nexus_crossings | Language LOL: Translator Malfunction

You know what's cool? Chatting with your pals. Reading the Internet. Navigating the roads because you can understand the Gods-damned street signs. You know what's not cool? Not being able to do any of that. By that metric, one might describe today in the Nexus decidedly uncool.

It's utterly without warning that the multiversal hub goes from automatic to manual translation. Shop signs, radio and television broadcasts, conversations on the streets between vendors and friends and businesspeople are suddenly a jarring cacophony of dissonant languages. Then there's the silence. Then there's the shouting. Turns out people get pissed off when nobody understands them!

Momentary chaos dies down as the average people of the Nexus come to grips with their new situation. Shopkeepers wait outside their stores and stands with expectant expressions, impatiently waiting for the translator to pull itself together and start working again.

Except...

It sort of doesn't.

No, it super doesn't.

Citizens of the Nexus, it would appear you're going to have to adjust...

((The temporary LANGUAGE LOL is now underway! It's freeform fun until you're done and participation is completely optional. Don't feel like this event should stop you from making threads which are unaffected by the LOL in the mean time. If you want your Language LOL'd character to interact with a non-LOL thread, please ask the OP if they want to play that dynamic first. For the OOC and organization post, GO HERE. ))

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"Motherfucker--!"

No, the bearded captain isn't imagining that stunning articulation of Andorian swearing at its finest. Jim's also fumbling for his translator when his younger counterpart catches sight of him in the Plaza. Looking all the while like someone's taken a high powered drill to his ear.

And for good reason, considering the squealing.

He's getting to his feet and looking around when he catches sight of the younger James Kirk. Hurrying over, and it must be such a relief that this man at least makes sense.

"What the fuck is going on here?"

Oh thank fuck, something familiar. Both the Andorian swearing and the right dialect of English. It's just as much of a relief to meet up with someone he can actually talk to on his end, as well. "Your guess is as good as mine. My translator just went nuts on me, like... interference or something."

It's a linguistical oasis in the middle of a cacophonous desert. To both of their ears, neither one of them sounds any different than they ordinarily do. And why should they? They're speaking the same way they always do.

"Yeah, same." Jim's finally taking in just how widespread this seems to be with a twisted expression that's equal parts frown and confusion. "My PADD is fine, but I can't make out anything else I'm supposed to be seeing on the signage. Or anyone else's voices."

"Me either. One second it was coherent, the next..." He waves his hand vaguely, his expression pretty damn similar beneath the beard. If nobody knows who controls the Nexus, who the hell can fix whatever shit just broke? "I'm not sure how localized it is, but it's like this as far as I can see."

"How the hell did we end up on the same wavelength then? You think it's because we're the same?"

He points to himself then, then to Jim. Genetically, he means. They're the same guy more or less. Jim hasn't had a chance to talk to anyone else yet so it's all jsut speculation and confusion at this point.

"Not gonna argue, whatever the case is." He folds his arms over his chest and asserts a more controlled expression. "We should take a walk. See if we can find the perimeter of the problem."

"Maybe." He's frowning deeply, scrambling for clues and coming up pretty damn empty. But it's only just happened, and he's not exactly the type to just shrug and give up at the first obstacle.

Recon is definitely the way to go, and he nods in agreement. "We should stick together. If the translators are fucked, there's no telling what other surprises this place has up its sleeve." It'd suck if their PINpoints decided to quit next. How the hell would they ever meet up again to compare notes? Not that there may be much they can do to help fix this, but that's no reason not to try anyway.

"Still, as far as problems in the Nexus go, this is pretty tame."

Not to tempt fate or anything. It's definitely going to be trouble if they're unable to communicate with others for any extended amount of time but these things don't tend to last very long in the Nexus. Still, the idea of not being able to talk to Felix, or his companion not being able to talk to Hunter makes Jim pick up the pace a bit.

Leading his companion deeper into the urban sprawl of the Nexus.

"Nothing like this has ever happened before."

"Yeah, I figured that," he agrees, eyeing up the crowds as they pass through, listening to the multitude of strange voices and accents, and hardly a familiar word among them. Some people are still shouting as if they expect that getting louder will make them understood, others scribbling on paper or padds, or gesticulating wildly. It's a tiny thing to go wrong, but it's made one hell of a ripple. Still... it could very easily be worse. Has been worse, from what he's heard.

"I bet Uhura would have a blast with this."

"She would, wouldn't she?"

Either that or an aneurysm listening to so many people butcher languages they barely know trying to communicate with each other. Jim snorts, but it's an affectionate noise. Though mentioning her has an idea coming to Jim's head.

"Hey, Can you hold the fort here for a minute? I'm going to PINpoint back to the base and make sure our translators aren't fried for good. We're going to have a hell of a time explaining it if they are."

"Shit, we will, won't we?" No easy way to fake accidental damage to Starfleet-issue translators, not withing frying your own head, and Jim isn't exactly eager to give that a shot. "Yeah, I'll stick around here. You've got my number, right?" Just in case the coordinates are wonky too, though if they are, who knows where either of them would end up?

"Yeah, I've got it."

Jim pats his pocket where his PINpoint is before fishing it out and checking to make sure that at least is functioning properly before he goes trusting it with all his matter and bits to teleport him safely out of the Nexus.

"Be back in a few." And with a little bip! the captain is gone. Guess Jim better settle in and amuse himself for a few minutes until his counterpart returns.

Language LOL: Translator Malfunction

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