piper90 | 001: Group Introductions

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001: Group Introductions - TEXT

[During a lull in the party, Armstrong taps out a quick message to the network. Not that private one, he doesn't trust it. They can answer whenever they like, so long as he gets an answer. The trick would be wording it.]

So, we're all in this for now. You've had your welcome cake, but you can't meet everyone in a party, no matter how hard you try. But, since we've all been encouraged to sign up with Jorgmund, I figured now would be a good time to get some introductions done. Talk about any specialties we might have.

Share information that we feel comfortable sharing. This isn't to pressure anyone or to force out any dark secrets.

[Not where watchful eyes can see, at least.]

Besides, I prefer doing this to making a cute information sharing game.

So, please, make your own threads within this post to keep everything organized.

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Everyone's good at something. Sometimes it just takes a while to find out what. What kind of encyclopedia were you supposed to make? Patrols and fighting are probably gonna be handy here, but information's always handy, too. Or not doing anything. Whatever not-anything anyone can get away with here, I mean. Whatever you want. Humans are easy to get used to. All you really need to do is spend time with them and remember they're fragile, too. As long as you want to make friends, the rest works out.

[this is steadily getting longer and Phos is getting frustrated. Writing on this thing is so slow and annoying and they keep having to fix things to be legible enough and even then it's all still full of fuckups while everyone else seems to be blasting these messages out so quickly–

It's while they're agitatedly trying to mash buttons that they manage to swap the settings to video entirely by accident. Look at that, something fortunate for once in their life. Have a spontaneous facetime call, the person on the other end dipping just a bit into the uncanny valley with a surface that's too smooth and flawless and without the give and stretch of flesh, eyes and hair that look straight up crystalline.]

–do this? Does this work?

[Things look different on the screen now and the spot to enter text is gone and they can see a little thing with their own face like a reflection almost? Hello????? They scowl at the device.]

This is so stupid...

[ He wasn't expecting the spontaneous facetime call, but it's not a hassle by any means. If there's a Gem here, after all, all the better to talk to them face-to-face. See how they're feeling. Check in.

Steven can already confirm for a fact that he's never met a Gem like this one in his entire life. In the specific individual sense, at least. Gems can technically do whatever they want with their features. He's never known one to land around this area. ]

Not stupid. Convenient! I'm Steven. It's nice to see you, Phosph... uh. [ Oh no. ] Phosphophyllite? Is that right? Sorry. Guess I have a knack for meeting Gems with shorter names.

[ It's mostly right. He'll get the hang of saying it faster. ]

[Huh. They were kind of expecting a Gem from the way he'd been talking, like he actually knew what he was talking about. There's a hint of disappointment in their expression, but they'll be nice. This person makes more sense than most of the others.]

"Phos" is fine. [They give a little wave with a hand that is, unlike the rest of them, golden and metallic in appearance.] Where do you usually meet Gems? I've never seen any humans on the island before...

[They're assuming human, anyway. That's what some of the others have said all these kinds of people are called.]

[ This mystery just goes deeper and deeper. The looks, the "island." But if they were made after a full colonization and terraforming... well. Humans only seem to be on Earth, and other organic life is a whole new ballpark.

If this is a Gem who got trapped or exiled, he just hopes his mom isn't the reason. He's pushing a lot of bandwidth being here and he's not sure he can squeeze handling that in. ]

Phos. Got it. I meet Gems all over the universe. Mostly Earth. And, well, there were already humans on Earth when they showed up, so. [ He shrugs. ] Why don't you tell me about your island? Before you got here, did you ever... leave it?

[All over the universe? As in even beyond the moon? That's a whole lot for them to wrap their head around and the bewilderment is clear on their face as they try to come up with an answer.]

Wha... No? There's nowhere to go. The island is all there is, it's just ocean as far as we can see in every direction. And it's always been just us there.

Huh. Doesn't sound like any planet I've been to.

[ One island does not a rich for stripping land of resources make. Especially not for the Empire. Maybe he does have to dig a little deeper. ]

Do you ever get communications from Homeworld?

[ The Diamonds are a lot of things, but careless with colonies isn't one of them. Detailed overseeing was kind of their thing. They wouldn't just lose a one-island planet full of Gems. But??? Gems??? ]

[They're deep in thought, trying to make any kind of sense with this in conjuction with their existing suspicions about Sensei. It's true it's seemed like he knew more than he told any of them, like he had some kind of connection to the Lunarians, but–

But Steven carries on and then Phos is 100% lost again.]

From what?

... Homeworld? Oh, jeez. [ He scratches the back of his head.

This is unprecedented. ]

I'm not gonna lie, Phos, it's starting to sound like we have a pickle on our hands, only I don't know exactly how it got pickled in the first place.

[Clearly the most important thing to ask about right now:]

What's a pickle?

[ Okay, they've got a right to ask that. ]

Right. Gem. Sorry. A pickle's a vegetable organic beings eat. Health food! I think they prevent scurvy? My- my pirate facts are a little out of touch. A pickle is also what you can call a situation that's tricky to figure out.

For the record, I meant the tricky situation version. We must have some miscommunication happening here.

[They could ask what "scurvy" is next, but if they stop to ask about unfamiliar words every sengle message then they're never gonna get anywhere here. Weird human stuff, they assume.]

Yeah. I don't...

[Hm. It does sound like a tricky situation the requires some investigating.]

I can't believe there are other Gems somewhere. How did they get there? What is "homeworld"?

Homeworld is where everything started. The Diamonds started making Gems, and then they... well, they took over a lot of worlds to make more Gems. And then a rebellion started up on Earth. That's been a whole thing to deal with. It's Era Three now. None of that rings a bell?

[ He doesn't sound judgmental. Confused and concerned, though, he's nailing like a pro. Of all the times and places not to have any of his educational reading material. Even formerly-corrupted Gems know about Homeworld.

But surely there can't be... other Gems out there somewhere. Unrelated ones. Right? ]

[They definitely also look confused and concerned now. None of this makes sense to them at all but the pieces involved are enough to make them feel like it's potentially Bad. Like, even bigger and messier than whatever secret Sensei is hiding.]

What do you mean...diamonds making Gems? How does anyone just make Gems?

[Let alone any of the diamonds. Granted, a year ago they wouldn't have ever thought Sensei was hiding shit either so it's possible he's not the only one with secrets, but...?

(Frankly, if they were gonna guess anyone was somehow creating Gems out of nothing, they'd have bet on Rutile.)]

[ Steven was right. This is the pickliest pickle he's ever faced. ]

I dunno. Materials? Draining life from a planet they invaded? [ The only Gem he's ever known to not know anything about Homeworld when they started existing is Amethyst, and that was a lot to do with her being underground so much longer before she formed. Is this that?

Man. How come stuff like this always happens when none of the other Gems are around? Not that he wants them here mixed up with Jorgmund. But still! He doesn't know what, still! He doesn't know where to start and he's starting to frustrate himself. ]

I'm... not sure if this is a case of your island missing out on a lot of history or if we're coming at this from some super different places.

Citrus prevents scurvy.

Look at that. Free fruit facts! Thanks. Would've been awkward taking that one to the doctors, huh?

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001: Group Introductions - TEXT

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>>video, have a dumb rock

team new hires is only allowed to have their brain cell back for missions 2020

mom said it's my turn to use the brain cell

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