[Visual To Everyone!] (And Text File)
Tap, tap on the screen, as one might tap a microphone to test the sound. There, visual broadcast active.
"Good afternoon," Long says with his habitual politeness, sitting as is frequent behind the library's big information desk, with brass plaque polished and help bell gleaming brightly.
"I hope that everyone is staying warm in this absurd weather." (He so does not like winter, and has a scarf wrapped around his neck even though he is indoors.) "We have quite a few new arrivals lately, and I have been attempting to compile a guide for those of us who are newly brought to Taxon. There is so much information to impart, and it seems inefficient to repeat the same thing to the newest unfortunates again and again...
"Accordingly, I am transmitting a file of my drafted, how shall we call it, welcome brochure? I should be obliged if those of you who have time might look through it and contact me with any suggestions you think ought to be included. I especially value the opinions of those who have been here periods of under two months, as you are beginning to comprehend the city but are not yet so accustomed to it that you have forgotten the immediate questions of arrival.
"Thank you for your assistance. If anybody wishes to discuss the guide with me in person, I am usually at the Library-- oh, if there is anyone I have not yet met, my name is Mayland Long. Good day."
He reaches to turn off the tablet, then pauses as one more thing occurs to him.
"--by the by, does anybody still in the city happen to speak Klingon?"
**
There is an attached text file that is sent to all the tablets in the city, with the following contents:
Greetings. You are in a city known as Taxon, which is not on your own world, regardless of where your world may happen to be. You are here with numerous other unwilling inhabitants, who have all gone through the same abduction as yourself. Fellow captives may be recognized by the presence of the silver bracelet upon the wrist; citizens who are not wearing these bracelets are part of the backdrop of Taxon, as it were.
You are in no immediate physical danger, although reacting with paranoia is certainly understandable given the circumstances.
The beings responsible for Taxon's operation (and your own abduction) seem to be a non-human species possessed of considerable power. You will hear them referred to as 'hamsters', although they seem able to assume multiple forms. They do not regularly appear in the city, controlling it from outside it as near as we can tell, and therefore if you are of the temperament to plan to do terrible things to them, you will probably find this a difficult task.
We cannot leave the city by any means yet attempted. There is some sort of force barrier in place around the city's boundary. Taxon appears to be a prison effective against the abilities of many species, human and not.
On that note, many of your fellow inhabitants may not be 'human' as you understand the term, or may have abilities foreign to your world. You may meet individuals who claim to be supernatural entities, such as vampires or werewolves, or aliens from other planets, or who claim to be from your world's future or your past. In most cases these claims are to be believed.
The citizenry in general frowns upon doing harm to one another. If you are of a constitution, such as vampiric, that requires human blood to function, we advise you to please be open about your condition. On the whole, and by necessity, the residents of Taxon are accepting of many species and will not treat people with hostility unless first treated with such, but we far prefer to have advance warning that your situation is particular, in case of crisis.
For the most part, daily life in Taxon is comfortable. A basic survival allowance, as well as lodging, is supplied by the city; luxuries such as regular restaurant dining require one to find employment within the city for additional income. The primary interruption to daily life here is the occurrence of "glitches" (not to be confused with one veteran inhabitant of the city whose moniker is Glitch). Glitches are interruptions to the regular operation of the city, and usually manifest as changes to the behavior of individuals. If you see someone behaving in a decidedly odd fashion, such as bursting into song or suddenly behaving in direct contrast to their usual personality, it is more than likely the fault of a glitch, and will be temporary in duration.
Some glitches are more wide-ranging and can be dangerous in nature. Please be alert as to broadcasted warnings of city-wide dangers, and should you feel unable to defend yourself in case of crisis, please make use of the tablet to request assistance. Many in the city are civic-minded and will be happy to come to your aid and provide an escort to a safe place.
A brief guide as to logistics:
-The item upon which you are reading this is known as a tablet. While they can at times be inconvenient due to a tendency to transmit when you do not wish for them to do so, they are very useful as a communication and information tool. They each have a map function, which will show you the locations of everyone in the city, as well as your own. If you require assistance in learning the functions of the tablet, please ask a citizen. It is a wise policy to keep them firmly within a shut drawer when not using them, unless you wish the rest of the city to know of your private habits and conversations.
-Items for day to day living may be "hatched" using the devices which are similar to ATMs scattered throughout the city. Doing so deducts money from your bank balance. If you are from a culture that is unfamiliar with ATMs, please ask a fellow citizen for assistance.
-The amount of money, or credits, that you possess at any given time is shown on your bracelet. You cannot remove your bracelet by any means yet known to us. We have tried many. Please do not injure yourself in your attempt to do so.
-Should you injure yourself, the city contains several people skilled in the art of medicine. Please do not hesitate to use the tablet to ask for medical assistance should you require it.
-Lodging is free throughout the city in most buildings. If you are not content with your room in the Sanctuary (the city's central building), you may simply 'claim' any other building or residence as your own, by means of placing your hand upon the lock mechanism and moving in.
Taxon is a city of great acclimation for many of us, regardless of our reality of origin. It is worth remembering that everyone you will meet aside from the 'backdrop' citizens is here just as unwillingly as you yourself are, and may be from a reality where many things you take for granted do not apply. While some frictions are, perhaps, unavoidable, it behooves us all to remember to attempt to be understanding and patient when resolving our differences and realising that we have a common enemy in our abductors, and that division within the city does us little good in the long run.
Best wishes in your adjustment to Taxon,
Mayland Long and [any other characters who want credit for the guide]
(...Hope blooms eternal, Long.)
"Good afternoon," Long says with his habitual politeness, sitting as is frequent behind the library's big information desk, with brass plaque polished and help bell gleaming brightly.
"I hope that everyone is staying warm in this absurd weather." (He so does not like winter, and has a scarf wrapped around his neck even though he is indoors.) "We have quite a few new arrivals lately, and I have been attempting to compile a guide for those of us who are newly brought to Taxon. There is so much information to impart, and it seems inefficient to repeat the same thing to the newest unfortunates again and again...
"Accordingly, I am transmitting a file of my drafted, how shall we call it, welcome brochure? I should be obliged if those of you who have time might look through it and contact me with any suggestions you think ought to be included. I especially value the opinions of those who have been here periods of under two months, as you are beginning to comprehend the city but are not yet so accustomed to it that you have forgotten the immediate questions of arrival.
"Thank you for your assistance. If anybody wishes to discuss the guide with me in person, I am usually at the Library-- oh, if there is anyone I have not yet met, my name is Mayland Long. Good day."
He reaches to turn off the tablet, then pauses as one more thing occurs to him.
"--by the by, does anybody still in the city happen to speak Klingon?"
**
There is an attached text file that is sent to all the tablets in the city, with the following contents:
Greetings. You are in a city known as Taxon, which is not on your own world, regardless of where your world may happen to be. You are here with numerous other unwilling inhabitants, who have all gone through the same abduction as yourself. Fellow captives may be recognized by the presence of the silver bracelet upon the wrist; citizens who are not wearing these bracelets are part of the backdrop of Taxon, as it were.
You are in no immediate physical danger, although reacting with paranoia is certainly understandable given the circumstances.
The beings responsible for Taxon's operation (and your own abduction) seem to be a non-human species possessed of considerable power. You will hear them referred to as 'hamsters', although they seem able to assume multiple forms. They do not regularly appear in the city, controlling it from outside it as near as we can tell, and therefore if you are of the temperament to plan to do terrible things to them, you will probably find this a difficult task.
We cannot leave the city by any means yet attempted. There is some sort of force barrier in place around the city's boundary. Taxon appears to be a prison effective against the abilities of many species, human and not.
On that note, many of your fellow inhabitants may not be 'human' as you understand the term, or may have abilities foreign to your world. You may meet individuals who claim to be supernatural entities, such as vampires or werewolves, or aliens from other planets, or who claim to be from your world's future or your past. In most cases these claims are to be believed.
The citizenry in general frowns upon doing harm to one another. If you are of a constitution, such as vampiric, that requires human blood to function, we advise you to please be open about your condition. On the whole, and by necessity, the residents of Taxon are accepting of many species and will not treat people with hostility unless first treated with such, but we far prefer to have advance warning that your situation is particular, in case of crisis.
For the most part, daily life in Taxon is comfortable. A basic survival allowance, as well as lodging, is supplied by the city; luxuries such as regular restaurant dining require one to find employment within the city for additional income. The primary interruption to daily life here is the occurrence of "glitches" (not to be confused with one veteran inhabitant of the city whose moniker is Glitch). Glitches are interruptions to the regular operation of the city, and usually manifest as changes to the behavior of individuals. If you see someone behaving in a decidedly odd fashion, such as bursting into song or suddenly behaving in direct contrast to their usual personality, it is more than likely the fault of a glitch, and will be temporary in duration.
Some glitches are more wide-ranging and can be dangerous in nature. Please be alert as to broadcasted warnings of city-wide dangers, and should you feel unable to defend yourself in case of crisis, please make use of the tablet to request assistance. Many in the city are civic-minded and will be happy to come to your aid and provide an escort to a safe place.
A brief guide as to logistics:
-The item upon which you are reading this is known as a tablet. While they can at times be inconvenient due to a tendency to transmit when you do not wish for them to do so, they are very useful as a communication and information tool. They each have a map function, which will show you the locations of everyone in the city, as well as your own. If you require assistance in learning the functions of the tablet, please ask a citizen. It is a wise policy to keep them firmly within a shut drawer when not using them, unless you wish the rest of the city to know of your private habits and conversations.
-Items for day to day living may be "hatched" using the devices which are similar to ATMs scattered throughout the city. Doing so deducts money from your bank balance. If you are from a culture that is unfamiliar with ATMs, please ask a fellow citizen for assistance.
-The amount of money, or credits, that you possess at any given time is shown on your bracelet. You cannot remove your bracelet by any means yet known to us. We have tried many. Please do not injure yourself in your attempt to do so.
-Should you injure yourself, the city contains several people skilled in the art of medicine. Please do not hesitate to use the tablet to ask for medical assistance should you require it.
-Lodging is free throughout the city in most buildings. If you are not content with your room in the Sanctuary (the city's central building), you may simply 'claim' any other building or residence as your own, by means of placing your hand upon the lock mechanism and moving in.
Taxon is a city of great acclimation for many of us, regardless of our reality of origin. It is worth remembering that everyone you will meet aside from the 'backdrop' citizens is here just as unwillingly as you yourself are, and may be from a reality where many things you take for granted do not apply. While some frictions are, perhaps, unavoidable, it behooves us all to remember to attempt to be understanding and patient when resolving our differences and realising that we have a common enemy in our abductors, and that division within the city does us little good in the long run.
Best wishes in your adjustment to Taxon,
Mayland Long and [any other characters who want credit for the guide]
(...Hope blooms eternal, Long.)