

[light_of_willpower]

She was. She and my father both, which--for the record, my parents are both dead in my world. Well, one of the versions of my world. It's complicated.

[The sadness is in his eyes, as he keeps the friendly expression otherwise.]

Did you listen to the hologram that explained things at least?

[made_up_names]

[ Oh. Instant, quiet sympathy. ]

Sorry man. I'm glad you get to have them here, at least.

[ He doesn't remember his own parents that well, but. He'd still be happy to see them if he could. ]

I know what a hologram is.

[light_of_willpower]

It was...nice.

[The sympathy is appreciated, but Trunks is also not gonna dwell on it. He's kind of used to loss by now sadly.]

Well, there should've been one there of a young lady in white who explained things.

[made_up_names]

[ Sorry man. He'll drop it in that case. ]

Oh, yeah. I do remember her. Is that normal then?

[light_of_willpower]

[If it comes up again, it's okay. Just not the kind of thing to discuss at a first meeting really. Again, Trunks is used to it by now.]

The hologram greeting you when you wake up? Yeah. That's been in place a while, to try and help newcomers. It was in place before I was brought here too. It's meant to give everyone the same information that people usually ask when they arrive here, and try and answer some questions ahead of time.

Doesn't mean people always believe it, or listen.

[made_up_names]

Yeah uh. I might not have. Listened? A whole lot.

[light_of_willpower]

I'm getting that impression.

[It's not said unkindly though, with a hint of a smile and chuckle.]

Did you at least understand the part where basically everyone here is a kidnappee of sorts? We all woke up in the bay, just like you. Some of us have been here a short time, others longer. No one has figured out why just yet. We're all brought from various points across space and time and dimensions. Sometimes even from the same place, but different times.

Sometimes people vanish, and we have no clue how. We hope they go home, but again--we don't know. Sometimes that same person comes back, with no memory of having been here before.

[made_up_names]

Yeah, uh. I've kind of picked up that part of it. I'm guessing that's how you met your parents?

[ He doesn't know how he feels just yet. ]

[light_of_willpower]

Yeah. Although I was used to dimensional travel and time-travel before coming here.

You want me to continue via video? You're handling this all pretty well so far.

[made_up_names]

I - well, my world's pretty weird, I guess. I got attacked by a killer robot when I was like seven? And then aliens two years later, so.

[light_of_willpower]

[There's a blink, and a smile. Mostly because Trunks can sympathize.]

Sounds about like my life. You figured out the network pretty quickly. Has anyone told you about the pendents yet?

[made_up_names]

Wait, hold on. Your life also involves killer robots and aliens?

[light_of_willpower]

Among other problems.

[That smile is a bit more sad now, but still there.]

Add 1 near apocalypse under a reign from killer-psychopathic androids from when I was about 6 months old with no one who can really stop them, to trying to stop a psychotic genetically modified creation from being awakened by ancient magic and destroying everything, to a full on apocalypse with a genocidal wanna-be God who blames you for everything. And is in the body of one of the people you looked up to, when younger--who was known as the greatest hero on Earth.

[His voice had gotten carefully more neutral and inflectionless.]

The aliens came before I was born. I haven't mentioned the time-travel yet either, have I?

[made_up_names]

[ Oh. Oh god. Peter has seen a lot, and there's a disturbing amount of overlap here. But he really can't talk about that if he wants to pretend to be a normal kid. Also, what the hell. He doesn't have to fake this surprised stare. ]

I - um - no. No you didn't.

[light_of_willpower]

[There's about a second, before Trunks shakes his head and smiles more normally.]

It's okay. My life has been pretty weird. My family is good at attracting weirdness too.

So don't worry about freaking me out. What else can I answer?

[made_up_names]

[ Don't worry about weirdness, sure. Trunks might eventually regret that statement. ]

How often does that kind of thing happen? People showing up from other times.

[light_of_willpower]

That's probably one of the more common things here. People showing up from the same world but from different points along its timeline. Goku--one of the people from my world--seems to be from the furthest point along the time-line, given things he's alluded to.

[made_up_names]

Wait, so he's from your future?

[light_of_willpower]

My situation is a bit complicated, but yes. Effectively he's from a point which I would consider the future.

[made_up_names]

That sounds like something that requires a model that you didn't have time to build to scale.

[light_of_willpower]

Oh I've tried diagramming it on a white board before. It's not easy.

So yes, Pendents. Did anyone tell you about them?

[made_up_names]

-- Oh yeah. Uh, hologram lady did? They're like keys or something.

[light_of_willpower]

"Hologram Lady" Is Weiss Schnee. She and her family were here for a bit, and apparently did a lot of work already in to trying to figure things out and make it all easier for newcomers. She's no longer here, sadly.

The pendents are things that only those of us who aren't 'native' have. They allow us to pass between the different archways to the different cities. Do not lose, or destroy, or modify the pendent. For example--my mother refused to wear hers because she thought it was ugly, right? The only thing I could do to help at all, was get the pendent re-set very very carefully, into a bracelet for her.