tushanshu | Entries tagged with † raylan givens

[ The girl on the screen holds herself like someone who's used to being in front of a camera for an audience: she's comfortable and relaxed, her eyes on the camera instead of the screen, though she keeps tipping her chin down like she's looking over glasses she's not wearing. ]

My name's Georgia Mason. I know most of you probably don't recognize me, but I've actually been here for a while, so no need to do the whole welcome wagon thing or answer a hundred questions. Just the one, really: has anyone put together a single briefing packet we can hand out to newbies so we know everyone's on the same page and no one has to play twenty questions?

I'm well aware of the issues with translation when it comes to text, but you can't seriously tell me that having random people answer whatever questions you can think of while generally still in shock from having your whole worldview turned inside out, or watching and listening to literally hundreds of hours of posts hoping you come across what you're looking for is the preferable approach. So before I start compiling a Turtle City FAQ, could someone tell me if something like that already exists and just isn't ever used for some reason?

While we're at it, I know there have to be some computer programmers around here. Could we please get someone on some sort of Babelfish for these things? Because infodumps are a hell of a lot easier in text form, and I don't have the patience to re-edit a video every time I need to add something.

cowled

[When the video opens on Bruce, much of his 'friendly neighborhood playboy' demeanour is muted. He looks a little more serious than normal, though his tone and expression remain congenial enough.]

As some of you may have noticed, passports have been delivered to our suites. It's very likely that these herald another landfall, and given the fact that our population is significantly increased from what it was in November, I'd like to warn people about what we might encounter.

[Attached is a file, landfall.doc. It contains things like details on the llothi, the mausoleum, the ruins, the temperature, sorts of plants found, soil samples, etc.]

You have Miranda Lawson to thank for those. Sadly, she's no longer among us, but I doubt she'd want her research to go to waste.

[A slight pause, barely notable before he continues.]

And that brings me to my second point of business. At one time, a foreigner was keeping a list of people we might be looking for in the event that they arrive. However, I think it's past due we started a compilation of the names of those that have left us. Since disappearing from this place seems an almost instantaneous process, it could be weeks or even months before we become aware of some people's departure, and I believe that process is best expedited for everyone's sake. Most recently, at least to my knowledge, we've lost Miranda Lawson, Favrielle nό Eglantine and Lina Inverse.

[Not mentioning Jason Todd? Not mentioning Jason Todd.]

I'd appreciate any other names you might have.

Additionally, given the current state of Keeliai, I think it's an opportune time to rekindle the idea for a Foreigner-lead council. Councilman Tarrlok, a word to that effect? I think an elected representative from each Sector would be a good place to start.

And if there is anyone well-suited to the role, I'm happy to hold nominations.

sophos

[There are times when she really, really hates her dyslexia, and one of them is now, when she'd much rather do this in text. But it's too annoying, more time consuming than she wants to deal with right now, so avoidance via audio it is. Annabeth's voice is guarded but casual.]

I promised some time ago that when I spoke to the Emperor about looking at our individual futures I'd share the results. [A beat.] It works. She can do it. It'll cost you something, but it's within her ability and in my case, it was the truth. It's reasonable to assume it would be in others.

[There's an idle tapping noise and a slightly longer than normal silence before she speaks up again, a little less distanced, but there's still a new heaviness, if you've spoken with Annabeth in the past. She shifts in her chair, but the sound of it is... odd, more of a rustle than seated squeaks.]

I'm sure some of you have heard that Tu Vishan is making landfall soon, or at least noticed the kedan preparing for something. I doubt it'll be exactly the same environment as the last time that happened, but if this is new for you, there's something to be aware of, especially if you're planning on going ashore. The further you get from the turtle, the weaker any potential powers or technology get.

I think it's because the turtle is a power source - thus, the further we get from it, the less abilities and powered tech functions. Magic, for example, wouldn't be usable after a certain distance. If you don't have any of that, not much will change. It's slow, and you'll notice it happening, so at the very least, you shouldn't have to worry about some random weapon or ability suddenly ceasing to work. [She might have gotten this theory from another source but w/e w/e.]

If anyone's wondering what the last continent was like, ask away. Though there's plenty of others who went, too, that you could speak with, and continents are always different anyway.

andaway

[Kal-El seems to be posting from a cafe in the water sector, judging by his surroundings. A cafe that has seen better days. Kal's face makes it obvious he wasn't expecting the cafe to be in such a state when he got there, seeing all this go on without being able to help is really hitting him hard.]

Superman here. I'm aware the rationing is the hot topic nowadays but there isn't... much I can do about that. I will do my best to help out Roger's food bank and if anyone needs me to do so don't hesitate to contact me but for now you will have to forgive me for deviating from the topic.

This last month I have noticed a lot of foreigners that happened to have powers with them that were... not sure what to do with them at best, outright scared of them at worse. I want to help with that.

I am a super-powered being myself, we are called 'metahumans' in my world. I was thinking maybe there should be some kind of... way for us to meet, to talk about our problems. To train each other if our powers are similar, to help us out when it's needed. I'm not sure where I was going with this but that... well, that was my suggestion.

[A little shrug and a smile] I would like to hear people's opinion in it?

[Private to Evandau]

I was told you were in charge of the rationing?

kelpful

[Those who have seen it before might recognise that Percy is sitting in Annabeth's suite and using her console rather than his own] Okay, so, first things first. Sea prunes? Don't go there. And I'm saying that as the guy whose dad probably invented them.

[His fingers reach for a nearby pen and absently tap it against the desk before he scrawls something meaningless on a piece of paper nearby. People who have spoken to Percy before might not that he's more twitchy than usual, almost agitated.] Second, um. Are there any jobs going in places that are a little more Foreigner friendly? Apparent customers won't buy things from places if the person serving them calls them a jerk, even if they're being one. The managers don't seem to like it, either. Something without boring, repetitive tasks would be great, too. As it turns out, that's kind of hard to deal with when you're ADHD. [A beat. He fold the paper in half absently slides it into a nearby book.] And if any writing could be in Ancient Greek, that would be awesome. Dyslexics of the world untie, that sort of thing.

[He picks the book up and places it somewhere off-screen, seemingly unaware of what he's doing. A grin tugs at the corner of his mouth, and he laughs, a little sheepishly] Okay, so I don't do a great job at selling myself. But I promise, I'm hardworking. I'm resourceful, I don't mind manual labour, I can talk to sea creatures and horses, and I make a mean garden hose. And I really, really need something to do here, or else I'm going to lose my mind. And believe me when I say no one wants a crazy demigod on their hands. [He gives a small wave, and is about to disappear when he thinks of something]

Oh yeah! Apparently there are some people who don't know how to swim? I can totally teach you, if you want. Or...I dunno, take people on water rides around the turtle. Floating around in the ocean in a bubble is pretty neat, I'm just saying.

97_percent

First, I'll be honest and say I'm still not positive this isn't some disturbingly elaborate test the CDC's springing on me. Then again, if it is, I already failed before we got to the insane virtual reality part of our tour, so I guess it's best if I assume this is actually happening and go from there.

Second, contrary to popular belief, I'm not especially fond of being the bearer of bad news, but it seems to be my place in life, so brace yourselves. That little zombie outbreak you guys had a couple weeks ago? Consider it a dress rehearsal for what could happen in your near future.

When I arrived here, I carried a virus with me. It's called Kellis-Amberlee, it is airborne and highly contagious, and it nearly ended my world twenty years ago. I'm sorry. Honestly I am.

I suppose the noble thing to do would be to raise my hand publicly and let myself be sacrificed for the greater good, but I've been trying way too hard to stay alive lately to give up now, so I guess I'm sorry for being selfish as well. If it helps, there's no real guarantee getting rid of me would solve your problem anyway. I've been on the street, spoken to people, been breathing out virus particles the whole time I've been here. The virus is out there, it's probably spreading, and there's no way around it.

The good thing is, 1) you've got someone whose parents fought this war and won, and 2) I'm not sure it's contagious to the locals, and I'm hoping not, because that could be what keeps this from becoming an epidemic. I've attached a file detailing what I can remember off the top of my head about the virus, what it does, and the means of combating both it and the infected. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have and help in any way that doesn't get me shot in the head, but first I am going to go and take a long nap. Maybe it turns out this isn't real after all.

[ Attached is a file containing this basic information, but in a hell of a lot more detail. Replies to responses here will come ~12 hours later and from another anonymous console at another location in the city. Georgia wasn't kidding about that nap. ]

sophos

[It's absently on video, from her suite, and Annabeth looks a little distracted. So much so that it's a good few seconds of looking deep in thought at something off screen before she remembers to speak up. She adjusts herself, sits up a little straighter.]

Is there anyone who might have asked the Emperor about their futures? I've heard she can show you, in a sense. I need to know what that entails. I doubt it's something she'd offer for free.

[that's probably only the tip of what's distracting her atm tbh. If anyone thought she was intense before, it's like there's a little extra dark circles now. ]

ENCRYPTED 100%; ZATANNA
We need to talk. As soon as you can.

wintershepherd

[ Jack is feeling a lot better after some help from friends after the debacle on the Emperor's post and wanted to at least make his appreciation known, but he's also sort of embarrassed at the attention so he's sticking to text. Also today is kind of A Thing, so he wants to put that out there as well. Gotta help the fellow Spirits where he can! ]

thank you to everyone who was worried about me. sorry if I made anyone upset with what the emperor said... big misunderstanding. um. nothing to worry about.

hey if anyone sees a little guy with wings and a quiver today, please send him my way. he still owes me for winning our race in '31.

p.s. pasty is accurate, no harm done!

nolimitation

[ Olivia's looking down when the camera comes on, trying to find the right way to phrase this. When she finally looks up, it's with a thoughtful, worried expression, and she takes a deep breath before she speaks. ]

It's pretty obvious to me by now that having... abilities isn't exactly uncommon here. It is, where I'm from. I met a few people who did have... I guess you could say special powers, back home, and... Maybe it's just the circumstances those abilities came from, but to say the results were disastrous would be an understatement.

[ She glances away, pressing her lips together. Coming to the point isn't easy. If she were asking one person, that would be one thing, but she doesn't know who to go to, and letting everyone know just how clueless and confused she is right now... It's not her favorite thing in the world. ]

I was hoping someone with some experience with this sort of thing could tell me how you handle those abilities. How you control them. Something happened to me when the city was attacked, and... I don't want it to happen again. I don't want to risk hurting anyone.

neverleftharlan

[There is a cowboy on the network. No really. He has a cowboy hat and everything.]

Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, for all that means here. Won't waste time saying anything but hello to our newest. Got a job offer for whoever's interested. I'm sure by now we've all had our fuss over the Emperor's verbal spanking - yes? No? Want to throw a few more things? It'll do us all a world of good, no doubt.

[He sighs.] Talked to the folks upstairs and got permission to put together a temporary task force until the shell's repaired. Looking for those willing to work in teams and in shifts to keep our own clear of the damaged areas. I'd prefer none of us find out what the inside of a palace prison looks like, because for some reason I doubt it'll be so luxurious as the word 'palace' might suggest.

[A pause, like he's gauging his audience.] The creature we're all getting a piggy-back from is hurt. These people want to heal it, and they can only do that if we stay out of their way. Maybe we don't want to be here, maybe we weren't asked to come here, but the animal wasn't the one that done it and it shouldn't be the one that pays.

If you think you'd like to earn a little money and help protect something the person who rules this place likely values more than her own life, speak up. Even if you don't want to, think of it this way - you do this now, maybe you earn yourself a little favor down the road. If you think this is a terrible idea, well, too damn bad. You're welcome to try and play in the sewage sandbox, and I will happily see to it that you get dragged out by your ears and put in time out for being the children she seems to think we are.

Now who wants to hold hands with our neighbors and see what happens if we actually do as we're asked? Because I'll be frank, I'm a bit curious.

[Oh right. One other thing.]

The pasty kid she snapped at. Anybody know where I can find him?

ironwood

[The video opens on the Emperor, who is writing at a desk. She looks... composed, but with that hard-edged irritation in her that so many foreigners have come to know and either hate or be frustrated by. She sets her pen down and looks up. She is Not Here For This Bullshit, but children must be minded and the foreigners are little else, as far as she's concerned.]

As some of you may know, we were recently attacked by the undead. Despite your admirable efforts in turning away the enemy, some individuals who cannot seem to think beyond the end of their fists and considerable over-compensatory strength caused structural damage across the turtle shell. This damage caused significant collapse in ancient sewer systems.

My architects are working to repair the areas. Stay away from them. And no you may not help. Anyone caught in the area will be arrested and incarcerated for an indefinite amount of time.

If you've nothing useful to say, remain silent. My time is precious.

traumatizing

[Anyone's who's spoken to Terry over the network before might note that he looks a lot more comfortable on video than he usually does. (The key is knowing what you're talking about instead of awkwardly trying to talk to strangers.) He's just chillin' in his suite - sans jacket, even! - looking all calm and junk and using his Professional Adult voice.]

So, uh. [gesture] I'm going to cut to the chase. My name is Terry Ward, I'm a therapist and I'm setting up a free service - I realise some people might find this unnecessary or pointless, but all things considered I'm inclined to disagree.

[everyone feel free to point out he looks about 17 and not nearly old enough to be a therapist]

I specialise in fears, anxieties and emotional trauma, though before I got here I was working for the 50 State Initiative, which was a program backed by the... active Avengers for the purpose of training people with powers in the responsible use of those powers. As a result, I've got a lot of experience with grief counselling and helping people deal with being somewhere they really don't want to be.

Like I said, it'll be free - although if you happen to feel like donating, the money will go to my boss, who's kindly letting me have the room in exchange for some overtime here and there. I'll be based out of [building in the Earth District, it has it's own door in the back so you don't have to worry about going through the store or anything like that.

It's also, as most of you would probably assume, entirely confidential unless I have reason to believe you're a danger to yourself or anyone else.

[this is where a reassuring smile would go if Terry was that kind of person, but instead he clasps his hands together and nods briefly as if to say "yes I think those are all the things I wanted to say."]

Thanks for your time.

[fingerguns]

[... stares at his hands...] I'm sorry I don't... know why I just did that.

Anway, I guess if you've got any questions, I can answer them.

crotcharrow

[This is just the icing on the fucking cake. Really. He feels like it wasn't a month ago he was making one of these posts. Because it wasn't. And to make matters worse? He'd just sucked up his pride and apologised to her. They had been getting better.

He looks worse for wear and is rubbing at his eyes when the camera feed turns on. Doesn't look like he's really slept, because he hasn't.]

Kate's missing. I looked everywhere. All her stuff's here so I don't think she's like, gone anywhere for the night. But if anyone's seen her, lemme know? She's got long dark hair, and usually wears purple. Her name's Kate Bishop.

[He runs a hand through his mussed up hair and heaves a sigh. Really, what had he been expecting? Life's a bitch. He laughs weakly. Someone isn't looking too stable.]

...Yeah. Thanks.

[And the feed cuts out.]

magicalpadawan

[To all appearances, Molly has visitors in her little room in the Earth sector. If anyone is familiar with Disney movies, they might look somewhat familiar. One is a faun, the other a caterpillar, and the two seem to be sharing the caterpillar's hookah, immersed deep in conversation. If you listen close, you might even be able to hear the soft murmur of their voices, and what looks to be firelight plays gently on the ceiling.]

[Then, abruptly, Molly clears her throat and both the caterpillar and the faun are gone in an instant, leaving the soft flicker of colors in the background behind her. The young woman in question is seated, still a good distance away from her screen (just in case), and looking a curious mixture of slightly smug and a bit bored. When she speaks, she sounds cheerful enough, if still wary.]

I don't suppose there'd be anyone willing to tutor me around here? I'm getting kind of bored of sitting around with illusions, and I don't want to try fireballs in an enclosed space. So, uh, help?

neverleftharlan

[On comes the video. A handsome man in his early forties, wearing a Stetson, staring the screen down with the kind of suspicion typically reserved for interrogations.

And for about ten seconds that is all he does. When he speaks, it's with a thick Kentucky accent.]

I suppose, now I'm thinking about it, using this means of communication is an acknowledgement that this is in fact happening and I am not higher than a summer kite or having a trauma-induced hallucination of some kind. S'funny, I didn't figure myself as the type, but I suppose one never does.

I'm going to find a drink. Somewhere in this… [A pause that stretches long enough to indicate he's at a loss for words.] Extremely creative venture into the deep recesses of my apparently disturbed psyche. Because god knows if I'm in my head, there's got to be a puddle around here somewheres.

ironwood

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Tu Shanshu

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