Welcome Log ⬡ 02

[liburuzaina]

	Welcome to The Library! Welcome, everyone, to the Library! As you wander your way in, wake up at a desk, or descend an elevator, the library's ambiance is, well... the same as it always is. Comforting-but-not. Warm-but-cold. Empty-but-populated. And, as always, there are certain things going on that just might make settling in a little easier. Information Desk ⬡ Maps At the Information Desk, there will be a large stack of looseleaf graph paper and a surplus of pencils, to more easily enable anyone who wishes to draw their own map of the library. The pencils will only be able to write on blank paper given to characters by library activities, and not on any of the books. ⬡ Stationery Next to the graph paper, there will be a stack of blank notebooks and a haphazard pile of pens. The pens will only be able to write in the notebooks, on characters' personal belongings, and on skin. All three of these items are semi-limited; somehow characters will only be able to make one stack of items as tall as they are once they've been removed from the desk. Notebooks and pens will be provided in assorted colors in shades of blue, purple, white (and grey) and teal. Cafe Menu ⬡ Seasonal Menu ⬡ Slow-cooked Mac and Cheese ⬡ Butter Chicken ⬡ Apricot and Brie Stuffed Chicken Breast With Roasted Potatoes ⬡ Rainbow Vegetarian Pad Thai With Peanuts and Basil ⬡ Chocolate Cream Pie ⬡ Classic Cheesecake ⬡ Champagne Cupcakes ⬡ Moscato Cupcakes ⬡ Champagne ⬡ Mulled Wine ⬡ Irish Coffee ⬡ Chestnut Praline Latte ⬡ Usual Menu The Cafe menu will also showcase more typical cafe fare, from teas and coffees, to standard hot chocolates, to pastries, donuts, and sandwiches. The Search Bar will also bring up whatever else characters could possibly want. Sunrise Room ⬡ Seasonal Showings As always, movies playing at any given time are randomized, but this month there is a higher chance of movies playing with themes of new beginnings. First Floor Restrooms ⬡ Seasonal Showers This month, all complimentary toiletries will be either vanilla, blueberry pancake, or cedar scented. Ocean Floor 4 ⬡ Room 4575 Located in room 4575 on Ocean Floor 4 will be a large table with an inordinate amount of self-help books, revolving around themes of "New Year, New You" and "New Year’s Resolution Ideas And How To Achieve Each Of Them." Alongside the books will be a stack of worksheets, asking questions about characters' goals and "resolutions" - all appearing to be photocopied haphazardly from a different book entirely. It would appear as though the intent was for there to be a somewhat therapeutic book club meeting, focused on improving oneself. In practice, the room itself somehow has taken on a somewhat oppressive air, as though there's someone staring at you and judging your life choices, even if you're alone in the room.

Comments

[spalten]

I don't know if we have an equivalent here. [ vidar finishes setting up his entire board. ]

.... having paperbacks are an oddity back home, especially when so many things are already digitized. I don't have much hope about the rest of the library's games. The one I'm thinking of certainly isn't a board game.

[ and maybe it speaks more to his background that vidar deals more with interfaces and electronics than paperback books, which, really, was something he usually encounters outside of his work, and it's been a while since he wasn't at work. ]

As for the king, well, nobody can do everything by themselves. Certainly you can try, but why bother? Though I'll grant you that there are things you have to do by yourself, from time to time; but even then, people naturally try to be with other people for good or bad.

You see that in this library, too - if you really wanted to, you don't have to be with anyone you don't know or didn't come from your world. You don't have to play with me. But here we are.

People aren't meant to be alone, I think. [ he just smiles at her. ] And it's a hard lesson to learn for some.

[ ah, but he's talked too much to a girl who probably doesn't need all his ruminations on that matter. still, he's thinking of someone else when he does, and he's nostalgic right now. ]

[infreefall]

Really? Huh... I'm not really the most up-to-date on technology or anything, [ who has the money for that? ] but we still have regular books everywhere.

[ everything being digital isn't too hard to imagine, at least. still, it's interesting to hear how different these places are.

she smiles back, though! ]

I know what you mean. Even the top heroes can't do everything on their own. There's someone in my class who's still figuring that out, too.

So! What can the king do, then?

[spalten]

It's more convenient in space to have them as electronic files. You can only bring so much with you in a ship, after all.

[ a rather thoughtful tone, ] In general, the nostalgia for books makes it difficult for people to move them, though I can see the appeal for it. My family has a library and all.

[ vidar is making a cheat sheet for her. it'll be a list of how the pieces move, so she'll have something to refer to when they play, as well as a drawing of the board enumerated with letters and numbers. as he writes, he'll answer her question with a thoughtful hum. ]

Heroes, huh. I remember a time when they used to interest me.

But you and your friend are rather young, and that's fine.

The king is the weakest piece in the beginning of the game. You don't need to capture the king to end the game; the threat of capture is enough, and the objective of chess is for you to remove that threat and deal with it. If you can't, it's the end of the game. You can't make any moves on the board that will threaten the king.

Close to the end of the game, when all of the pieces on the board that can threaten the king have been mostly eliminated, the king can be used as support and attack in order to escape the threat of capture. Or you can force your opponent into a stalemate, if you're good enough; the choice is yours.

[ and having finished the cheat sheet, he gives it back to her. ] Here you go.

[infreefall]

In space?!

[ she leans forward, eyes wide, apparently ignoring everything else he's said? i'm so sorry you typed this lovely tag and she's just like this. space is the one thing that will never fail to grab her attention, no matter what! ]

Does that mean you're an astronaut?! What's it like, being in space?

[spalten]

[ that's alright, he's got a younger sister and he knows what it's like being with overly excited little girls. ]

No. I'm a pilot.

And space isn't really that interesting, though I guess that's coming from someone who lives and works there .... it's cold and full of debris.

[infreefall]

Isn't a pilot in space still an astronaut?

[ vidar makes it sounds so much less glamorous than movies would have her believe! ]

I always wanted to go to space, though. You get to see other planets and stuff up close right? And the moon? You can probably see so many more stars than we do from Earth, too... I always loved reading about it all.

[spalten]

Not quite. A pilot is a different trade entirely. It depends on what you pilot and where you work.

[ so her world isn't so technologically advanced, then .... ]

Certainly you can see all the planets up close in space. And the stars. After a while, however, it becomes rather normal and commonplace and loses its charm.

Even those who live in space constantly seek to live in colonies that look and feel like Earth. Just with better temperature and climate control.

[infreefall]

Sure they would. Everyone wants someplace to call home. A space ship wouldn't really be home to most people, but that doesn't mean space isn't still interesting to learn about, you know? There's gotta be a lot that people don't know, and all.

I still think it's cool that you can do fly in space at all! It sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie!

[spalten]

I guess.

[ it's just so incredibly mundane to him! but oh well. ]

I've lived in a ship and worked in space for years. Two years was my longest stint up there. Returning to Earth is always difficult after.

[infreefall]

Oh, I bet! Especially if you were in freefall that whole time! Or do your ships have gravity control like in the movies?

[ maybe she should stop being a space nerd and get back to the game, though... the cheatsheet is nice, at least, but it's still a little overwhelming! chess is pretty complicated, huh. ]

So you start because you're playing white, right?

[spalten]

Ships have zero gravity in certain areas, which makes moving a lot easier, whether for people or supplies.

But planetary gravity itself is downright dangerous to anyone on a ship -- the gravitational pull of a planet is difficult to escape, and even more dangerous to enter.

[ and he does start the game, a simple pawn moving up. ] You can take your time, by the way. Chess isn't really one for speed for the most part.

[infreefall]

Zero gravity is pretty great for moving things around. I hadn’t thought about the effects of planetary gravity on a ship, though... Navigating all that must be really tough.

[ her turn is a quick one - just moving up one of her own pawns two spaces. she’s a bold player, if a bit reckless. ]

[spalten]

There are special equipment needed to be attached to a ship in order to make exit and re-entry a lot easier.

I'm not familiar with it as much, however. I don't pilot ships.

[ he'll play it boldly, then, matching her as well. a knight makes its move across the board. ]

[infreefall]

If you don’t pilot ships, then what do you pilot?

[ another pawn moves forward two spaces! ]

[spalten]

Mobile suits.

[ rather amused, as he takes one of her pawns -- ]

I suppose you can call them robots, since it seems you don't have them in your world at all.

[infreefall]

Robots? Wait, do you mean like giant mechas?

[ she knows those from tv shows!! ]

Do you use it to fight villains?!

[spalten]

I do.

[ he'd like to add that not all of them are 'gigantic' but then again, to someone that hasn't even seen a mobile suit, it wouldn't matter to them much if his happened to be over 20m tall as opposed to others which can be over 30m tall or more.

the bad part is that he uses them to kill dissidents, but they won't talk about that. ]

[infreefall]

That's so cool!

[ she keeps on chattering, even as she moves another piece forward. ]

We just use our quirks to fight villains. There's probably a hero somewhere who has a robot quirk, but I've never seen them. How do you fight with a robot, anyway? Does it use lasers or something?

[spalten]

Tell me what quirks are, [ vidar says to begin with, as he continues to play with her, ] and I'll draw a comparison for you.

[infreefall]

Oh, sure. It's like an ability or something that's unique to one person - their quirk.

[ after taking her turn, ochako casually touches one of the removed pieces, and it begins to float lazily above the table. ]

That's mine. Zero Gravity.

[spalten]

[ vidar watches her in surprise, almost not believing her as she shows off her skills proudly, and then he laughs. ]

"Zero Gravity", she says, casual if you please.

Ships have that function, as I've said before, but we don't have the equivalent in our world.

[ this is a lie. there is something that allows you to have a unique ability in his world -- the problem is you have to mutilate yourself in order to get it, and gjallarhorn has a history of using child soldiers in order to perfect the technology to begin with. it's not a topic he likes talking about, so he moves through it breezily. vidar himself has had that surgery and sometimes feel like the AI is buzzing in his head like an angry hornet.

he keeps it technical. he'll answer that part of it honestly, at least. ]

But mobile suits -- that's what robots are -- have different capabilities depending on the task you need them for. Lasers are expensive to maintain, for example, so you'll only see them in ships warships most of the time. Pretty sure some of them are banned and are considered as a potential war crime if used in battle. You can do a lot of damage with high heat ranged weapons like lasers.

Otherwise, a mobile suit's function where battle is concerned is simple: you just have to dismember or destroy. You don't need anything complicated for it, the rest is up to the pilot. More conventional weapons like swords, rifles, or axes are usually up to the task. Mine had a lance.