Let's live it up

[maskormods]

WHO: YOU.
WHERE: De Chima, VA.
WHEN: Saturday August 9th.
WHAT: Registration in motion... among other things.
WARNINGS: None anticipated; please let us know if this should be edited.

" The new frontier of which I speak is not a set of promises -- it is a set of challenges. It sums up not what I intend to offer the American people, but what I intend to ask of them. It appeals to their pride, not to their pocketbook -- it holds out the promise of more sacrifice instead of more security. But I tell you the new frontier is here, whether we seek it or not. "
( from jfk's speech "the new frontier," 7/15/1960. )

While known for being surprisingly quiet compared to other bustling cities like Nonah, De Chima is loud and packed this weekend with news of the Swearing-In Ceremony being held at one of its lavish halls this evening. Spreading like wildfire, people from nearby cities show up at the hall in attendance, many there for the publicity or for the opportunity to meet an imPort themselves. There's no shortage of non-locals in the hall and one may even begin to wonder if just how many non-locals outnumber the De Chima residents who are attending the ceremony.

The hall is brimming with excitement, with members of City Hall having joined the party (but the Mayor had other business to attend to, sorry!) to public figures who've decided to make an appearance much to the surprise of the media who are present (as usual) at these events. Reggie Pressley, Swaggy-Swag McSwag, Bartolomeo Zoccarato, and London Marriott can be found around the hall, some being interviewed by the local media, getting their photographs taken, or giving out autographs to those who ask. Marriott in particular will be poking around imPorts for juicy gossip and other information. Other public figures who have made an appearance tonight are local businessmen and women from the city itself, scouting imPorts in the hopes some will take an interest in their work. While many are looking for imPorts to work in computer, research, and medical fields, there are many entry level jobs in data entry, paying slightly more than minimum wage. These business folk will be around till the end of the event, handing out their cards to anyone who takes an interest.

If anyone is paying close attention to the De Chima locals who are attending, or if they had been out exploring the city earlier, they will have noticed something... peculiar about many of them. Silky smooth hair, unblemished skin that almost radiates, straight, white teeth, perfect eyebrows, noses, jawlines... you name it. These people are good looking and they know it, but more importantly, you can be, too! There are various doctors in the hall, make beelines for identifiable imPorts, and they apparently haven't established what boundaries are. If they can, they will grab a hold of an imPort's arm, shoulder, or boldly go for the hips and babble about their appearances, offering their cards and pointing out any flaws (or perfections that can be improved) the imPort has. "I can help you with that," they'll say about crooked noses, scars, wrinkles, anyone with a little extra weight, etc. A few may forget they're here on business and flirt with the adult imPorts, taken in by good looks (or other appealing features). One particular doctor, Dr. Nic, a man with buoyant personality, will be trying to pass around as many of his business cards as he can.

There are long tables set up overflowing with all kinds of food and drink. Alcohol is served at a bar where ID is a must, so sorry to anyone under twenty-one! There's a space in the middle of the main room of the hall for dancing, where Swaggy-Swag McSwag will domineer unless someone wants to challenge him to a dance-off.

In one corner of the hall, a small crowd has gathered to watch local businessmen exhibit their latest invention: a roomba with musical capabilities! At the top of the room is a slot to fit portable music players and it has wi-fi capabilities, allowing it to connect to someone's music folder from their computers. Like many roombas of the current time, it displays low level intelligence, able to repeat a couple of basic phrases. It also purrs at some point, which results in the crowd glancing at one another with perplexed expressions.

Unsurprisingly, or perhaps surprisingly to imPorts, is stricter than usual tonight. Before entering the hall, security checks everyone's belongings at the door. Jackets are scanned, purses are checked, sometimes pockets are asked to be emptied. Security will ask this of everyone, so don't pick a fight at the door unless you want to be escorted off the premise! Inside the hall, there's a security guard or two at every doorway and roaming up and down the other hallways.

The event begins at 5PM and ends around midnight, but imPorts are free to linger. De Chima is also known for its rainy weather and today is no exception, unfortunately. It pours outside and will continue even late into the night, so imPorts better take care not to wet their nicely done hair or clothes!

( Please state your character's official status -- REGISTERED or UNSETTLED -- in the subject header of your thread. Please also read and state your character's official status at THIS post, considering not every character will post a starter thread!

Additionally, NPCs will not be NPC'd by a mod, but players are welcome to utilize them as they wish, provided it's within reasonable bounds. (Don't shank anyone!))

Comments

a

[unhand]

[Hook's still brand new to all this. He's pretty sure he doesn't intend to swear to anything, though. His days of serving the government are centuries behind him, after all, and though there's a certain princess he'd happily serve.... she's not here.

Still, when he sees the tattoo on her arm he decides he may as well learn more about what he's getting himself into. Not that he has any doubts he can handle it. he'd just... rather hear it ahead of time.

He sidles up to her as she clears security.]

You seem like you know what's going on. Mind filling me in?

[boobwindow]

[ The moment she sets her eyes on Hook is the moment Karen has to wonder just how it's possible she's now encountered two pirates in her time in this world. Really, what are the odds? At least this guy looks more sea than space pirate. Unless that hook is secretly a hi-tech space weapon in disguise. ]

Swear-In Ceremony. They have these every month. You either register with the government or don't. [ She lifts her tattooed wrist for emphasis. ] Register? There are some benefits to it. Don't? You're relatively on your own.

But they let you stay in the houses, so that's a plus.

[unhand]

Depends on the houses. People rarely give away domiciles of real value for free. [He nods at her wrist.] I see you don't find the rewards worth it. That's what unsettled means, right?

[boobwindow]

The houses are nice enough. You only better hope your housemates are tidy.

[ She hasn't heard many complaints about that, but as for herself, she got lucky with responsible enough housemates.

She glances at her wrist for a moment before letting it fall back to her side, eyeing Mr. Rugged-Good-Looks. ]

In a sense. I don't agree with the government's way of handling superheroes.

[unhand]

Superheroes. [It's not really a concept he's thought about much, though the term is simple enough to understand. Like Emma Swan's superpowers, it's a hero a bit above and beyond the rest. Something to go with his new magic that he still doesn't understand.]

That's what we're supposed to be, yes? How is it they go about handling us?

[boobwindow]

You don't have to be anything you don't want to be.

[ Not everyone can be a superhero and while it's generous some have decided to take up the responsibilities of being one, there's so much more to it than just putting on a costume or having a code name and superpowers. Without any real training provided, she worries how far this will get out of hand. ]

They send us on "assignments" about every month. I don't partake unless it's something I think people can benefit from. They usually build imPort and local unity, but they also didn't tell anyone the last assignment was going to hurt like hell.

[unhand]

I've only ever been what I am. [Except for those times he's tried to change, with more or less success. But he was still himself. Some version of himself, anyway.]

Who else would they benefit?

[boobwindow]

The world around us.

[ She gestures to the people in the room in one sweeping motion. ]

Local businesses, public projects... I'm actually certain crime in Heropa has gone down a whopping percentage with the amount of imPorts living there.

[unhand]

Really? I hardly believe all of them conform to the heroic expectations thrust upon us.

[Hook's a villain. Even if he no longer acts like one, he thinks like one, and even so little as a year ago, even six months ago, he knows exactly what he'd use his newfound powers to do. The answer is not save lives.]

[boobwindow]

Well, there was one psycho who set fire to a museum and barricaded innocent people inside.

[ Who expected a guy named Lucifer to be a murderous asshole? Not a chunk of the imPort population, possibly! ]

There's also some ghost who possessed people into committing crimes, so you've got your bad apples here.

But where I'm from, superheroes work pretty differently. We also don't assume heroes can only be people in tights or people with superpowers.

[unhand]

If this is crime going down, I'd have hated to be here before. [Or... not... since it's not like he's a paragon of virtue.] Do all of these imPorts have powers?

[boobwindow]

[ A thoughtful pause. ]

That's the general assumption. If you didn't have, the Porter gives you.

[ Which is kind of creepy and worrisome. ]

[unhand]

[Hook looks uncomfortable.]

And I take it you can't return these powers for store credit, should you dislike them.

[boobwindow]

Never tried it. I imagine you can't exactly walk back up to the military lab, straight up to the Porter and demand it refund you.

[ His comment garners a curious look from her. ]

What's wrong with yours?

[unhand]

Nothing. But I was doing just fine without it. [And he can't figure out how to use it anyway.] What did you get?

[boobwindow]

[ Technically a secret identity protection now, but otherwise she's still the same old Kryptonian she's always been. ]

Super durability. Endurance. Whatever you'd call it. It's not all that fancy, honestly.

[ Monorails still hurt. ]

What's yours?

[unhand]

Magic. I haven't managed to actually use it yet. But it's there, if the papers they gave me are to be believed.

[boobwindow]

[ Yeesh, magic. She manages not to make a face, but deep down, even she has some issues with it. Mostly that it's her weakness and she hates having to deal with it if it's being used against her. ]

I always thought something like magic would be useful.

[unhand]

[He smiles wryly.]

Perhaps if I knew how to use it, it would be.

[boobwindow]

These things have to come with instruction manuals.

[ She pauses, thinking for a moment. ]

Maybe you can ask someone to help you.

[ Then she regards his wardrobe again, raising a brow. ]

Okay, so... pirate. Got a name?

[unhand]

[Yeah, ask someone for help, but he doesn't know anyone, and he doesn't even know if he wants these powers.

At least he knows his name.]

Captain Hook. And you, lass?

[boobwindow]

[ She should have expected that name honestly, but it still sounds weird to hear aloud. ]

I thought Captain Hook had a twirlier mustache.

[ And was, you know, not a good looking young man.

Well then. ]

Karen, not lass. Karen Starr.

[unhand]

And a... perm, yes? Not all stories are as you may have read them in books.

[For instance, Peter Pan is a million times worse than Captain Hook ever was.]

[boobwindow]

So you've heard of them.

[ An awkward smile. ]

Saw the movie actually. You know, Disney? Okay, I'll stop.

[ He actually looks more pirate than the "original" Captain Hook anyway. ]

[unhand]

Disney? [He frowns.] I thought it was called Peter Pan.