*An ode to Scott Westerfeld's Uglies (and Pretties, Specials, & Extras)*
New Pretty Town has been different since the mind-rain. With tech-heads, surge-monkeys and pixel-skins running around, an ugly isn't quite as noticeable, but you'll still need some kind of disguise, preferably something that covers your face. No need to flaunt that random chin of yours. And just so you don't appear to be brain-missing, you'd better brush up on your prettyspeak.
The Basics: If you don't know these, people will assume you either grew up in the wild or that you're a rusty (ewww!)
People:
- Littlie - kids, you know, those little people who run around picking their noses.
- Ugly - you're out of your parents house, but not 16 and a pretty yet, use this time to make friends, learn to ride your hoverboard like a Sly girl, and pull off some tricks - don't worry, everyone expects you to get into some sort of trouble, just don't let the wardens catch you, that would be completely bogus.
- Pretty - you turn 16 and go in for full body surge. As a pretty, you're perfectly gorgeous. Now's the time to join a clique, and since the mind-rain, there are so many to choose from. Will you be a tech-head? A foodie? A kicker? Or better yet, start your own and party the night away.
- Middle Pretty - With their party days over, middle pretties go to work for the community - doctors, wardens, artisans. They're rather harmless, if somewhat overprotective.
- Crumbly - this is what happens when you're finished being a middle pretty. No one knows what crumblies actually do.
- Special Circumstances (aka - Specials) - Suped up pretties. You don't want to meet these people. They can be rather unstable - apt to overreact and blow things up - just ask Tally Youngblood. They also have serious ego problems.
- Bubblehead - Pretties before the mind-rain. Brain-surge meant that everyone was pretty-minded, no bogus thoughts or emotions to worry about (i.e. - non-bubbly).
Essentials: or in other words, your stuff
- Hoverboard - this is essential ugly equipment, your primary mode of transportation. Don't forget your grippy shoes to keep you on the board and your crash bracelets to catch you when you fall. It's also important to remember that hover-things in general rely on magnetics to keep them in the air so make sure you've got some kind of metal underneath you to keep from going splat.
- Bungee Jacket - Need to create a scene or escape from somewhere high in a hurry? Learn a trick from Tally and snag a bungee jacket while you're throwing yourself from the roof. Be prepared for some head-spinning bounces down the hill before you're able to get your feet properly on the ground, but in many cases this actually improves your chances of getting away. Totally bubbly.
- Interface ring, Interface cuff, Skintenna - This is how you keep in touch with the world around you. Send and receive pings from your friends, talk to your room, turn on the music, etc. Use with caution however because this is also how Special Circumstances can keep track of you. If you are looking for autonomy (who isn't?), opt for an interface ring. Leave it in your dorm when you disappear for the night and no one will be any wiser. If you get stuck with an interface cuff, adopt Zane-la's and Tally-wa's fashion-making scarf trick until you can figure out how to get the bogus thing off.
Expressions:
- Missing - adj. something's not there that should be there, can be used on its own but is most commonly seen in variations such as brain-missing (stupid, non-thinking), fashion-missing (ugly), face-missing (1. on the sly, unnoticed, not worthy of attention 2. something is wrong with your face), etc.
- -Making - adj. never used by itself, the most popular variations are nervous-making (something that makes you nervous) and pretty-making (something that makes you look pretty).
- Bogus - adj. not good, stupid
- Bubbly - adj. 1. fun, cool, or new 2. a state of mental clarity achieved by bubbleheads through a variety of methods such as bungee jumping, kissing, not eating, cutting, etc.
- Trick - n. any action performed by uglies or pretties that breaks or undermines the rules
- Tricky - adj. rule-breaking, mischievous, trouble-making
- Icy - adj. cool, sharp, in-control, used mostly by specials who tend to have hot tempers and short fuses
- Crim - adj. short for criminal, a step up from tricky, anything that catches (or would catch) the attention of special circumstances
- Milli-helen - n. a measurement of beauty, derives from the story of the Trojan war
- Surge - 1. n. short for surgery, can be used on its own but is often combined with other words such as costume-surge, eye-surge, brain-surge, etc. 2. v. the act of getting surge
- Kick, kicking - 1. v. to publicize something by uploading it to your feed 2. adj. shocking, attention-grabbing, really cool or new, can be used on its own but variations include eye-kicking (visually shocking), etc.
- Random - adj. in its natural state, un-surged or meant to look un-surged
Of course this list is not all-inclusive, but it'll keep you from attracting special attention, that is, only if you're not completely missing. If this is more than you can handle (i.e - your head is spinning just from reading it) you'd better stay inside and read the books before you venture out.
