@clarke.griffin

[strove]

Hi everyone. I know we just got newcomers, so I apologize if any of this seems new to you. I recently updated our Arrival Guide, so take a look at that. If you have any questions, I'm sure one of us can help you out.

Before we get started, I'm Clarke Griffin and my partner in this is Stephen Strange. We've been running the Displaced-owned bar, Red Wings, since February. We're two members of the small handful of Displaced who have been here since the very beginning.

I've mentioned this in a few places, but Stephen and I are working on a proposal for our group. It's one that we hope that works for everyone, and it also doesn't expect anyone to adhere to any codes or guidelines. I don't think we can set up rules, bylaws, or committees for our group when we have turnover like we do. It would be unfair to anyone coming in. I've stood by this position from the very beginning, and I do think it helps us.

As for our proposal, there are a few parts, so bear with us.

What do we tell the world about us?
The general consensus is "very little," but we're unique and we stand together more times than not. It helps that we have a private means of communication. Even if we might not have a single mindset or goal, we are a unique group.

So, what are we going to say? Stephen and I want to tell the world that … as far as we know, we may have gotten our powers from some kind of gift from "god," as that's the only explanation we've gotten so far. Our ties to the gates will help us explain that, though we don't need to go into detail there. We also don't need to believe in these being gods, so much as that being what we've heard from the people who build the shrines.

When we talked about putting this proposal together, Stephen pointed out that while it's better that we don't say we're not of this world, it's important that we don't say we are from it, either. I'm sorry if that's confusing, but we don't want to get caught in a lie. Nobody's going to assume we're from another world, so it's better if we don't mention it at all. Anyone who might have proof one way or another would need to expose themselves to us. Down the line, leaving that open-ended may prove useful in knowing why we're here and how to get off this world.

We do intend to announce ourselves publicly soon as two people from our group, but we wanted to let everyone know about it first. If you're new, let me make it clear: people know about us. They know we glow. They know we run Red Wings. This is more of a formality than anything. It's a matter of taking control of the narrative. If you're employed with us at Red Wings, I understand if you want out. We can do our best to help you find other employment.

Red Wings as a Base
Moving forward, Stephen and I want to help the community with Red Wings. We've gotten the place mostly back in working order, but there are a few more concerns about the safehouse and the tunnels built in that I'll cover below.

As a base, we want:

To help grow a sense of community outside of times of crisis, encouraging connections between local people in the city.

To provide food and shelter to people in need, especially during crises

To work with PRESERVE to have a spot for people to rest up during these crises, as well as provide medical care if hospital workers are overworked.

Offer people a place to stay temporarily, especially if they're helping with the above causes.

We'll expand from there. The goal is to continue what we started during our recent monster crisis.

Protecting Ourselves
One major concern that @adora.weaver brought up during that crisis is that we're not learning self defense or preparing for a situation that is, quite honestly, only getting worse here. While we will not be instituting obligatory self defense, we've spoken to El about setting up the abandoned hoverbike garage as a training range. This will include any and all soundproofing that would be necessary, as well as other facilities on site. We feel that it's a good space for it.

As for weapons and combat training, we'd leave that up to anyone who wants to do it within that space. I know that having a space for it has been hard, so having one dedicated to it moving forward will help. If you're interested in helping with construction on this project, let us know.

The big thing is that Adora was concerned that we aren't approaching our situation with the seriousness that it needs. I've updated the guide to better reflect where we stand.

In addition:

One of the concerns with "outing" ourselves is how we'd be able to protect ourselves if people turned on us. I see the tunnels under the city as a means of working this to our advantage. However, we need a way to conceal these from the common people. If we can't, we'll need to abandon this plan, but does anyone have any ideas?

Protecting the Citizens
Stephen procured a warehouse that we believe will help us provide similar training to New Amsterdam citizens. We believe that we can look for local sponsorship for this activity. Weapons training will need to be off the table because of the legality of it, but any other training will be allowed.

My hope is that we can have Red Wings security help train the people of this city in how to fight. In time, we'd like to be able to make a secondary Displaced business out of this service, one that can outlast Stephen and I. We'd also be happy to let someone take this off our hands, but we'd likely help oversee getting it up and running, as well as procure sponsors.

I saw that someone wants to help release information that we learn, as well. I don't know how we can do this or how we can get it setup, but if you have an idea, I'm all ears. I'm still hesitant to assume that everything we experience is relevant to the world as a whole, so we may need to come to some decision on that.

Welcoming Newcomers
I'm happy to keep up the Arrival Guide for as long as I'm here, especially since its original creator was my friend. But we do want to look at putting together a group that handles helping newcomers get situated, especially one that can be handed off between Displaced when turnover happens in our group. Does anyone have any proposals for how to manage this?

Powers and Skills Listing
The Arrival Guide has a short listing of people with skills that may be immediately needed during a crisis. Feel free to add yourself there if you think you can do some good. It's been out of date for a while.

However, we've been throwing around the idea of an official database for skills and powers, but it's not something that any of you would need to be obligated to be a part of. I'm wondering if anyone would like to take this up. Personally, I'm happy to list my skill set, but when it comes to powers, I won't be included. Just to give people an idea of where this stands.

Final Thoughts
Obviously, this isn't something that we can do ourselves, but we think this speaks to a lot of the concerns that people have had. Our hope is that we can hand most of these projects off to people.

If you have any ideas for changes, we welcome them. But we'd like to start moving forward on them as soon as we can.

Thanks for reading, and we look forward to what you have to add.

[ooc: Clarke and Stephen have been crowdsourcing and listening to What to Do for a while, so this is a proposal they came up with together! It's the result of months of IC discussion among the Displaced and between one another, especially after the last two events really putting the Displaced to the forefront of public attention. Both Stephen and Clarke are open to listening, but also want to move forward after a lot of discussion. However, we don't have the ability to run ahead with most of these projects ourselves (and have little interest in doing so because it's A Lot), so we were hoping something like this could be delegated via a post like this, with revisions made by characters along the way. The only thing they'll definitely be spearheading is anything to do with the Red Wings HQ (as in the bar itself), as well as using their Displaced-gained fame to get sponsorship for the self-defense center Both Stephen and Clarke are willing to delegate and put people in contact with one another as needed, so just let us know.

We'll also be submitting a plot engagement with the information about "coming out" once the discussion around this post ends. We'll mostly be focusing on that + the HQ, and we're happy to provide starting details for the other projects (since some have been run by the mods already) to get you moving in that direction.

Thanks!!]

Comments

[rehandle]

Not at the moment. The warehouse we have is currently transitioning out of PRESERVE hands and will eventually be used for our public training. I imagine that space will again transfer back to a shelter and gathering point in future emergencies, and I'm not sure storing creatures there would be great for morale.

If anybody reading can track down some space, let us know.

@ian.fowler

[wittingly]

If we're converting the hoverbike garage into a usable space, I could completely partition a section off. Reinforce it, soundproof it if you're worried about people hearing it. It'll take a couple days, but I could make a room out of something a hell of a lot more sturdy than 2x4s and drywall.

Stick a reinforced cage inside of that and you've got two layers of security.

[rehandle]

That's a potential option, depending on how much space the plans for the training area conversion demand and whether we can acquire the resources to do both sets of work. But a separate venue would be preferable to avoid damage and drawing attention to the safehouse if there's ever a problem transporting creatures inside.

There's also the issue of the safehouses themselves currently being susceptible to underground attack. If something comes up through the floor again, walls aren't going to do much good.

We haven't drawn anything up yet. Do you have any idea of where you might be able to acquire the materials or would those need sourcing?

[ Just writing a shopping list... to drift back to El with... ]

[wittingly]

I'm an engineer, I work for Giles Bell. I have the resources, and I have an only-occasionally-useful power that works for exactly this.

I can also use it on the safehouse. I can bend matter. I can use any scrap of rubble or concrete we have. I guess if you wanna make it easier, have people start collecting it.

[unwings]

Given the mole creatures from the last attack, I have to agree, it'd be wiser to put distance between any kind of holding cell and innocents. Locks and warding can break, I'd rather we have a buffer of space to react to a breach.

We'd need to see what kind of materials are effective in containing them before assuming metal or concrete alone works.

[wittingly]

Metal and concrete works. I caught one of those horrific bats and kept it in a cage for days to poke it with stuff.

I mean, not those fucking moles, fuck those things

[unwings]

What concerns me about the moles is what connection there may be between these monsters. If they're able to communicate long-distance, we could have a mole burrowing in from the outside.

[wittingly]

We moved the bat to Vyonation and the moles didn't follow us. I did a few days of experimentation on it. I can tell you they're attracted to our glow, but they didn't seem to care about the bat at all.

[unwings]

That's valuable information, thank you. Clarke and I experimented with the glow during the siege. We were able to draw the creatures to us, and away from the stadium.

[rehandle]

[ Huh. Handy. ]

Good to know. Speaking of the safehouse, would you be willing to help work on the rebuilds? Your power may also come in useful in helping fortify the tunnels if we do go down that route.

[wittingly]

Sure. In terms of prioritization:

-garage exterior & interior
-garage soundproofing
-holding containment units
-safehouse rebuild 1 (Red Wings?)
-safehouse rebuild 2
-tunnel fortification

I have a day job so this is gonna take a few weeks to get through. Rearrange the list if you have strong opinions.

[rehandle]

[ It's a while later that he comes back to this - he needed to confer with Clarke and the accounts. ]

Sorry for the delay.

If it works for you, we'd like to ask you to help work on the garage from the underground up once we've gathered some material. So, prioritization:

Structurally securing the safehouse
Garage interior & soundproofing
Containment units
(Tunnel fortification)

The containment units and tunnels are subject to further research about evacuation plans and creature transportation, but the sooner we have the safehouse structurally sound the sooner people have somewhere safe to stay and after that preparing the garage will give us the canvas for both the training and the containment unit projects.

The outside we'll work on the old fashioned way. A man bending matter has a tendency to draw attention.

[ And, importantly - ]

You'll be saving us an awful lot of time, money and effort. We can compensate you by the hour or with free food and bar at Red Wings for an agreed duration.

[wittingly]

Either safehouse in particular you'd like prioritized?

During construction, some places section off the exterior of their buildings with temporary walls — plastic, particle board, or fabric like this. It doesn't have to be fancy, anything opaque will do. If you think it would be faster or easier to just block out the view than manually fix the exterior, that may be worth it. I defer to your judgment.

Please pay me in adoration and praise, profound respect, or sonnets in iambic tetrameter.

[rehandle]

We think it'll make the most sense for you to focus your efforts on the garage in full including its safehouse, but we won't turn down your help here if the bar's safehouse is a more convenient location for you. When we have one or other fixed up the garage becomes priority.

That's a good call. We'll source something to make that possible. For reference the exterior doesn't need to be pretty, just whatever needs doing to make it structurally secure again.

You drive a hard bargain.

[wittingly]

I think it makes sense to start with the sub-garage safehouse. Red Wings gets a lot of foot traffic, if there are people or things you don't want seen by the general public it's better to keep it away from the bar.

So it'll go

-safe house 1
-garage
-safe house 2

and you can sucker someone else into doing the painting, I fucking hate painting. It's literally as boring as watching paint dry.

Thanks, I was champion of the debate team. Not that we had one in Weaverville, but that made it really easy to be the champion.

[rehandle]

So long as that suits you. And don't feel obligated to come back for the Red Wings safehouse, El can help us handle it. It's only ever been a backup.

You're the construction not the decoration. Got it.

Ah, to be both top and bottom dog. We'll get you your first instalment by the end of the month.

[wittingly]

It was a bitter sweet victory, which ironically was also the team song

anyway, I'm on it o7

[rehandle]

Thank you. If there's anything else you need for the project going forward, let me know.

[ And he's just going to have to learn to expect freebies at Red Wings if he ever visits whether he wants them or not. ]

[strove]

Stephen, we can't start to expand on spaces we need when we don't have the resources to get them. That was the problem with preparations before. Let's focus on utilizing what we have.