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[Barabas appears on the video -- fully clothed, thank you -- with a sedate expression, cordial enough. Bright red hair is less styled than he'd prefer it (his kingdom for decent hair product, really) but he still looks sharp, put together. He's set his watch somewhere so that he's in fame, seated at a table, from about the chest up, hands folded in front of him.]

Hello. I've already met some of you, but for those of you I haven't had the pleasure of encountering yet, my name is Barabas. Everyone seems fairly alive, which is better than the alternative. There's a new vacation spot in town, complete with an off-brand Loch Ness Monster. What more could anyone ask for?

[He spreads his hands.]

As... charming... as this place is, there is a disturbing lack of information infrastructure. Even Astoria doesn't quite seem to be able to keep track of who is coming and going at all times -- since the last bunch of us were apparently unexpected guests. I don't exactly find that reassuring. It does not make me feel warm and fuzzy.

[At all.]

In that vein, I think we should address this, put in place some way to keep track of who is here, who is no longer here, the abilities we each possess. [He ticks these items off on his fingers.] And a collection of information of the places that Astoria has sent us, and the general outcome of each trip. And really any other useful things to know, for all of us, and those who may be brought here in the future.

[A smile now, no teeth, but still pleasant.] Sadly, I'm only one man, so I suppose what I'm looking for is twofold:

First, would anyone be willing to help gather and compile this data?

Second, those of you who've been here longer than I have, perhaps we can chat about your experiences.

[ lotor has kept mostly to himself, since the return from struxta, with some rare exceptions. for someone who has chased his destiny for 10,000 years, he felt woefully unprepared at dealing with the consequences of it all falling apart. and so, he's kept quiet, mulling over what he plans to do. how he plans to wield his time, here. what chess pieces he is going to move next.

ultimately, lotor decides that sulking is pointless, and keeping himself isolated is even more pointless. no, he needs new connections, and new "friends" (whatever), and to explore the circle more than he has. he had been so wrapped up in ensuring that allura was safe (and simultaneously quasi-begging for her not to kill him) that he forewent all other connections.

allura is a dead-end. this is (likely) more worthwhile.

so, enjoy a sudden message on your magical watches of a lavender total dream-boat dumpster fire. you're welcome, circle. ]

Now that all of us seem to be more or less healed . . .

[ what moron sends a group of people into a contaminated hellfire without proper decontamination procedures. astoria is an amateur. ]

We all seem to come from far stretches of the universe, and some of us have asked questions. Some have asked the same one I am about to pose, so forgive the repetition. I'm certain most of you have some sort of basic understanding of your universe in comparison to others, but I confess I'm more curious than most -- to my own detriment, more often than not.

[ lotor pauses. ]

This witch -- [ and lotor says the word somewhat disdainfully, but it likely isn't too noticeable unless you know him personally. lotor has Negative Feelings about witches. ] -- seems to have dragged us here from all walks of life, but seems to lack an understanding of how or why . . . is there a pattern? Likely not, but for the sake of data -- What is your world like? Your culture? Your language, or your understanding of technology? Has your species achieved space-travel yet, or is this a new concept to you?

[ he pauses, again, before shrugging his shoulders. ]

And, in anticipation of the same questions being turned on me, and some of the individuals remaining in the Circle spilling my deepest and darkest secrets -- my name is Lotor. I am the Emperor of the Galran Empire, a warlike space-faring species that has conquered most of the known universe. [ for someone sharing that he's in charge of a warlike conquering species, lotor doesn't look too concerned at how that relevation is going to destroy his reputation. ] I am recently in charge; our past leader had much to be desired, and I am seeking to shift the goals of my species into something less self-destructive and something more productive. [ he seems to skip smoothly over that. ] My species has no homeworld; it was destroyed some time ago, which then spawned a war. No Galra has known a home planet since; I was born on a space station.

[ lotor seems to consider all of that, weighing out whether or not he wants to go on -- but he seems to think that's enough to chew on, for now, and he folds his arms over his chest. ]

Anyone else? New members? Old? Information in exchange for information, of course. I'll answer questions as I'll receive them.