ᴏᴏ2 ( ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ) | ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀᴅ ǫᴜᴇᴇɴ

[insubordination]

So.

[ it is a public message, to the network, that pops up on the circle's watches and roy looks Less Than Pleased (tm) with the sudden state of affairs. the weather in the temple is absolutely out of control, there are apparently weird cakes appearing in the kitchens, and the fighting ring has turned into a magical court. great.

so, that may be the reason why roy's tone is particularly clipped, or even frustrated. but he seems methodical, in his words, and he is sitting at a table with a notebook, a glass of water, and a weird looking lizard on the table that has an odd rainbow-shift to the scales.

( ignore the lizard. it seems roy is. ) ]

The Circle is currently compromised of people of a variety of talents; soldiers, magicians, teenagers . . . all of us have particular skills to contribute to the cause of whatever it is we're meant to do here. I know quite a few people [ like maes, and barabas ] have been keeping track of various magical powers that we have been gifted, and organized some semblance of structure -- all of which is necessary. But we have to acknowledge what happened to Akvos.

[ he pauses, there. ]

Astoria has not been entirely clear with the Circle on what our purpose is. That may be an innocent error, or a purposeful move to win our trust. I'm not here to argue the merits of whether or not we should trust her, but we have no choice but to participate in whatever world she sends us to. Whether we like it or not, we are stuck there until she brings us back, and we have some opportunity to assist whoever is there. We cannot depend on her to figure out what to do in order to prevent another Akvos, or -- it seems, another El Minha, given King Kathashun is no longer in his own world.

[ roy taps the pen against the table once. ]

I don't have any solution as to what we did right, or wrong, or whether or not it was our fault in the first place. But I want to begin the conversation to work to prevent it again, and seeing as Astoria is either not willing or not capable of explaining herself at the moment, we need to learn to work without her. What are we missing? What do we need to work on? And what can we do in order to be more organized before our next world?

[ and, finally, roy feeds the lizard one (1) piece of lettuce, which it lazily seems to chew on. ]

I'm of a mind we need to organize fighters, healers, and transporters, but I'm open to ideas and suggestions -- and questions, about previous worlds to those who were not there to experience them. I have been to El Minha, Struxta, and Akvos. And I'm certain "older" members of the Circle will be happy to share their experiences, too.

( filtered to maes + riza )

[ almost immediately, his expression turns from serious and leaderlike to tired. ]

Who wants to keep notes?

[ PLEASE DON'T MAKE HIM DO IT :( ]

( end filter )

( ooc: please feel free to threadjack in this post! especially if you want to use this to foster CR and/or build "teams" that roy is looking to enlist. c: )

Comments

[sendinthecavalry]

Yeah, yeah. The witchy stuff is getting pretty old real quick. 'Mysterious benefactor' loses its shine after a whole bunch of people get wiped out.

[The aftermath of the jump has been...hard, to say the least, and between his previously building concern regarding Astoria and this latest twist- Cayde isn't pleased.]

Struxia had some bad weather, but after all of this- [Akvos] we gotta take a few liberties ourselves. People that can't fight shouldn't be thrown into warzones, period. At the very least, we gotta make sure people know how to defend themselves. I'd prefer armed, but something tells me that isn't really gonna happen.

[insubordination]

[ a soft huff of agreement. civilians not being in warzones is something roy will always fiercely agree with, but sometimes, it just isn't an option. especially in this idiotic hellhole. ]

The Temple also strips us of any abilities that don't seem to mesh with it, which also complicates matters. I don't doubt that many of us have natural gifts that would have suited Akvos well.

[ not that roy would have been able to really use flame alchemy in akvos, but he could have used the truth. if he wanted, anyway. ]

The fighting arena has some older weapons available for use, but nothing of great consequence unless we seek to properly arm people. I have some weaponry I took from Akvos and El Minha, but not a great deal. We can only carry so much on our person before we're yanked back to this stupid place.

video; threadjack

[spaceforged]

For now we can't ensure we're all armed. I think next time we have the chance to arm everyone we can, we should.

Too many worlds seem require some kind of combat. And I agree, we need everyone to have some working knowledge of how to defend themselves and possibly field first aid.

[He jots something down and with a glance at the watch again his brows come down. Shiro is among those far from pleased with their situation. They need to work together more or more worlds will be lost.]

It's also a good idea to get everyone's level of technological experience and bring everyone up to the same level. There's always a chance we'll get another world with highly advanced tech and no one should be at a disadvantage.

[spellweave]

Every situation we are thrown in does seem to dissolve into a fight. There seems to be little use for any other skill. [He sounds kind of bitter about it...]

It may be beneficial to teach non-combatants how to defend themselves but that alone does not always suffice, as I myself harshly learned in Akvos. I would say establishing a camp of some sort just for Circle members that can be defended may be beneficial as well but that would largely depend on the world we are placed in.

[rightfully]

I am trained in combat. I would be willing to gather with others who are similarly trained to form some basic tactics that are executable within an unknown landscapes.

[ That's thrown out there for anyone to respond to. (Join her, fellow warriors!)

As for the rest of the broadcast: ]

I admit, I am rather behind - none of the worlds before Akvos are familiar to me. If someone can explain the importance of King Kathashun, I would be grateful.

[ There may be more. More concerns, more queries, more thoughts - but nothing that she's so willing to say openly. Erring on the side of discretion is still her modus operandi. ]

[insubordination]

[ he doesn't respond to the first offer, simply notes it (or, rather, riza notes it) for future reference. the second question is a bit more relevant to him, and so he answers it. ]

King Kathashun was a young ruler that inherited the throne in a kingdom known as El Minha, which was our first journey in the Circle. It was divided amongst a criminal underground, known as the Syndicate, and the Crown Guard. The Guard staged a coup to throw King Kathashun off of the throne, and the King possessed unique magical abilities that seemed to only be inherent in the Royal bloodline.

[ he pauses, writing something in his notebook, before continuing. ]

In the end, the King remained on the throne, but something must have happened after our leave, if he fled the Kingdom. He seemed genuinely dedicated to his people. We also don't know how he managed to leave El Minha at all, but he did possess . . . powerful abilities, that we don't know a lot about. It's possible he's able to go through worlds too, but that's pure speculation.

[invasif]

General.

[ There is a great deal concealed in that single greeting. Perhaps a hint of laughter at his obvious frustration, bemusement at his attempt to organize in this void of authority, and maybe even a hint of rebuke that he would try. She's the queen, after all. ]

[insubordination]

My lady.

[ in an equally dry, somewhat teasing tone. ]

How are you finding the weather?

[ the . . . snowing . . . rainy . . . sunny weather. ]

video;

[cargoed]

[ lance has been having....well. conversations is one way of putting it? about this topic already. what they did in akvos, what they didn't do. organizing does seem like the best way of going about it all, but this kind of looks like a start?

it's also relatively relieving to know there are others who are willing to take a more practical look at it. lance wasn't about to message the network, but he probably should have. next time? ]

And some of us have a few talents, but I don't know if being a teenager is one? Some of us get as far as defender of the universe before we hit eighteen, so.... [ is he shrugging very very humbly right now? and not at all looking smug and like roy should be impressed? hmm. interesting. ]

But when you say organized- do you mean like a military unit? Or like...school? Are we going to be running drills? [ U G H ]

video;

[insubordination]

Quite the proactive teenager, volunteering for running drills like that.

[ without missing a beat; roy recognizes lance's type, because he, too, was once a shitty teenager, and unlike a lot of adults, he remembers what it was like to be a stupid kid, and deliberately forces kids to learn the lessons he did in a manner that is not fun.

you know. like a real parent. ]

Does oh-six-hundred sound adequate for a start time, or should we aim for something a bit earlier?

video; | threadjack.

[wraithes]

Defender of the universe?

[ literally nothing else you said was interesting, lance, sorry. ]

video; filtered.

[efface]

[ S I G H S ]

I'm already taking them, sir.

[ because she never expected him to do so. ]

video; filtered.

[insubordination]

My hero.

[ in a dry tone, but an appreciative one!!!! truly a hero and a scholar, our riza hawkeye. :') ]

We should cross-reference the volunteers with Maes and Barabas' various research efforts, to see if these people are actually forthright with information, and if they're reliable. And start compiling information on who has been to what world, to keep track of where we go in this never-ending journey to God knows where.

text.

[ketterdamned]

[ because like hell he's using video.



but hey- look. someone had the same idea. not that kaz is about to share what he's gathered, or ask if they're actually planning on - you know - arming the rest of the circle. but it's good to know someone is making decisions. ]

Is there a place to access the list of magical abilities in the Circle?

text.

[insubordination]

[ a new name, hm. not one he recognizes. and asking the right question. ]

Maybe.

What would you add to the list?

[ YOU FIRST, KID. ]

video;

[nogoldenmirror]

...There were some among us who depended on that insufferably vague woman for such?

[She's just... going to sigh and continue cleaning her makeshift chemistry set. Pay no attention to her eye twitching; it's probably fine.]

As I've stated before on that doomed world, [Sugarcoating? What's that?] -I am no healer, but with my knowledge of herbalism I can craft healing draughts. I'm also a shapshifter, which you have seen.

Now, where would one find that list you so casually mentioned? [That lovely makeshift office that she should leave her notes on the runes they studied?]

video;

[insubordination]

Not with me; I can't be trusted with something so important as that.

[ if the list even exists, or is current, at all. that was the job of someone else, and while roy had objected to it then, he had difficulty denying the usefulness of such a thing now. ]

But your powers would certainly be a useful thing to add to such a list, given our need for quick evacuations.

[ miss dragon. ;) ]

[Video]

[spaceforged]

I agree we need to organize everyone willing to do so. We should at least have emergency procedures in place for crisis situations. Places to go to. Fall back points to go to we know are usually safe.

[He'd like more people to add their names to the list but, people can't be forced. No one signed up voluntarily for this Circle.]

For people who wish to avoid combat altogether, they should at least get a crash course in basic field first aid.

[Video]

[insubordination]

Riza, Maes, and I can provide that type of training.

[ serving in an active warzone leads to knowing how to bandage up bullet wounds fairly quickly, even if that's not necessarily your area of expertise. and roy has burned more than a few wounds closed to stop bleeding, however brutal it sounds. ]

It wouldn't be difficult to train the civilians in basic combat, either. At least self-defense.

video

[shootstyles]

[Was it really necessary to call out teenagers...? he thinks. But that's not important. Instead what's important is how is brain is moving at a rapid-fire pace as he goes back to thinking about all his Hero Analysis notebooks. He knows exactly what this guy is thinking and maybe... he can help.]

Umm. If we have a registry of everyone's powers, it might be useful to think of how we can group them together in combos beyond uniting people around similar functions. Often, powers can be combined for improved effectiveness all around or to alter them to make them more applicable in one situation or another. That way people can better respond to situations that arise if they know what they're able to do alone and with certain others...!

[HE'S BEEN CONTAINING THIS FOR A LONG TIME.]

video

[insubordination]

[ it is always necessary to call out teenagers.

there's half a laugh, at the sudden rush of information, and roy holds up a hand. ]

Slow down, slow down.

[ amused. ]

Start with your name, and work your way up.

text

[fuck1ngusernam3]

if ur already wasting ur time herding everybody n2 teams dont waste more explainin shit over n over just go write wat h appened n tell the newbies 2 text barabas or maes 4 directions 2 their office. were fucked either way unless sum1 figures out that rift shit but u might as well point ppl toward the records we already have. thats wat theyre 4

text

[insubordination]

[ welp. ]

You're in a delightful mood.

I've found people tend to have questions outside of the records available, but thank you. I'll provide that information in addition to what's already available.

[bestaround]

We don't have to continue letting her throw us around to all these worlds, do we? Isn't Astoria around here somewhere?

[rightfully]

What are you proposing?

[ It's asked in a withholding, too-even tone. ]

[punshots]

I, uh. [ swallowing, pausing, and trying again: ] I-I can...

[ This...isn't how he wanted to respond to this, but he's still a boy very much shaken by recent events. Even so. ]

I'll help, however I can. I know how to fight, and can run fast...I could take pictures of people in the Circle? Like a directory, I guess. Might...might be handy.

[ Or maybe he's just wasting time, trying to prove useful. ]

[taketori]

All things considered, that would be nice. It may serve helpful to newcomers to ascribe faces to names.

[ Also for him, since he barely knows who anyone is still. ]

text

[deadandred]

If you've got a list: I know some soldiers you can add to it. If they're willing to be added.

text

[insubordination]

Which soldiers?

video;

[infailtration]

[ York is holed up in his room hiding from the weather, trying not to put Akvos under a microscope and failing. What did they do wrong? Will they ever know? He knows he tried his best personally but who knows what the majority of the circle was doing or thinking, the fact is they weren't organized and maybe that was necessary. Maybe Roy has a point. As much as York shies away from types that want to give orders at this point in his life... he's listening. Just looks a little wary as he replies. ]

Did we split our efforts too much, maybe? I'm not the best to lead or organize [ despite his constant efforts back in the day, no one ever listened to him ] but I didn't see anyone doing that once the fighting started, in Akvos. It was a free for all and we might've all taken different sides and kept the battle going, or not poured enough magic into closing the rift, or whatever -- there may never be a clear reason it went wrong. But trying to organize means taking a side in those situations, it's gonna be tricky.

I wasn't around for El Minha or Struxta... those worlds are okay? Were they at war too or were their problems more clear-cut?

video;

[insubordination]

El Minha involved a complicated attempted coup, but it wasn't from a so-called rightful claim to the throne . . . there was a class divide between the poor and the rich, and the poor were throwing their lot behind a criminal enterprise known as the Syndicate, and the Crown Guard attempted to seize control of the throne from a young King who wanted to mend the divide of his recently dead father. It was relatively fine until a Crown Guard shot a little girl in the street, and all hell broke loose after that. King Kathashun managed to get the people to rally behind him, in the end.

Struxta, on the other hand, was a natural disaster. A lightning storm was going to decimate a city compromised entirely of robotic beings, who were all connected to something called the Mass Subconsciousness. Both, at the time of our leaving, seemed to be relatively fine.

[ he pauses, there. ]

But we were more organized, in both worlds. We had a relatively clear idea on what we wanted to accomplish. Akvos split us up in a way that we obviously were not prepared for, and we need to account for that possibility again in the future. We can't afford to waste that much time again.

[besieging]

A willingness among our numbers to cooperate, organize, and take orders is the first step. It seems to me that we have many who are more used to giving the orders than to following them.

[ Which, honestly, includes Ephraim himself, but he'd be perfectly pleased to not be in charge of thinking. He knows what he's about.

(He's about hitting things.) ]

[insubordination]

[ it's a good point. ]

I'll be the first to admit that I tend to lead more than follow, but I would think that anyone with a shred of military training is used to taking orders when necessary.

[ roy included. ]

But we do have a lot of . . . large personalities, to say the least.

video;

[taketori]

[ Are teenagers really that special that they need to be called out?? Well, no matter. It's understandable that most teenagers wouldn't be as experienced in either life or adventure as some adults may be. Shirogane though, can't help but be a little put off by it.

Basically. It's true but he shouldn't say it!!! ]

I'm perfectly willing to accommodate wherever I may be needed, and organization could do nothing but help. I feel like in that respect, it may be good to have a check-in every so often to gather information and come up with a strategy to move forward.

I know for myself, I'll be trying to keep up as much as I can.

[ Provided that he goes somewhere less surrounded by water. ]

video;

[insubordination]

[ teenagers are always a group that need to be called out, because that's totally how you get teenagers to respond to your boring adult voicemail, ok ok. ]

A check in would be a good thing to have . . . a permanent sort of listing. Maes and Barabas have a check-in for powers and abilities, but a general census is a good idea. We need to be able to know who is here and who isn't, and who can help and who can't.

[ hm. ]

Would you suggest it once a month, or so? Give or take. It's hard to keep track in places like this, but we would obviously do our best.

video

[fairysong]

[She's so tired of feeling useless. Of not being able to contribute in any meaningful way] I don't know. What can we do to stop magical rifts from collapsing and destroying entire worlds? Do you know how to stop that?

[She says, the tension audible in her voice, even if she's trying to not show it.]

My power isn't very useful for anything but making music, but... [She trails off, and makes a sound like a verbal shrug.]

I know how to fly an airplane.

video.

[spaceforged]

Piloting is a skill we could definitely use. There's no telling what worlds will offer and the more pilots we have, the more we could use transports if they're available.

[He keeps his tone even in stark contrast to hers that tells him to tread carefully. For her sake.]

Is it just planes you can pilot or are you trained in aircraft as a whole?

video;

[romancekiller]

I'm still fairly new here since the recent world jump was my first one but I think it's a good idea to get everyone organized though.

I don't have much combat experience but I have more medical experience and healing powers so I can help in that aspect if people need it.

video;

[insubordination]

Healing powers are always in high demand, so your service would be appreciated.

[ more healers, more healers. it's a good power to have. ]

What's your name?