1st Sketch || Video

[prodigalhairess]

[Another day, another bizarrely-angled video of someone who's clearly never held a piece of technology before. The freckled face of a young woman with short brunette hair pops up on the screen, the curious tilt of her head and the angle of the camera making for an odd sight indeed. But despite a slight furrow of her brow, there's no overwhelming sense of panic in her expression. She looks fascinated, really, tilting the gear this way and that to get a better look at it.]

Wow. It's like... some kind of magic mirror, but not? Varian would go nuts over this.

[Maybe not the magic part, but it definitely looks like an incredibly refined bit of Demanitus tech. Varian would be itching to take it apart.]

So I just talk into it, and other people can see it? [There's some murmur of agreement from off-screen, from the poor patient soul who's had to give this new arrival the run-down on technology.] Great! Thanks a bunch!

[The video finally settles as the young woman stops fidgeting with the device, and she clears her throat before waving at the camera.]

Hello, people of... this land! [Oh boy she really needs to check out a map soon.] I'm Princess Rapunzel of Corona, and I'm... a little lost.

[...]

Okay, really lost. I mean, I'm not really a sleepwalker, but even if I was, I don't think I could walk off to a completely different region in one night! So, um... can anyone tell me what happened? And how I can get into contact with my friends? [...] Oh! Unless they're here too? Or can see this...

[She pulls the gear closer, not quite to the level of an unflattering angle, but it's almost like she's staring hard into the screen and willing faces to appear.]

Eugene? Pascal? Lance? Varian? [There's... a pause, where the princess looks somewhat uncertain, before calling out one more name.] Cass?

[It's a long shot. Cass has been off on the road for a few weeks now. But still...]

If any of you guys are here... let me know, okay?

Comments

Video;

[schachmeister]

[Another newcomer! Armin tries to respond to them as much as he can. He still remembers how invaluable help was in the first few days he was here. Especially when it seems to be someone who isn't very knowledgeable about technology. He's been there! He still types with just two fingers.

So soon, Rapunzel will have the face of a short-haired blond stranger pop up on her device. He looks a little tired perhaps (he needs a vacation from his vacation!) but is smiling kindly too.]

It's nice to meet you, miss Rapunzel.

It's... a bit of a complicated story. And I admit, it might sound rather unbelievable at first. You are here because somehow this world has the ability to bring people of other worlds and dimensions into it. Nobody really knows exactly how it works, all we know is that it has been happening for almost a decade now. Some people believe it is one of the gods of this world that brings people here. Personally, I'm not too sure, but that's not really important right now.

I know it might be hard taking these words from a stranger, but I want to assure you that you don't need to worry about your own world. Time doesn't move there while you are here. Nobody will know you are missing. Even though years might pass here, if you go back to your own world, it's as if no time as passed.

Video;

[prodigalhairess]

[Oh that is. A lot to take in. But the girl seems to be listening intently as Armin speaks, hming every so often. This sounds like... a whole lot of crazy magic stuff, and if she hadn't recently been neck-deep in magical stuff, Rapunzel might have doubted what he was saying. But, well... she'd gone back in time, once. She'd been trapped in her own dreams. All of this doesn't seem impossible...]

But... why is all of this happening? Is there some kind of point to it?

Video;

[schachmeister]

Nobody really knows. There might not even be a point to it if what brings us here is more like a natural phenomenon. [That is Armin's guess because he can't imagine gods wanting to meddle in the lives of people like this.]

But just because there isn't a purpose to our stay here, doesn't mean this is a bad world. It's a lot to take in at first, I know. But once you've gotten used to it, it's not such a bad place to live in. A lot better than the world many of us come from.

[Though that will vary, of course. It's easy to like this world when you come from a world like Armin's or Pandora. But for all he knows, this girl-- this princess comes from a world more like Kazuki's; one that is, on the whole, good as well.]

Video;

[prodigalhairess]

Hmm...

[Rapunzel is one who always, always looks on the brighter side of things. Knowing that everyone is okay back home and won't be panicking over her missing is a good weight off her shoulders, and knowing there's nothing really ominous about her being dragged here is even better. That leaves a lot more room for her curiosity to expand, and oh boy does it just keep growing.]

Sounds like there's a lot to see in this world. What would you recommend?

Video;

[schachmeister]

[Rapunzel, you've come to exactly the right place.]

Well, that depends a bit. What sort of things do you enjoy seeing?

video

[cutesneeze]

[There's a young woman peering at the screen, amber-and-blue eyes narrowed in something like suspicion.]

You've been kidnapped so you can capture cute fuzzy magic animals and train them to fight. Getting a message offworld is gonna be pretty hard, unless you're the only one who gets to keep all her magic.

[Because obviously she has magic. That's the defining quality of a princess!]

So, what do you do?

video

[prodigalhairess]

Wait, really? Why make them fight?

[She's seen a few of the animals around here; they're so cute!]

Oh, um. What do you mean? As a princess, or... the other things I like?

video

[cutesneeze]

Entertainment, security...it's pretty much the cornerstone of society here. Get five minutes outside town and you'll probably run into someone who'll challenge you to a duel. I'm not kidding.

And I meant as a princess. What was your power?

video

[prodigalhairess]

Huh...

[Well, this place doesn't seem too bad yet. It's not like Vardaros, where fighting and being all rough and tumble is a way of life, and made the people who live there hard. The town she's been wandering around all morning is downright peaceful, even. Maybe it's not so bad as this girl is making it out to be.]

I didn't have magic because I was a princess, but I did have magic! Kind of. I could heal people, but then my hair got cut and I couldn't heal them anymore, but then my hair grew back because of my magic and it was completely indestructible. And really, really long!

[And there was some other stuff too, the decay spell and the second sundrop incantation, but.... hm. That's tied to some kind of rough memories.]

But that power went away for good, even before I woke up here. It was never really mine, just a power that was given to me when I was born.

[teenageabomination]

Whoaaa, a princess?! That's so cool! And nope, there's no magic here. If there was I could do any of my spells...

As for what happened uhhh... I'm still fuzzy on what happened myself. Other than... [She stops herself. Armin told her not to go around telling people that they're in a video game world.] ... well, apparently we have tiny creatures who fight for us? And fighting them makes them stronger? And sometimes those creatures aren't tiny?

[Looking at you Charizard, Venusaur, and Blastoise.]

[prodigalhairess]

[Whoa hold on, wait!! This girl said something cool there?]

Oooh, you know spells? What kind of spells?

[teenageabomination]

A light spell, an ice spell, some plant magic, and some fire magic! I'm currently learning how to be a Witch!

[prodigalhairess]

Whoa. So can you do, like... anything with them? Like, could you make it snow, or freeze something with the ice spell?

[Rapunzel has seen plenty of magic in her journey beyond Corona's walls, both good and bad, but she still never loses that sense of wonder hearing about new kinds.]

That all sounds really cool! [A pause, then she giggles at her unintentional pun.] Are you learning it here?

video;

[sassymaru]

Ah, greetings, Princess.

[He's even going to bow to the 'gear. A literal, sincere bow.]

My apologies, I have not heard the names you speak of. But it is an honor to make the acquaintance of royalty.

Has anyone taken the time to elaborate on the situation?

video;

[prodigalhairess]

Aww, no need to be so formal! Just because I'm a princess doesn't mean I'm not a normal person like everyone else. So you can just call me Rapunzel!

[She wants to be everyone's friend, before she's their ruler or someone above them in society.]

I think I got everything. We were all brought here by some unknown entity, which some people believe might be a god of this land. Any kind of magic is taken away, and we're kind of... left here to do whatever, while time is frozen back home. Is there anything else?

video;

[sassymaru]

Ah, of course. I shall endeavor to remember - though I admit. Formality is my default mode of expression.

[Mostly because he thinks it makes him more mysterious.]

Ahah! So you have heard the explanations already! Well done. I can see you are a quick study.

video;

[prodigalhairess]

And that's great!! It's always nice to try and make a good first impression.

[She's working on not going overboard with her own first impressions sometimes. Her, uh, feud with Monty still hasn't really ebbed at all because of how over the top she'd been at first...]

Believe me, I've been through some weird stuff back home! Everything going on right now is... pretty weird, yeah, but nothing really seems evil.

Video

[notyourgoddess]

How and why this place brings people here is still one of the bigger mysteries. And unfortunately if your friends aren't already here, you wont' be able to contact them.

Video

[prodigalhairess]

Wait, really? But if this is some kind of magic... wouldn't it manage to get to them somehow?

Video

[notyourgoddess]

It's not really a type of magic. It's a piece of technology. I'm not sure how advanced technology is where you're from as that seems to vary a lot from person to person. Everyone who shows up in this world is given one so we can communicate with each other. But it doesn't reach our own worlds.

Time apparently ...freezes in our worlds while we're here. So we don't miss anything.

Video

[prodigalhairess]

Technology...? [Huh....] A friend of mine back home was able to build automatons and a lot of really cool inventions! He even managed to find a way to send hot water through the whole kingdom!

[That... definitely kind of narrows it down to the technological level of this girl's world.]

... Well, even if I'm not missing anything, I know I'm already missing my friends.

[ video ]

[questioneverything]

Oh! You're looking for Lance? He's a friend of mine, too.

[Oh... probably the wrong Lance...]

[ video ]

[prodigalhairess]

[oh no]

Whoa, really??? I don't think he ever mentioned someone like you before!

[She's so pretty! Rapunzel is sure Lance would've mentioned a lady as nice as she is at some point....]

Were you friends with Eugene, too? Oh, were you from their orphanage????

Re: [ video ]

[questioneverything]

Eugene? No. And I'm sure Lance has a family...

[Oooohhh!!! Romelle had made the same mistake on arrival.]

Oh! You must mean the other Lance! He's part of the Elite Four. He lives here in this world.

[That was totally it, right? Romelle was trying.]

[ video ]

[prodigalhairess]

[Elite Four... that does sound like Lance's sort of flair for the dramatic, but then the other girl mentions that he lives in this world. Guess she's out of luck there...]

Hm, I don't think so... weird, though! I've never met another Lance before, and now there's two here? [Small world!] What's your Lance like?