@clarke.griffin & @lance.sweets

[strove]

@clarke.griffin
Hi everyone. This is @clarke.griffin and @lance.sweets. We wanted to give everyone an update, as well as give a rundown on some things moving forward.

First off, I know some of you just made it back from the Aerie, while others have been back for a while. For anyone who hasn't heard yet, the Aerie was a separate world where everyone was brought to it and given a new life, new memories, and new relationships. It wasn't an easy place to live, and some of us have only gotten a headstart in coping with what we went through. Still, not everyone's figured out the particulars, and a lot of us just got our loved ones back.

Perhaps most importantly, while we as a group tend to have weird things happen to us, this is the first time that the entire collective world has had a shared experience like this. Many of us came from situations where we were more prepared for this than most of the population of this world. Even if you're new, I'm willing to bet that this is the case.

Being in the Aerie changed us. I believe Lance can put this better than I can, but it's important to remember that you're far from alone in any of this. I'll let him delve deeper into this now.

@lance.sweets
‘Complicated’ is not even close to a strong enough word for the situation we’ve all found ourselves in, and there’s not really any sort of established framework for how exactly to deal with it. We’re all going to be figuring this out as we go along, but there are some key points to keep in mind.

The first is to remember that, for any similarities or differences there might've been, the people we were in the Aerie are not exactly the same as we were here before, or are now. Some patience and understanding with each other will go a long way in navigating what's happened. Additionally, the way in which each of us--including the native citizens--deals with this will be different, and so it will help if everyone can remember that and have no expectations for what others might do or how they may feel, or in what timeframe those occur. There’s no right or wrong way to come to terms with everything that happened, and that includes reconciling two entirely separate lives; some may treat who they were in the Aerie as another individual entirely, some may try to blend the two, and some may prefer the person they were in the Aerie.

But as Clarke said, none of us are alone in this, and that’s something that shouldn’t just be sentiment. As difficult as it can be, reach out to others if you need help; likewise, check in on each other whenever possible. It's very easy, in the midst of something of this scale, for individuals to get lost in the chaos if there isn’t a concerted effort to make sure that doesn’t happen. On that note, we also have people here who had arrived only days before the Aerie began and so had no time to establish any sort of support network, as well as new arrivals who can’t be forgotten about in all of this.

For those of you who have just arrived, hopefully you've found the network; although you'll be anonymous until your IDs are registered, you can still participate in discussions and read through older conversations, as well as access the new arrivals guide and the information compendium, the latter of which I believe is updated but I may have missed something. It'll give you something to do as a distraction from the current situation, at least. Additionally, if you have questions or need something brought to you, someone may be able to help with that.

[Lance probably more with the former than the latter, since he's not entirely sure if he can even get into the safehouse right now and doesn't care to test it.]

@clarke.griffin
If you're looking at the arrival guide and noticing that we need some updates, they'd be welcome right now. I usually handle it, but I'm not of a mind to be able to do so at this moment. [Which will be apparent soon for a particular reason—but also, she was doing a lot in coming back from the Aerie. Clarke always has her hands full, but she also knows she has to make good on her "I delegate I don't do everything" word. See, Gene—she can commit to her nonsense.]

Finally, our group has a bar named Red Wings. Both @stephen.strange and I run the establishment, though it's going to fall mostly to me for the time being. If you would like a place to help you get started here, or even get familiarized with the world, Red Wings is a good place to get started. We offer jobs to all Displaced, and we're only staffed by Displaced, making it so that it's a place where you can settle in on your terms. [Unsurprisingly, she isn't mentioning any code of conduct or her firing someone rather publicly. No need to draw attention to it.] And if that doesn't appeal, we do give free meals (and sometimes drinks) to our own on a regular basis.

Right now, just as we've done before, Red Wings has been converted into a community center to provide outreach and resources to our community. If you come and help out, you'll still be considered an employee and paid wages for helping out.

As a note, I'll be in charge of operations for the time being. If you helped Stephen with any of his responsibilities, let me know. I could use some help. [The point being to take the onus off of Stephen. This is how they manage things.]

We believe that covers everything. We know this is a lot to digest, so please feel free to ask any questions. Lance and I are here to help.

Comments

@quentin.coldwater

[filloryfanatic]

I'm on updating the Newbie Guide!

[strove]

Thanks Quentin.

@stephen.strange, private to @clarke.griffin

[rehandle]

I'll avoid attending in person to keep everyone comfortable but anything that can be handled remotely will be.

If you run into any problems, you can keep me informed.

[ It's a little too soon to be engaging with Sweets, but have an unceremonious hello, Clarke. ]

∞ private

[strove]

Of course.

Is there anyone I should keep away from you right now? Anyone you'd rather not see?

[Lance aside. She's definitely noticed the friction there.]

[rehandle]

No. There are conversations that are already overdue, and there will never be a right time for them. They'll happen when they happen. Just be aware that I've done significant damage to a number of our employees and friends and they'll likely be grateful not to have me mentioned in casual passing if Red Wings is to be a place of recovery in the short term.

If you need the list, I can have it with you.

I'll come in sometime soon to collect some things from the office and then I'll steer clear until I can come up with a long term plan.

[ Clarke's first question can read like plain practicality. The following was easily enough dismissed in the answer that his defences don't react, so he's given room to add - ]

If there's anything I can do for you from a distance, don't hesitate to ask.

[ They're still partners, even if he has to abandon her to the stresses of solo in-person management. ]

@anonymous

[cognitivus]

How often does something like that happen? This 'alternate lives' experience?

@lance.sweets

[lifetothefullest]

Only once on this sort of scale, though there was another occasion that was smaller in scope. I wasn't here for the latter, so Clarke can better answer questions about it.

[cognitivus]

I just finished reading the compendium. I probably should have done that before I asked. I wouldn't second guess your ability to answer questions, what you've written seems pretty thorough from an outside perspective.

How much of it have you lived through personally?

[strove]

Hey, so this was our second time with it. Last time we arrived as ourselves and were introduced to the world, and some of us, though not all of us, were slowly dragged in. There was a way that we could escape from the mindset of the other world in time, typically by holding us down and taking an object from us to break us free from it.

[cognitivus]

I take it the objects you mean are the ones referenced in the compendium?

@hafid.alghul

[batricide]

I can assist with whatever administrative tasks need doing. Just don't expect me to do any serving.
From what I've heard so far someone needs to reiterate not to trust strangers with secrets.

@lance.sweets

[lifetothefullest]

Although 'welcome back' doesn't necessarily seem appropriate, hopefully the sentiment is clear enough.

What do you mean?

[About the last part of that, not the admin stuff.]

[batricide]

Nothing.

[ he'd rather not shoot his mouth off and get into a fight so soon after getting back. ]

Welcome back is fine. You all seem to have had a miserable time in my absence.

[strove]

Sometimes strangers get secrets if you aren't in control of the situation. We've experienced that a lot lately.

I assume you'd like to take up accounting again?

[batricide]

Not what I'm referring to.

Accounting and whatever else needs to be done. I ran my father's company for a time, a bar is relatively simple in comparison.

@cal.amari

[kinkprofessor]

Thank you for emphasizing the importance of patience and understanding with one another as we move forward from those alternate versions of ourselves.

My skills are a bit specialized, I admit, but my offer to help with whatever I can still stands.

[strove]

Can you outline those for us again? I think that'll help.

@anonymous

[halfbloodhatchling]

Two important questions.

The population of this planet, outside of those of us who arrived, pretty much exclusively human? How's that work for those of us who can't exactly pass?

And you seriously can't get any chocolate? That's like, the best thing about humanity.

@lance.sweets

[lifetothefullest]

Yes. From what I understand of those who do appear nonhuman enough that they can't pass, they can explain the differences away as body modification. @torvan.garak can likely advise you better than I can.

Chocolate's available, but really expensive. Same with coffee.

[And that sucks. The future sucks.]

[strove]

It looks like you've gotten most of your questions answered. If you have any others, let me know. I can let you know where you can find some nice pastries. Even if they don't have chocolate, the alternatives are pretty good.

[Says Clarke, who had chocolate a whole One Time before she got to this world.

She is a very, very poor judge.]

@torvan.garak

[plainsimple]

The new lives were quite convincing. Did anyone see any seams in it, so to speak? Anything that could have shown it to be an illusion? I only ask because now that we have been pulled into something like that I am forced once again to weigh how real or not this is.

Also hello, Lance.

@lance.sweets

[lifetothefullest]

Only that I know there's a Displaced who remembered who they were the entire time they were in the Aerie.

[Which, you know, weird. And okay, everything about this conversation is totally normally and Lance was the one who pinged Garak in the first place, so he should've been ready for this, but somehow this is way more awkward over text than it was just meeting Amos in person.]

Hi, Garak. I feel like there's a dramatic "So we meet again" joke to be made here, but text kind of ruins it.

[strove]

I didn't know that one of us remembered.

Have you seen Julian yet?

@ren.amamiya

[variate]

I'll help out with whatever's needed.
If I don't know how to do it, I'll figure it out.

[strove]

There's no need to go with guess work here. Stephen's privately offered to help out, as long as you're willing to work with him.

[Yes, she put this publicly, partly as a blanket statement for anyone who might want to take up his tasks.]