ourpowers | text | private to metas

[superhostage]

i'm not usually a social media guy, but since there are lots of new people showing up from wherever and they all seem lost, i figured i'd jump on here. i know there are probably a lot of other locals they've (you've?) talked to, but still.

hi, i'm olly. i've lived in central city my whole life, and i'm very familiar with the alliance and the society. that's because part of my powers is that i'm bad luck, which means if there's ANYONE in the city that gets taken hostage in a heist or fight or whatever, it's probably going to be me. it's been that way since i was 17, and it's probably never going to change. (you can ask anyone in the guilds, they all know.)

a couple of people have stopped me in the last month or so to ask for food recommendations and other things, so here's what i have for you:

LOCAL FOOD:
Bun Daddy - hot dogs and hamburgers/cheeseburgers, really good and really greasy
The Top Chop Shop - bbq, ribs, steaks, a little pricey but worth it
Zelda's - pierogi, mostly, but the fillings change every day and it's cheap
Tacos First - food truck, self-explanatory, though there's more than just tacos, and they sometimes have live music
Ma's Place - italian, pizza, greek
Eden - all vegetarian and vegan, really good and reasonably priced
Froth - coffee shop near the college
Pop Tea Bar - tea, bubble tea, japanese and korean snacks

[ all the names are linked to websites or map pins for everyone's convenience. ]

if you have questions about other stuff around here, i'm sure if i can't help you, one or more of the other locals can.

welcome, i guess? at least until they figure out a way to get you all back home.

that's all, thanks.

Comments

[sunmon]

how many times have you been kidnapped?

[superhostage]

i honestly couldn't tell you. on average, it's probably about once a month, and i'm 24 now, so say between 80-100 times prob.

[sunmon]

don't you think you should maybe learn to fight?

[superhostage]

no offense, but it's been 7 years. that was the first thing i considered. i can't control my abilities, and other people get hurt if i try to fight.

anyway, it's fine. it's inconvenient and sometimes i get a little banged up, but most of the it's only a couple of hours or a day or two.

[sunmon]

but what happens when your luck gets REALLY bad and it's not just a day or two? when you're more than a little banged up?

[superhostage]

then i wind up in the hospital for a couple of days. better me than a bunch of people just minding their own business. that hasn't happened often, though.

[sunmon]

aren't YOU just a person minding your own business?

[superhostage]

[ oh. ] well, i guess so. still, there's not much i can do about it.

[sunmon]

without endangering someone else
right

[ she's getting a picture here and it's

that he values others' lives over his own.

cool cool. not gonna call strangers out on their need for therapy. ]

so you're not a member of a guild?

[superhostage]

no, i'm a college student. biology and forensic science. i work in a tax office right now to support myself.

[sunmon]

does that mean you collect taxes?
like for the president?

[superhostage]

no, i do people's tax returns for them.

[sunmon]

what's a tax return?

[superhostage]

okay, guessing you come from a slightly less paperwork-heavy world, then.

so like here people get taxed on their income and other stuff throughout the year, right? and then at the beginning of the next year, you can essentially apply to get some of that money back.. or if you made more than the government expected you to, you might have to pay some more. usually we try to get money back to you, though.

that's just a rough explanation and there's a lot of boring stuff involved, but yeah.

[sunmon]

why would the president give the money back?

[superhostage]

wow, that's a question that i'm not really prepared to answer. it involves a lot more info about the economy and politics and stuff than i actually know that much about. also no one is ever this interested in taxes, honestly, so i'm not used to this.

if you really want to know, i guess i could put some info together and get it to you.

come to think of it, i actually have no idea how your living situation is going to be handled here. do you get a SSN? will you even be filing taxes? you technically don't exist here.

[sunmon]

the guilds offered to help us with documentation if we join.
i think otherwise we're on our own.
the school gave me some kind of student number, will that help?

why is he such a dweeb

[superhostage]

the school wouldn't have the authority to issue you a state or federal ID, so it's probably just your student ID. are you at the college?

i hope the guilds will at least help you get your required documentation done BEFORE you're on your own if you decide not to join. otherwise i have no idea how you're expected to do it on your own. maybe the federal gov is going to set up some kind of task force to help, but i don't know if i'd count on it.

we love this for him

[sunmon]

no, lofty heights.
the meta school
is it really that bad not to have documentation?
it's just some papers. we obviously exist, we're here.

[superhostage]

oh right, that makes sense. it would be kind of crazy to just toss you into the college. idk maybe they do have special permissions, i've never really looked into it that much and it's pretty secretive.

yeah, unfortunately, paperwork is hugely important here for things like bills and the like. you can't buy cigarettes or alcohol without an ID, you can't apply for federal aid of any sort, etc.

[sunmon]

well why can't i just go in and get an ID?
i can give them my name.

[superhostage]

that involves more paperwork. you have to legally prove that you are who you say you are, but idk how you're expected to do that since you're literally not from this reality. i have to assume the school or the guild is working on something to help you guys.

[sunmon]

why is it this complicated?

[superhostage]

that's an excellent question, and one americans ask every day of our adult lives.

[sunmon]

are other countries like this?