24 February 2021 @ 04:54 pm
[
God, he really wishes he could post anonymously. Why isn't that a thing? At least it's just text. Anyway, alright. Introductions. ]
Hey everyone. My name's John Dixon. I just came in with the new arrivals, so sorry in advance for the dumb questions. Anyone who's been here a while is probably so used to this, you don't think about it anymore. At least I hope that's how it works. So: superpowers.
That's new to me. That's comic books and movies where I'm from.
The empathy thing, when you touch someone. Is there a way to turn that off? Short of just never touching anyone again, because in the safehouse, that's more complex than you'd think. [
If it's done deliberately, fine. He still doesn't like it, but it's not terrible if he knows it's coming. He'd like to avoid getting taken by surprise. ]
And the other powers, the [
how does he even... ]
blue ones. In our chests.
You all have them. How did you train yourself to use them?
Last thing, unrelated: I'm looking for work. I'm good with computers, building hardware and software engineering. I can fix pretty much anything (as long as I have the tools, which I don't yet). But honestly at this point I don't care if you just need an errand boy, as long as it pays.
Thanks.
16 January 2021 @ 11:47 am
@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.
15 January 2021 @ 08:53 pm
[ there are a number of smarter and more eloquent things one could ask as they awaken, months after they fell asleep, in bed with a pair of strangers. damian considers those things as he leaps out the window and makes a break for it.
instead, damian does this: ]What the HELL did you all do this time?
19 October 2020 @ 10:51 pm
[ A solid number of the Displaced are in New Beijing and he's gone home the last couple of nights to an empty apartment, so while the network is usually his very least favourite place to be... ]On behalf of Red Wings, a few housekeeping notes for those of you who are new here -
1. It's not the most private or comfortable lodging but you can stay with us for as long as you need.
2. If you need help or have questions and aren't sure where to go, pay us a visit. Clarke and I have both been around for over a year and between us, the other employees and Displaced clientele, if there are answers to be had you'll find somebody who can give them or at least point you in the right direction.
3. We're always hiring. Happy to take you on temporarily while you settle in or schedule you in long term, just get in touch.
4. The bar has a reputation for belonging to people like us and with that comes the curiosity of strangers. If you work with us, assumptions will be made about you. If you're staying with us and would rather not be the subject of attention, keep your glowing to a minimum.
And the main order of business - for everyone, a question:
Is there anything of yourself that was lost or changed in arriving here? An inherent ability you can no longer access, a power you've lost, old injuries now absent, an alteration in appearance or physiology beyond the standard trim. Anything you can think of. Similarly, anything you've retained that sets you apart.
If you're not comfortable sharing with the class, make it a private conversation. I'm looking for a more nuanced understanding of the current scope of ways in which arriving here has and hasn't changed us, to build a stronger foundation for creating and eliminating theories about how and why.
An example to start us off, I used to be a sorcerer. I'm human, magic was not common to my version of Earth, and my ability to use it was a learned skill that enabled me to harness energy from other dimensions and reshape it to cast spells. Theoretically, while I still have the skill it should be possible to utilize it anywhere, but I can't here. I have, however, retained all of my scarring and nerve damage from an old injury, suggesting at least that blending in isn't part of the consideration made when altering us.
Your turn.
19 September 2020 @ 06:34 pm
[ gross, talking to people. but needs must. ] I need someone to let me stab them.
I'll fix it.
Thanks.
13 September 2020 @ 01:46 pm
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!!]
04 August 2020 @ 01:24 am
[ The first thing to happen is a GPS pin made available for anyone to access - it's a building somewhere in a more industrial part of the city. ]New outpost undergoing setup. Anybody who can work to fortify or spare some time to protect it while they bring in resources, PRESERVE could use your help. After that, bear them in mind as shelter for civilians and a place to regroup if you're in that part of the city. If you have chance to factor them into your supply routes - do.
Eat. Sleep when you can. The fewer lives lost to exhausted mistakes the better. I won't ask you not to be heroes, just try not to be dead ones.
You know where we are if you need us.[ The "us" is loose here with this notice drafted and posted from somewhere out in the city - Red Wings, however, will be there with or without either one of its proprietors. The sentiment stands. ]( ooc: a little info about the outpost over here in case anybody wants to use it for anything! )
20 February 2020 @ 01:53 pm
So, about those "gates."
I was wondering, does anyone have much experience with metaphysics and quantum mechanics?
Because I've seen this kind of thing before.
29 January 2020 @ 05:07 pm
Anybody left in New Amsterdam who can spare an hour or two to help at the bar while the rest are away, I'd appreciate it.
As for the rest of you, take care, especially those of you who didn't have the time to prepare. Remember that you have resources available to you that your new friends don't. They made a move but you don't need to stay on the back foot.
Keep us updated, stay safe. If you need something seen to back here in the city, let us know and we'll do what we can.[ and by "us" he means "dear god let somebody else also still be here"
xoxo, the soon-to-be most exhausted man in new amsterdam ]
24 January 2020 @ 01:17 am
[ gross, talking to people. but needs must. ]There is someone infected with something, a drug or virus, that looks connected to other recent happenings:
• a monster attack, the first sighting of golden-eyed creatures
• a building on fire that the displaced were sent to, there were creature carcasses inside and burning their bodies produced a smoke that infected people with a fury that could only be cured by the displaced touching people
• the carcasses seem to have been turned into a vaped drug that produces the same rage effect and can be remedied in the same manner but the cure hurts like hell
• during the EMP blackouts, a small group of displaced ventured into the woods outside the wall and encountered golden-eyed animals in the wild, their bites also gave the same furious condition, these are the same animals that have been coming into the city since then, they die quickly
• these golden-eyed monsters were also found in a research facility, unknown if the rage illness was experienced there
Since traces of the monster DNA were found in people affected by the virus and they're healed the same way, I think it's safe to say it's all related.
People with golden eyes seem to be new and they are dangerous. We know how to counteract the virus, but it's harder to do when they're already stronger than a normal human without getting them or ourselves killed in the process. We need to cure them before anyone gets killed and before the UNA finds out. We need to figure this out.
Don't go looking for them by yourself and die from your inflated ego. We've only got the one medi-unit.
02 January 2020 @ 05:31 pm
In light of the trip to Mt. Everest some of you seem to wish to undertake, and with consideration for how preciously few of us are trained medical professionals, I have decided to offer a first aid course at the Safehouse.
I will strive to make this as extensive as time will allow it to be, and anyone – regardless of their stance regarding mountaineering – is welcome to attend. You never know when this kind of knowledge might come in handy.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask them here.
ETA: [Bad username or site: clarke @ griffin] asked me to add that those interested in the trip to New Oslo might wish to consider learning the basics as well. I believe she is quite right – the fewer risks we take, the better.
24 December 2019 @ 07:06 pm
For those of you I haven't introduced myself to yet, my name is Dr. Stephen Strange.
The more recently arrived may not know but thanks to the generosity of Morningstar we own two buildings in New Amsterdam: one is the garage above the current safehouse and the other is a bar under the sports stadium in the city.
The latter we intend to open soon as Red Wings, a working sports bar, with a view to ensuring financial independence and security for us as a group going forward. It's been in the works for a while, will operate under the management of myself and [Bad username or site: clarke @ griffin], and we're looking for a staff.
We'll need bar staff and security for busier periods. We're aiming to create as much opportunity as possible, so if you're interested don't hold back on letting us know. There's no application, no bar work experience necessary, we'll just need to speak with you to figure out suitability and availability. If you're interested in a security position I need to stress that power use is absolutely out of bounds, so experience will be a little more important here.
If any of the more financially established of you can volunteer time or resources while we get this off the ground, that will also be appreciated. Any of you with significant Cooltalk followings, I'd like to talk about collaborating to help us hit the ground running.
Any questions, interest checks, etc, you can get in touch with me here or with Clarke or myself personally via direct message.
03 November 2019 @ 01:59 pm
The UNA have been made aware of an impending attempt to infiltrate their HQ. They’ll be waiting for you. I’d advise you to steer clear.( ooc: the UNA have not in fact been warned at all (see this private thread), but he's got shoops to the contrary and he's ready to party! by party I mean try to make a few people think twice. )
28 September 2019 @ 12:32 pm
Time to talk?[ as in do you have but is it sits in there too, already answered by his reaching out. ]
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