@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

@anonymous

[cognitivus]

If I could go on record as a current resident of the supremely disconcerting locked underground vault:

Containing a dozen emotionally heightened strangers in cramped quarters with no familiarity or trust in the intentions of their captors on its own is a precarious choice. If the objective is to help new members of your Displaced find stability and integrate, you'd be surprised at the kind of building resentment that can occur over the course of a few days. There is, among some, a quickly breeding discontent. Particularly if the wrong combination of personalities feed off of one another, or clash with one another. It also doesn't take into consideration the mental health of those individuals, any pre-existing disorders or phobias, or the state of mind for people who have bad associations with nonconsensual imprisonment.

It's been mentioned to me that previous groups had been given the freedom to move around in a bar; a social setting with already integrated people and the ability to see the world outside of a stasis chamber would be a far better alternative.

Also.

Windows. Seeing sunlight over the course of four traumatic days might be slightly nice.

( In other words, he's coming off of intense chemical gaslighting and false imprisonment, woke up to intense chemical alterations and imprisonment, and he can feel the distress of a dozen people simultaneously.

)

[lifetothefullest]

These are all very good points and brought up in a more detailed way than I'd done so before, so hopefully they won't be disregarded as easily as my objections have been.

[He'd been trying to put things in politer, more vague terms so as not to make anyone feel particularly guilty for the sort of harm this could do to new arrivals, since it's clear enough that the reason for all of this at least comes from a good place.

But considering the reactions he's gotten, he's feeling less charitable, and it's also nice to see someone else articulate all the same things he's been concerned about; sometimes he wonders if he's the only one who thought this could be so damaging.]

I'm sorry this is something you have to go through. I'd offer to accompany you outside the safehouse for awhile, but last time I tried to do that it didn't go over well.

@anonymous

[thebluewraith]

[Fenris has been avoiding this public...thing...even with assurance that his presence would be anonymous until he gets something called an "ID" set up — not to mention he both understands (in that he feels some inherent knowledge he doesn't know how he possesses, very unsettling) and doesn't understand how it all works. It's maddening. He shouldn't even been able to read as well as he can this. He hates it. This manipulation of his mind.

But this is something that's important and relevant to his current situation.]

What happened last time you attempted this?

[lifetothefullest]

[Since everyone's anonymous he has no idea he's talking to someone entirely new, but either way his answer would be the same.]

My ability to open the safehouse door was revoked. I'm actually not sure if I've gotten it back yet, since the Aerie happened just a day or two later.

[thebluewraith]

From the way you speak, it does not sound as if your plan was to help them escape.

[Not that he would be pleased with this answer if that were the case (he would approve, to be frank) but it would be far less upsetting. It would sound less like they were being treated like caged dogs.]

[lifetothefullest]

If it were up to me, the door would just be left open, because new arrivals have a right to make their own decisions about whether to come and go once they have the risks explained to them and the compulsion drugs have worn off.

However, I'm well aware of how unpopular that opinion seems to be. I thought that accompanying a new arrival on a walk would be fine, though, and would help them feel less trapped, but apparently that was also not acceptable.

[thebluewraith]

So we're treated like dogs on a tight leash.

I am new here, and while I did not think more context would warm me up to the situation, it is good to know my instincts about this place were correct. I thank you for being upfront about it.

[lifetothefullest]

You're welcome, though I wish I could be telling you differently; I agree that this is pretty much the worst first impression that could be given to anyone finding themselves in this situation.

Once you're out of the safehouse the actual situation day to day is better than it seems now, but I understand if that's difficult to believe.

cw: metaphorical description of violence?

[thebluewraith]

Those in power often have a hold so tight that even when it opens the palm of its hand the people's bones are crushed and they can barely function without. I've seen it.

[That is to say, he's not sure things will be much better when he's allowed to leave. Maybe slightly, but that's all.]

[lifetothefullest]

I'm definitely not going to argue that isn't the case here, at least to some extent, just that it could be worse. Of course, that isn't saying a lot since it's really low bar, just that things should improve from where you are now rather than get worse.

[thebluewraith]

You've been seemingly reasonable so I won't discount this entirely.

[That's...a compliment, he swears.]

But if what I've been reading and seeing of this place is to be true, more will come after and be put in this same position. Something must be done about this.

[lifetothefullest]

Thanks.

[Not the greatest endorsement ever, but still better than he usually gets. He's really pretty surprised no one has jumped in to yell at him yet, actually.

But as for the problem of the next group of arrivals--]

Yeah. Now that everyone is back from the Aerie, the people we'd need to talk to who are in actual control of the whole safehouse thing have returned, so maybe something can get done before the next set of new arrivals.

[Although that's... Extremely optimistic, considering everything that happened and who the people he'd need to talk to are. Still, it's worth a try.]

[cognitivus]

Remind me what the risks are?

[lifetothefullest]

Without a registered implant you can't open doors or use any of the standard technology, and from what I understand it's basically unheard of to be without registration and so you're a target for investigation by the police if noticed.

[cognitivus]

Seems a little bit like expecting a parking ticket during a forest fire, given what I understand about the state of the world right now.

What's the standard processing time for an investigation here? I worked in criminal psychology, I'm familiar with the process; the bureaucracy alone can take weeks.

If the IDs are created within 4 days and over 24 hours are spent in isolation until the drug in our system wears off, that leaves more or less a 72 hour window. If the ID creation resolves before the investigation, could it feasibly be chalked up to some kind of system error?

[lifetothefullest]

[Okay, before he addresses the rest of that very good point, he has to ask--]

What area of criminal psychology?

[But back on topic--]

You're right, though, and that's a good point. I don't know enough about how law enforcement or investigations are done here to answer that, and I think some concern may be that in this case it wouldn't necessarily be done by the book, but it's still a valid point.

And at the moment you're right that there are much larger concerns for the police to be dealing with. The new arrivals who came in while the safehouse was destroyed were able to get by on that while the police were preoccupied with other issues, so there is precedent.

[cognitivus]

Criminal profiling for homicide offenses.

( what a rare and unique field criminal profiling is, surely nobody else here is in this line of work, what are the odds )

I suppose a case could be made that 'not by the book' could mean being driven by an outside party with nefarious intent, or rather that corners would be cut to expedite the process & less than savory interrogation would come into play still within the confines of the legal system.

Both of those things could be mitigated with precautions that don't include a holding cell.

[lifetothefullest]

What a coincidence. With what organization?

I'm in agreement, and if people are aware of those risks and choose to still take them, then they should be allowed to. People make risky and illegal decisions all the time as a part of life.

[Not that he necessarily condones that, but you can't lock someone up because they might get in legal trouble, outside of some very rare exceptions that aren't in play here.]

@kyna.medina

[evocation]

wait, you got banned from the safehouse?

[lifetothefullest]

Tragically.

[evocation]

oh my god, lance

[lifetothefullest]

In the grand scheme of things this is pretty minor for me.

[evocation]

who banned you?

[lifetothefullest]

Gaby, as far as I'm aware.

[evocation]

what happened exactly?