faq

[moksa_mods]

Arrival ; Classes & Clubs ; Flora & Fauna ; Geography ; Money ; Staff ; Technology ; Weather
Actual Questions

* As Moksa U is a dressing room, game descriptions are flexible and can be bent for the sake of story.


Arrival;
Welcome to Moksa University! You simply arrive when you need to, letter in hand. Some wander through what — on any other day — is a normal door, and find themselves in the lobby of the Administrative Building, or maybe a bathroom in Zantetsuken. Sailors might put out to sea and suddenly find themselves in uncharted waters. Others could lose their way in a dark forest, only to emerge at the edge of a field. And still more could find themselves swallowed by a strange, black, pork bun rabbit-like creature, and then neatly transported to the campus.

The campus staff members are friendly and helpful (if a little bit creepy), and will direct new arrivals to the Administrative Building, where you'll receive a campus map and a key for a shared dorm room. You get three free meals a day in the cafeteria, and two extra sets of plain clothing in your dorm room closet. The staff will answer any other questions you might have about the campus, but they might get a little... repetitive.

Additionally, everyone on campus is capable of understanding each others' primary language, thanks to the area's magic. Accents, honorifics, and the odd word may slip through.





Classes and Credits;
There are two kinds of classes on campus: 5 "core" classes taught by campus staff, and "regular" classes taught by students. The core classes are Math, Art, Chemistry, Physics, and Ethics. Students can only take core classes once, though they're slightly different from semester to semester. Core class content is similar to what you'd find in end-of-high-school classes on Earth, with the exception of Ethics, which focuses on the meaning of enlightenment and "right action" for a moral life.

Students who want to start a new class can simply request a classroom key from the front desk in the Administration Building and set up shop. All class schedules are automatically posted in the Meeting Hall and Administrative Building.





Flora & Fauna;
A small number of species populate the island itself. Birds and rodents are most often seen on the campus grounds, along with a few tufted cats that venture out of the forest and occasionally find themselves with owners (but not often — they're fiercely territorial). Strange seabirds that look like a cross between a seagull and a puffin squabble along the coast and beaches.

Animals in the forest are hard to see and just about impossible to catch, letting out eerie calls at night and blinking luminous eyes in the dense undergrowth. The trees themselves are a mixture of the familiar and the unusual — the ones on campus are normal for the most part, mainly fruit and nut trees like cherry and oak, but the ones in the forest can be quite unidentifiable, and are very, very old.

The waters surrounding the island are crystal clear and strangely empty of life except for aquatic plants, tiny organisms, and elaborate, fantastical coral structures. The beach on the west side of the island is entirely enclosed and protected by a massive crescent-shaped reef of coral about sixteen meters out from shore. The reef functions as a sort of underwater fence and is home to several tiny critters. Beyond it the waters get very deep and very dark, and there's a sign on the beach warning against swimming too far. When the tide is high, shadowy shapes can be seen on the far side of the reef, glimpsed as ominous silhouettes through the latticework of coral.

At night, the empty waters change. It's impossible to see in the inky depths, but those who try fishing without a light may find themselves catching a variety of grotesque and strange creatures. The reef continues to keep them away from the beach, but when the tide is high, tiny flecks of bioluminescence can be seen darting around far from shore. When the tide is high and the moon is full, the reefs and waves on the west side of the island light up with hundreds of specks of luminescent blue, courtesy of the plankton that make their home there.





Geography;
The island that the campus sits on is quite large, long and narrow, and high above sea level on the south shore. Its shallows are dotted with a number of other very tiny islands, mostly just outcroppings of sand and rock, and beyond them lies nothing but ocean — it extends infinitely in every direction, flat and endless, without a single smudge or dot to indicate another island anywhere else in the water.

The sky is clean and pollutionless, making it a vibrant blue. The sun is analogous to Earth's, and can be blinding on clear days when it reflects off the water. The moon is significantly larger, however; more than double the size of Earth's moon, it dominates its section of the night sky, nearly blotting out the stars. It normally shines blue-white, but depending on the weather, it may appear red or have a purple or orange sheen to it. The stars around it come in a variety of sizes and form unfamiliar constellations.

Due to the world's giant moon, the ocean's tides are also incredibly deep. The waters can advance until they envelope almost the entire beach, or recede until the reefs are drying in the sun and the docks hang several stories above the sand.





Money;
Upon arrival, you'll find yourself carrying a small amount of pocket money equal to about $40 in gil. You continue to receive this amount as a weekly 'allowance' for as long as you're a student, but the amount sometimes fluctuates without explanation — hope you didn't really need that new shirt the week only 5 gil came in. Alternatively, anyone can do odd jobs around the campus (cooking, waiting tables, cleaning, repairs, equipment maintenance) for minimum wage pay (and half a credit).

Everything on the campus is priced fairly, neither too expensive nor too cheap. Staff never barter. Students can buy or sell things amongst themselves, set up their own shows or performances in the campus theatres and charge admission, or otherwise ply their trade across campus. Dorm rooms, cafeteria meals, and medicine and first aid for the sick and injured are free.





Staff;
The campus staff are an interesting bunch. They're cheerful, helpful, polite, and tend to talk in sync — and they're all soulless. Their flat eyes will attest to this more than anything else, and their ability for intelligent conversation is limited. Despite this they serve a number of purposes on campus, from cleaning and cooking, to administration, to restraining exceptionally violent students (murder on campus is heavily frowned upon!). They are singularly dedicated to their duties, and have no need to eat or sleep.

The campus staff is comprised about equally of males and females (or what look like males and females). All have strangely-styled, pastel-coloured hair and large eyes. They are always in uniform appropriate to their work, with the campus symbol of the eight-spoked wheel located somewhere on their apparel. It's literally impossible to evoke an emotional reaction from them, although they might become stern when reprimanding someone. They will calmly defend themselves against assault, and have superhuman strength and endurance. Mind control doesn't work on them due to the lack of a proper mind to control.

For new arrivals, the canned greeting for all staff members is: "Welcome to Moksa University! You've been chosen to participate in our interdimensional student program. You welcome pack contains your campus map, a key to your dorm room, your starter allowance, and a list of currently available classes. You're welcome to sign up for as many or as few as you like, or start a class of your own."

If asked where people's worlds are or how to get to them, the canned response is: "We're sorry! We don't keep a directory of origin worlds as per campus policy. But if there's a way to where you need to go, you'll find it here. Please do enjoy your stay."

If asked why a person has been brought to the university, the canned response is: "All students find our school because they need to."





Technology;
Technological devices on campus vary wildly in sophistication, especially in the Tech building. Devices can be found from every era, from improbable steam and clockwork machines to highly advanced cybernetics. But the majority of technology on the campus is equivalent to that of 21st century Earth technology. There are televisions in most classrooms, for instance, and mp3 players can be purchased at the Bookstore. It might also mean that you get the Blue Screen of Death from that classroom computer you just wrote your essay on.





Weather;
The campus has a mild climate year-round, despite having all four seasons. The temperature rarely dips below -10°C/14°F or rises above 26°C/80°F. There is snow in the winter, but never more than a foot. The trees shed their leaves in the fall and blossom in the spring, and also bear fruit according to the seasons.

The only unusual thing about the weather are the storms that regularly rock the island. At least once every month, regardless of season, a huge thunderstorm will sweep in from the ocean, bringing with it lashing winds and driving rain. These storms can last anywhere from two days to a week, and can be dangerous or cause problems on campus. During this time, people are advised to use the tunnels to get between buildings, and to avoid the dock and the coastline.





Actual Questions;
"Panfandom dressing room"? "Jamjar"? What is all this?

What counts as "to the professor's/students' satisfaction"?

What counts as a class? What counts as working?

What's this "basis of good behaviour"?
To help curb characters who are inclined to murder and mayhem, "bad behaviour" on campus not only results in docked credits, but also in the removal of room and board. Students who attack other students can find themselves sleeping outside without food, evicted by (rather indestructible) campus doors that lock against them. Only an apology with true regret behind it can reverse the sentence.

So what's up with the ocean?

No, what's really up with the ocean?

:)