[ open ] Valparaíso, Jewel of the Pacific

[supportadmin]

Characters: OPEN to all!
Location: The city of Valparaíso, Chile.
Date/Time: The first weekend of March (1st & 2nd).
Summary: The first group of Cadets are finally released on the city of Valparaíso. With a curious city wanting to meet them, both Cadets and Staff of the Shatterdome itself will find plenty of people willing and curious to hear what it is they're up to - not to mention complain about the unapologetic ugliness of the Shatterdome.
Additional Notes: Cadets are expected to be in uniform and represent the PPDC at it's best. For more information and any questions, please refer to this post in the OOC community.

Valparaíso is a city with an old reputation, struck hard by the Panama Canal back at its completion, and struggling and rising to a place of cultural prominence since. Nowadays it remains an important sea port along the Chilean coast, though not as busy as San Antonio, and has helped foster artistic communities and a wealth of Chilean culture well worth recognition and appreciation on its own.

For such a beautiful city, the Shatterdome is both an honor and an eyesore. The Cadets from the new program are a subject of gossip and fascination, novelty selling them in the short term in ways that weren't sustainable over time.

For those who hadn't been able to spend time outside looking over the city, Valparaíso provided all kinds of sights and hidden gems, from murals on stairs to a hundred plus year old tram that runs the hillsides, museums paying homage to the 16th Century roots of the city, to statues and architectural structures and beaches galore. Free from the industrial efficiency of the Shatterdome for a short time, where will the Cadets and Staff find themselves today? The possibilities might not be endless in actuality, but they were a far cry more varied than the last two weeks had been!

Comments

Shatterdome + city

[charliehotel]

Shatterdome

Catherine's ready for the freedom. Having been forced from her work by helpful assistants, she finds that she's actually eager to be out and about in fresh air, with a bit of time to think and mull over all her recent research. She also wants time to see the sights, which she's avoided until now, and to perhaps even spy on the worse virtues of both cadets and Rangers.

"At least it's a lovely day."

Standing on what serves as the threshold to the Shatterdome, she adjusts her wide-brimmed hat and checks that she has her purse before heading out.


City

Refraining from enjoying herself too much, Catherine wanders the city more intent on taking in the cultural sights than on causing any trouble. Chilled coffee in hand, she examines the murals, converses fluently in Spanish with the locals, making odd jokes here and there, and setting them at ease about the Shatterdome when applicable. She's charming, some have said, but only when she needs to be. And now, she needs to be. They have a reputation to build and then uphold, and she's accepted her part in that.

If you're a cadet, you might spy her here or there, possibly eavesdropping on your conversation.

city!

[keyes]

Jacob hadn't been quick to learn Spanish, he hadn't really seen a need for it but he had some scraps of it from when he was in school and just by being around some Spanish speaking people when he was in the service. It was really just enough to get him around the city, which is really all he needs and so making his way through the crowd is easy enough that way, even with his smile and he tries to, like Catherine, set folks at somewhat of an ease. His leather jacket, a hold over from his Navy days, has both his old jaeger patch from Zero Atlas as well as his old squadron on it, and just out of habit he has sunglasses on.

Which is probably why he didn't immediately spot her when he was talking with a local, ordering food. In fact he happens to turn around with his food in hand in time to see her.

"Catherine?" And there's some amount of shock there in his voice.

Shatterdome

[observationalhazard]

"Better than rain," Hanji replies, hands folded behind her head. She's dressed a bit more casually - sweatshirt, jeans, sturdy shoes - and looks more like a slightly overgrown college student than a Ph. D of bioengineering. She lifts her hand in a wave, "How are you, Doctor Halsey? Stepping out to keep an eye on our gaggle of cadets?"

city *good morning (feel free to inform him it's afternoon or whatnot haha)

[inurhead]

Yancy isn't a Cadet, and he's not wearing any Ranger gear either. He's incognito today, but only as incognito as an Anchorage boy in Valparaiso can be. For that matter the good people of Valparaiso have been watching TV within the last five years, it seems, because many of them are delighted to see him around.

He smiles and attempts to converse with locals, though his Spanish is about three years of high school good, not even close to fluent. Enough to read the signs and make small talk, though. Which is what he does when he notices Catherine's lingering glance. She looks familiar even if he can't place her specifically. Must be from the 'dome.

"Buenos dias."*

Chuck - Open

[suicidemission]

Finally - finally they're allowed a little bit of freedom. Chuck immediately grabs his dog and crams a beach bag full of supplies and books it outta the Shatterdome and heads straight to the shores.

He rents an umbrella for Max and jams it into the ground to secure it, looping Max's leash around it so he can't escape while Chuck's otherwise occupied. He flops under it, digs around in his bag for a bowl and bottle of water and sets it in front of his dog. Then and only then does Chuck strip out of his shirt down to his board shorts, complete with Striker's new logo, and head to take a quick dip to cool off.

Maybe if he's lucky, he can find somewhere to get a surfboard, and he can take Max surfing some time.

[righthemisphere]

The beach might not be a new thing to Chuck, and to be fair, it isn't to Raleigh either. But the warm beach, now there's a novel idea. He hasn't been since he was a kid on vacation and after the last few weeks of settling in and acquiring something between heatstroke and cabin fever he's chomping at the bit to get some fresh air.

Valparaíso is great. The Beckets have been into the city before and while small..ish and largely touristy, the general vibe is nice and Raleigh likes the graffiti. It's fun to just wander around and he's found he doesn't get as swarmed as he might somewhere a little more populated. There's a restaurant in the old quarter whose owner has already attempted to marry his daughter off to both brothers. A shame, really, because the food is good and they really can't ever go back without the proposition being made again. The people here aren't shy.

Not that it hasn't happened before. Something Chuck can look forward to.

For now, though, Raleigh's focus is on the warm sand and the cool surf, a small reprieve from the polluted ocean. It might not be great to stay in the water all day and he kind of doubts the validity of the fresh fish in the area, but there aren't any major systems in place to regulate the water so it must be fine. Especially if the people swimming are any indication.

The Beckets have decided to split up for a little while so Raleigh is plodding along alone when he sees Max digging up the umbrella he's clipped to up ahead. He whistles and approaches, thinking he might just know whose dog this is. Unattended towel and bag? Yeah they're definitely not a native. A check of the tag on the collar and there's no question about it.

By the time Chuck comes back from the water Raleigh thinks he might have to adopt the dog and run away. But he hasn't...yet...and is crouched down in his swim trunks and aviators scratching Max behind the ears, a beach bag slung down in the sand beside him.

Open!

[keyes]

Freedom is always a good thing, and frankly Jacob is a little eager to get out and about in the city to what it's all like. Because it's Jacob however it also means he's a little over dressed for the weather, and he has his leather jacket on, more out of habit than actually needing it with nice, well pressed pants, and a pair of sunglasses on. It's habit, and Jacob screams military even without the patches on his jacket, but he tries not to act like one of them.

Mostly by going out of his way to buy some sampling of local food at quite a few different places around the city, and that's probably what you'll find him doing, ordering or eating local food, with the occasional stop into a shop to see what's in it.

[secondtry]

The sight of someone wearing that much clothes was enough to have Mike blinking. The only thing his desert-trained mind was telling him was 'potential heat stroke hazard' followed by a decision: intervene or not.

After all, the guy seemed well enough off. He wasn't falling over yet, wasn't overly pale (or so he thought; his definition of pale was a little skewed), but it was still a reason to keep an eye out. It wouldn't do to have a PPDC officer falling over outside the Shatterdome.

[inurhead]

Yancy, on the other hand, does his best to blend in with the crowd. Being a blond man from Anchorage in Chile his success is questionable, and all the less for also being somewhat famous in general.

Still, he's not throwing out military vibes at anyone. Reaching the rank of Ranger is useful for finally being able to relax when not on any strict duties. So he lets kids talk him into buying them ice pops and signs soccer balls that are offered to him with ink pens and poses for pictures with people's grandmothers. When he gets the chance, though, he ducks inside a quiet cafe for a coffee. No beer today, the orders have been passed down for Rangers to keep their wits about them.

He nods a greeting at Jacob, who he doesn't instantly recognize but knows must belong to the base. The guy is pretty obviously military. "How's it going?"

Naval Museum + City Streets

[idealord]

Naval Museum

While Hilbert doesn't know much about Chile - and has basics down in Spanish, as rusty as they are - he's actually getting pretty pumped about being out and about on Saturday.

Why?

Well, while he's an avid nerd fan of Jaegers, the Naval Museum has caught his interest too. Though only the exhibits which feature the ships themselves. The rest he's not too interested in, though he takes time off to sit in the inner garden area to rest and entertain locals with his attempts at Spanish conversation. Not doing the most stand up job by far in terms of showing the PPDC at its best.

City

On Sunday, he is still making a fool out of himself - but in an entirely different way. Hilbert's playing with kids! Some of them are younger, which makes this more embarrassing, but there are ones around his age of sixteen and even some a little older. The name of the game is El Emboque. What he gathered was that is was like the cup-and-ball game back home, so with an American's confidence he decided to try it.

And miss every time.

Hilbert was never good at the cup-and-ball game either.

[observationalhazard]

Hanji's volunteered to go along with the cadets, if only to keep a distant eye on them. So it's not a surprise when she finds one of them trying to strike up conversation with the locals in the Naval Museum's garden. She waits for them to finish and then approaches with a grin, "Enjoying your time in the city, cadet? How's your Spanish?"

She's trying to remember his name, but she can't quite place it yet.

[inferiorcomplexes]

All that noise was cutting in on her peaceful outdoor reading. Upon further investigation, she found out that it was a bunch of kids playing some silly game with sticks. It seemed simple-looking enough. With her skill with the whip, she can probably do it with her eyes closed.

So it is embarrasing for her to see that one of her fellow cadets is making an utter fool of himself and everything they stood for by being a complete failure at a children's stick game.

"Wow, you--" He seems American. Talking like (her horrible impression of) an American might help him understand her better. "-- absolutely suck at this game. Can I try?" The smile on her lips is her attempt at being friendly.

[boomerangarrow]

Out on the city and walking around, just trying to get used to being outside of the base. That's when she stumbles across a bunch of kids and one of the cadets playing get the cup on the stick. It's pretty obvious that Hilbert isn't doing a stellar job of it.

"Not going too well is it?" Seems like a hand eye coordination type of game. She'd think a cadet would do better at it, but it seems like there are plenty of different backgrounds among the cadets.

Historic District Tourist Traps

[paperbacks]

Any debate about the Shatterdome's effect on Valparaíso's aesthetic integrity was completely lost on Tenpou. It wasn't that the scientist was ignorant when it came to topics of art and culture - quite the contrary, actually. The problem was that he had terrible, terrible taste. Tenpou was an inveterate hoarder, and his "art collection" consisted of cheap, touristy knickknacks crammed into every available corner of his filthy apartment. He'd once seen an exhibit of modern art made from recycled garbage, so in his mind that was reason to hold onto years' worth of old newspapers and snack wrappers.

So that was how Tenpou had managed to acquire an "Authentic Product of Chile" Easter Island moai statue that was nearly as tall as he was. The massive faux stone head was made out of some sort of foam material so it wasn't particularly heavy, but it was bulky and unwieldy as he attempted to make his way through the narrow, graffiti-covered streets of the bustling historic market. Around him, vendors hawked brightly colored produce while sunburned vacationers sipped overpriced cocktails outside tourist trap cafes.

It belatedly occurred to Tenpou that he was quite lost, with no idea how to make it back to the bus station. Carrying the oversized statue in his arms like it was a dancing partner, he shuffled through the street, seeking a familiar face. Or at least a face that spoke English, or Chinese...

[observationalhazard]

"Hey! Tenpou!" Hanji is tall, so she usually stands out in a crowd. Plus she's an American - she takes up a lot of space when she wants to. Her hand waves lazily as she strolls over to him and his statue. She pauses, adjusting her glasses, as if she's trying to decide whether she should be amused or just slightly horrified at the sheer level of tackiness the fake moai statue exudes.

"Where did you get that thing?"

She's pretty sure she knows the answer, if only generally, but it's always good to hear origin stories from owners.

[inferiorcomplexes]

That's a hard sight to miss. Trust her, she tried. But it's hard to ignore a man she's vaguely familiar with lugging a giant moai statue that she doesn't want anyone to be seen with. She chases after him with her plastic bags of fruits and books.

She looks to the left. She looks to the right. Good, no one else that she recognizes is here.

"You are aware that you got ripped off, right?" Says the girl who paid an exhorbitant price for her stuff because she fails at bartering.

Re: Historic District Tourist Traps

[protagerrant]

Yuri didn't have any specific goal in venturing out on the town besides just getting away from the oppressive atmosphere of the base. Tough luck he still had to wear the uniform, but it'd feel less stuffy after he broke it in... Alright, no, it wouldn't; he knew from experience. He could pretend, though.

The uniform itself was getting a lot of attention, but it wasn't so bad. He'd just managed to score an apple off of one of the street vendors who had definitively had something to say about the overbearing ugliness of the dome, but Yuri could only guess at what with his only real clues being 'Shatterdome' and the brief, aggrieved look on the women's face. Regardless, she had patted his cheek and sent him off with the apple free of charge, and it was by far the best damn thing he'd eaten all week.

He didn't recognize Tenpou as staff, but he could recognize the signs of someone who had no idea what they were doing. He hastily finished off his apple and tossed the core into an unobtrusive bush, making his way over with his hand sin his pockets.

"Do you... Need some help with that?"

[nisemoron]

Yaichirou wasn't staring because that would be rude, but he had definitely been watching out of the corner of his eye. From a distance he could only see the drunken march of the moai statue and a pair of legs emerging from underneath it and he had been entertaining himself by imagining what kind of idiot it might be. He idly flipped through the stereotypical dumb American tourist, a pushover parent who bought it on their brat's command, some horribly misguided archaeology buff... and then it lumbered close enough for him to see the man responsible.

"Tenpou!?"

He didn't mean to call out and he regretted it instantly. The last thing he wanted was to be seen in public with that crime against art, and now he had ruined his only chance to escape with his dignity. Damn it.

"I... I didn't realize you were stationed in Valparaíso."

Despite his best efforts, he addressed the statue as much as Tenpou. In his defense it was too hypnotically awful to look away.

City

[bushidork]

Sugane has come into possession of a massive plate of chorillana due to not quite mastering the language to the point where he's able to communicate that he just wants a reasonable sized portion of Chilean heart-attack-on-a-plate and is now sitting at his table staring at it in moderate distress. He's sure he can eat at least some of it, but he also knows he can't take the rest of it back with him, so he's stuck with a ton of grease-soaked food he'll never be able to eat on his own. Considering he's wearing his uniform, he's pretty sure the other patrons of the restaurant are laughing at him, especially because he's all by himself. Might as well just eat...

[boomerangarrow]

Hey there buddy. Kate's gone into town because they've finally been allowed to, thank you all supernatural beings that may or may not exist. And she can spot one of her roommates looking clearly distressed by the giant pile of food in front of him.

"Looks like you're having trouble," she's clearly amused and taking the seat across from him.

[idealord]

Hahaha you poor, poor soul. Hilbert, ever the pushover, can't help but feel bad for Sugane. Even if it's pretty much his own fault for not knowing the language well enough. To be absolutely fair, the same thing would've happened to the younger cadet if he hadn't been so steadfast in pointing out other people's dishes and asking for them... But since he's here, he might as well try to help! As full as he is!

But first, Hilbert'll kind of awkwardly approach him and stand by the table. And crack a joke at Sugane's expense. "Looks like the locals might have some beef with you if they gave you that."

City - open!

[secondtry]

The locals were right. The Shatterdome really was an eyesore compared to the rest of the city, but the city itself... Well, it was a little old for Mike's tastes. Still, it was nice to wander around, look around, exercise his slightly-less-than-conversational Spanish, and smile at the pretty civilians who might smile back. That part, he couldn't help. Flirting was kind of what he did.

But here, more than anything, it seemed what he did was accept snacks in return for photos and conversations - which he stumbled through as respectfully as possible - and a few pictures. People seemed to enjoy the idea of knowing him when, and Mike? He didn't mind having someone perched on his lap for the occasional photo. Or a few addresses tucked in pockets.

He had forgotten the perks of the PPDC. Jaeger flies. What a brilliant concept.

City | Open!

[chosethewar]

Tom's Spanish was a whole lot rusty but he ever since he'd learned he'd been assigned to the Valparaíso Shatterdome, he'd been cramming Spanish like no tomorrow. Growing up on the West Coast, he'd picked it up readily enough in his youth. There had been a lot of Hispanic American kids in his classes and it had been the elective language course he'd taken in high school.

But Tom was quickly coming to realize that the Spanish he'd picked up in high school was a whole other beast from the Spanish spoken down here in Chile. Unsurprising considering Montana hadn't exactly been in touch with Latin American slang words and vernacular. Instead, he'd gotten a decent education in Castillo Spanish which was pretty useless in Latin America.

Still, valiantly, the serious young man tried to converse with the locals and soak up some of the culture. The food in particular was interesting to the cadet though he had to be careful not to let any of the filling from the empanada he was currently scarfing down drip on his uniform.

"Esta es muy deliciosa, gracias." He complimented the woman who'd practically shoved the food in his hands. She clucked over him in that local dialect and Tom did his best to mentally translate what she was saying. Apparently he needed more meat on his bones? Maternal instincts were a strange concept to him after all this time so he just smiled awkwardly and tried to gracefully make his escape.

[protagerrant]

Yuri liked to think he was doing alright being in a huge city like this when he'd only lived ever seen two other places his whole life: his hometown, Telluride, which wasn't exactly bustling despite being on the outskirts of LA, and the Alaska Shatterdome, which definitely hadn't held a candle to this level of activity. He didn't have a clue where he was, but when getting home was as easy as heading towards the ocean, it didn't faze him too much.

The toughest thing was not being able to just chat up anyone on the street. Being able to have a conversation without having a sir or m'am somebody sounded like a pretty good time to him, but he hadn't really studied any Spanish in his month of leave between academies. Hadn't really believed the PPDC wasn't just going to shut the door in his face.

Nobody he could talk to just left people watching, but he couldn't exactly just plop himself down at one of the outdoor cafes without any money to at least buy a drink...

But evidently, one of the waiters had got him staring, waved him over and offered him a glass of water along with a long, incomprehensible stream of Spanish that meant absolutely nothing to Yuri. The hand gesture for Sit down and have a drink he caught, though, and managed a bemused 'Gracias', settling down and stretching his legs out so the dark of his uniform could soak up the sun.

It'd be rude to take up the space for too long, but he was in a perfect position to watch the people go by on the street, He could finish the water, at least, and try to think of where to go next in the mean time.

City | Open

[nisemoron]

Morning with Kou-- open for crashing!
It was nice to have some time away from the Shatterdome, but Yaichirou was not thrilled about this morning's errand. When he'd offered to help Ichijou find a birthday present for his little sister, he just was trying to be polite and maybe diffuse the tension. He didn't expect that they'd actually have to do it. Still, he was a man of his word, so he couldn't back out now.

He surveyed the street with trepidation. There was a distinct difference between knowing what to get a two year old and knowing where to find it.

"How's your Spanish, Ichijou?" He was using English for once. Japanese might be more comfortable between native speakers, but this forced him to slow down and not sound as doubtful as he felt.


Afternoon- Bellavista Hill area
By the afternoon, Yaichirou had had enough of the crowded streets and of people trying to chat him up when he only understood 1 in 10 words they said. All that he wanted was some peace and quiet, but that proved hard to find. Valparaìso was smaller than Kyoto, but Kyoto was his city. He knew where to find all the sleepy cafes and hidden shrines that weren't on the tourist maps. In Valparaìso he was the tourist, and even when he managed to communicate around the language barrier, all anyone wanted to show him was this museum or that funicular. It was maddening.

Eventually he'd found a relatively isolated staircase near Bellavista Hill. It wasn't perfect but it was good enough, and it did give him a good view of the bright buildings that perched on the steep incline, apparently oblivious to the laws of physics. He sat on the top stair and scribbled absently on he back of a brochure from the naval museum. He wasn't much of an artist, but if he couldn't buy his mother a post card yet then this was the next best thing.