The Network: May, Arrivals from Distant Lands

[faileas]

The Network: May, Arrivals from Distant Lands

The Watches Everyone who arrives in an unorthodox way and eventually shows up at the Coven for 'orientation', will receive a strange, watch-like device compliments of the Coven and Parliament. Miss Nessie or one of the welcome wagon crew will give characters a run-down of how to use the various functions and they are encouraged to test them out for themselves. It would be good for them to get in touch with their fellow Mirrorbound, of course! Fourth wall characters will not be able to make their own posts in the communities, so they may use this post to make "network posts" of their own by top-leveling. The log post is right over here. Fourth Wall characters can comment on posts made by others in both aefenglom and middaeg until June 1st. Current players: Please specify in your posts if you do NOT want fourth wall characters replying!

Comments

[spaghettimonster]

[Good to know that previous Papyrus gave people a reasonably accurate impression of what he's like - outside of whatever crime(s) happened.]

YEAH, THE PEOPLE AT THE MAGIC HOUSE SAID SOMETHING LIKE THAT...
AND I'VE ALREADY EXPLAINED IT AT LEAST TWICE. ON ONLY MY SECOND DAY.
CAN'T WAIT TO TELL LOTS MORE PEOPLE THAT I'M ALIVE!!

...
HEY, ARE ZOMBIES REALLY REAL HERE?

[He's had this conversation a lot through the last year, and been shown a lot of zombie movies and games to give context to humans' first assumptions about him... but it was all fiction. Not like the necromancy a few witches implied is regrettably real.]

[unsundered]

Might as well go ahead and affix a note to your clothes that explains it. 'ALIVE: NOT A DEAD SKELETON'. Something like that. Perhaps with a helpful arrow pointing to yourself, to erase any confusion.

[Completely serious advice, of course.]

Zombies, though...? Ah yes, the form of necromancy available here that calls not the dead to true life, but commands their shambling, decaying corpses. So yes, they are real, to put it not-so-briefly.

'Tis something that occurs on a multitude of stars, undeath itself taking on a multitude of forms.

[He would've asked whether a magic-centric society like monsterkind had anything like it, but with what he knows now of the longevity of monster souls... it seemed unlikely. After death, there would be nothing to resurrect, even as a revenant.

It still disturbed him to know, even if their souls had been made more durable on this world.]

[spaghettimonster]

WOW, THAT'S HORRIFYING!
AFFIX A NOTE NOTHING. I'LL MAKE A NEW SHIRT.

["LIVING SKELETON" strikes him as a particularly relevant motto to stick on a graphic T-shirt, if he can find any bases to work with. Maybe another with "JUST SAY NO TO NECROMANCY." Useful information, and a way to take an attempted prank and run with it? He'll start sewing today. Or maybe in a few days, because figuring out magic seems more interesting.]

ESPECIALLY IF THAT STUFF'S SO COMMON...
HAVE PEOPLE CONSIDERED, MAYBE,
LESS GROSS WAYS OF MAKING ROBOTS??

[Just look at Mettaton, nothing gross about him. ]

[unsundered]

I'm sure the result will be quite fetching. And perhaps save you one or two explanations.

[Or not, but just as a thought it amused him. The mention of robots has him hum to himself, though; he hadn't thought of comparing the mindless dead with mindless machina, but he supposed there were some similarities. One was more fit for polite company, though.]

Anyway, I wouldn't call it common. That form of necromancy is more-or-less banned, though the knowledge remains and has certainly been used. Nor do they know much of anything about robots... gross or otherwise.

Speaking of. There is a robot here, one who originates from your world. Mettaton. I'm sure you'll have the misfortune to run across him sooner or later, 'tis hard to avoid him.

[spaghettimonster]

[Fashion and easier information sharing, what a combination. It's on his to-do list, for sure. But that topic's swept away in the face of the rest of this answer, to the point hat there's a longer delay with the response this time - Papyrus pauses to go do some more backreading. A few names had caught his eye, and yes Mettaton was among them, but that seemed...]

THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE!!
HE WASN'T ON THE ICE. OR THE BOAT???
ARE YOU SURE, THAT ISN'T SOME OVERZEALOUS FAN,
WHO IS UNDERSTANDABLY EMULATING HIM A LITTLE.

[Not to say that some of Papyrus's mannerisms are flattery- or envy-based imitation, but he'd be lying if he said they weren't.]

[unsundered]

There's a simple explanation for that if you thought about it for just a moment: he was already here, and has been for several years. But you saw him just the other day!- you might protest... yet time has no meaning here, and nor do our lives.

[A cheery way of putting it, from a cheery sort of person.]

But yes, I've no doubt he's the genuine robotic nuisance you're acquaintanced with. If it were but a persona created by some troubled fan with poor taste who was merely coincidentally an identical robot, I would've noticed by now. I'm Bonded to him, after all.

[Did the seabound newcomers get the traditional 'welcome, here's how this place works' deal? He doesn't know, but just decides to assume Papyrus knows what Bonds are, regardless.]

[spaghettimonster]

[A cheery and not at all existentially concerning way of putting it. Not a thought that's going to sit with him for the next few weeks, especially as he hears more accounts of people going home - and forgetting their time here - only to return. Not that the time here is wasted - of course it's worthwhile to work hard and make the best Papyrus of himself that he can... But it's strange to think he'll forget it but others will remember it. Still, they're talking about Mettaton, and his apparent years here.]

OH.
OHHHHHH, YOU ARE?

[That doesn't explain everything, but maybe it explains a few things. The Coven did give something of a rundown of what that means, after all. Enough for Papyrus to have already concluded he'd rather try every alternative first, but enough to know this is someone who has Mettaton's back. An anchor, or something... and maybe, something more? Mettaton the generous (if not always the kindest), putting a previous Papyrus up in his home... Emet-Selch, his Bond, remembering and yet teasing the random monster in their midst.]

WELL, THEN, LET ME BE THE FIRST TO SAY,
THANKS FOR LOOKING OUT FOR HIM!!
AND MAKING SURE HE DOESN'T, HAVE THE SORTS OF PROBLEMS MONSTERS HAVE HERE.
CAPITALIZED MONSTERS.

[Since no one can tell in the ongoing capslock.]

[unsundered]

[Emet-Selch is a one-stop-Ascian for reminders of existential misery, futility, pessimism, and a generally bleak outlook. Though if pushed, he would have to reluctantly admit the time here wasn't truly wasted... if only because how could something be wasted if it didn't change anything, didn't matter in the first place?

(It mattered still, he knew).]

Mm... you're welcome. I do take fine care of him, I agree. He'd get into far too much trouble without me.

[And different sorts of trouble with him.]

Speaking of monsters and Monsters... are you still turning into a dog?

[spaghettimonster]

[Phew, that's good to hear. He'll have to contact Mettaton soon. Break the news that he doesn't recall the hospitality of before, but appreciates it all the same... Find out what he's turned into... Well, maybe he'll just take a look around social media for that question.]

SO IT WAS A DOG...
WHAT A TERRIBLE FATE.

[Truly, his... what even to call it. Alternate? Past self? The other Papyrus had a rough deal. Fortunately the fur in that picture didn't look white - a small blessing, to be sure, but the alternative is one he counts himself doubly lucky for dodging. Imagine turning into a white dog. The worst.]

NO, I'VE HAD THE FORTUNE OF LOSING MY MAGIC...
TO BE REPLACED WITH DIFFERENT MAGIC???
THE POSSIBILITIES ARE DIZZYING.

[unsundered]

[Could he mention that Mettaton is a puca now? Sure, but he also decides not to volunteer it, mostly on a whim.]

Not a fan of dogs, or not a fan of turning into one? I think most would agree with the latter.

[Dogs and their bones... he wondered if the same applied to dogs and their very own skeletons. An unfortunate transformation, now that he thought about it.]

But a mage then... congratulations on your upgrade. Primitive as this world's magic is, 'tis still better than the alternatives.

[spaghettimonster]

TURNING INTO ONE.
I'M FINE BEING A MONSTER.

[He's not sure why Emet-Selch is calling it the worse alternative, but it makes that other message, complaining about the term, seem maybe a little more important.]

BUT LET'S JUST SAY, A CERTAIN DOG BACK HOME...
WOULD BE HORRIBLY SMUG ABOUT IT.

[Worse, it would probably be even more snuggly. Truly unbearable.]