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[ the weather is . . . insane, at the moment, given the sudden shift in every single quadrant of the temple making it spring, summer, winter, and fall simultaneously. roy has steadily been ignoring it, focused instead on collecting information, and preparing for the inevitable next world jump.

that being said: ]

I hope this place picks one season, soon.

[ tiredly, as he shakes the snow out of his hair. someone has recently been through the snowy abyss that is the winter section of the temple. it looks like, from the background, that roy is in the kitchen area. the fire-brick oven is just behind him. ]

At any rate, we've recently lost a slew of members, and we need to regroup, and calculate who is missing, and who is still here. We had a successful trip, for the most part. [ ilde's meltdown excluded. ] Hopefully our good luck continues. I think we've all come to the agreement by now that this place can turn on a dime.

[ roy pauses, again, before his face settles into something a bit more somber. having been here since the very start, roy is used to this song and dance by now. it's only a matter of time before people are sent home, and he runs a hand through his hair, shaking out the last of the snow. ]

So. Who have we lost? And who is still here? And does anyone have any bets on what is coming next?

[ at the very least, roy is here to listen. ]

[ roy is seated in a secluded area of the temple that many may recognize as maes and barabas’ office. he has a notebook in front of him that a great deal of stuff seems to be written in, but roy himself doesn’t have a pen in hand. those paying careful attention may recognize that the writing in the notebook is, indeed, roy’s handwriting, but it’s certainly not legible.

anyway. roy looks a bit tired, but in relatively good spirits, despite what he suffered on the horologium. he’s been relatively quiet, since coming back to the temple -- focused on recovering, catching up with his closer circle of friends and family, and preparing himself for what he had to do next, which is, incidentally, address the circle.

And so, roy clears his throat. ]

( tl;dr )

You left me to die.

[ Soft with buried rage and spite. ]

[ On the video feed today, a tired looking young man appears in the lounge. Miyuki has been going through notebook after notebook, and he's been up again trying to determine what the hell he could be doing. He's finally decided on turning on the watch. ]

Good afternoon. This is Miyuki Shirogane-- apologies if I've been a bit quiet lately. I've been spending a lot of time in the lounge attempting to get my bearings. I've... well, never been in space, and I wanted some time just to take it all in, I guess.

[ It was hard to deny that he had been spending an absurd amount of time stargazing. His childlike dreams come first! ]

That being said, I figured... there may be others who may not know what's been going on so well, so I was wondering if we could consolidate our information. I don't know if that's something we'd want to do through the video feed, or meet up somewhere to do so, but I figured I would put the idea on the table. I'm willing to take notes down, if necessary.

[ A pause. ] I figure as well, it may be good to... check on whether or not there's anyone who may be missing. If there's someone out there that hasn't been accounted for in a while.

Thank you for your time.

(( of course, threadjacking encouraged!! let's spread the joy and the info! ))

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 )

( 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: )

[ The camera doesn’t show Hank’s face at first; it shows a little mermaid girl, one hand buried in his dog’s fur, looking back at him as she swims into the tunnel to the hopefully safe place underneath the palace. The girl seems reluctant. The dog doesn’t. Sumo’s always liked kids.

Hank takes a deep breath, clears his throat, and squints upward, muttering to himself. ]

Fucking seahorses. What kind of cartoon bullshit…

[ Then the guy he’s looking at throws a very real weapon from atop his very stupid seahorse, and Hank looks a little sick. He doesn’t move the camera to show it. That’s not what he’s here for. ]

Look, anyone try to sit these royal asses down and tell them to talk to each other like goddamn adults? Can anyone even find em in this fucking mess?

[ A sigh comes from the right and the camera pans to Shiro, black edged helmet held in one hand and brows furrowed. This isn’t going to be easy and he can already feel the headache coming. But it’s this or more people die. He faces the screen squarely. ]

We need to find out what each side wants out of this conflict. We can’t get them to talk if we can’t find their common ground. It’s going to be difficult, but we need as much help as we can to find them to figure that out.

[ Roy, in some weird mixture of exasperation and pursing his lips together to prevent from laughing at Hank’s “fucking seahorses” comment, clears his throat before he speaks, coming into view at Shiro’s right, arms crossed over his chest. ]

We’re assuming they want to be adults.

[ but now that that pointlessly cynical comment is out of the way, roy turns to business. ]

They seem to be centralized in the Palace of Wahine . . . or, at least, that’s where they will be, if the King continues to advance. They seem to be amenable to talking, at any rate. [ at least, given the Princess’ seizing of the network and begging for assistance from all of them. ] The worst that could happen is they refuse to come to the table . . . so any information anyone has managed to collect about the Queen, the King, or the Princess would be appreciated, particularly in regards to motivations and who would rule this place once we leave.

[ and Roy, who pauses, turns to Hank with a sudden seriousness: ]

Do you think the seahorses go to the victor of the battle, or are they up for the taking as compensation for doing their work for them?

[ Hank takes a second to switch into bullshit mode but after that second he raises his eyebrows, answering dryly. ]

I think the seahorses are forming a union as we speak, there’s no way we’ll be able to afford em.

[ Then he looks back at the camera. ]

Come on, guys. Anyone here got experience talking morons out of stupid shit? The sooner we fix this the sooner people stop dying, so uh. Let’s put our heads together or… whatever stupid pep talk BS you wanna hear, I don’t know. Let’s just stop chasing after all this weirdo bullshit and figure out how to fix whatever the fuck it is we came here to fix, okay?

(OOC: This is meant to function as a party post sort of thing, a way for characters to share information they get from their questions, figure out strategy, argue over who’s going to deliver the final offer, etc. Answer each other’s comments, threadjack, go wild. Team Negotiation is go, y’all.)

Excuse me.

[Underwater adventures and magic powers might be way out of Hope’s wheelhouse, but she has at least figured out how to use the watch fairly quickly. She seems slightly nervous, but swallows and rallies herself.]

Where is that man we saw when we first got here? Katha....[She trails off, eyes drifting as she fails to remember the name.] He acted like he knew what we had to do. He said we’d meet him again. Maybe he can help us.

And - how do we contact Astoria? Can’t she help, too? [The girl shakes her head, grimacing.] I don’t know what else to do.

[Wash has not given up on the network, even though it's been down for weeks. He's been testing it every day with a simple message - looks like it's actually gone through today. Kind of.]

-sting
pl---- respond

[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.

( if the name mako means anything to you, you might be naturally interested in a video shown under his name. however! if you know what he looks like, you'll be surprised to see a man on screen who's ... just a little bit off. definitely made in mako's image — his brows are drawn on with a comical arch, his hair in cool guy disarray, a red scarf bedecking his neck in the model of utter fashion. he maintains a pose of graceful badassery, chin pointed upwards, mouth set in a pout as if he's never had any amount of satisfaction in his entire life. it's. pretty obvious this man isn't mako. even with all the showy antics, this is clearly a parody of itself.

from off screen, there comes korra's voice, although she's putting her best announcer affliction to it, deep and dramatic. )

Have you ever wondered to yourself ... where can I go, to find the perfect man? ( showy gestures!! "mako" huffs, entirely put upon. ) Well, look no further! He's here, he's single, and he's waiting for you to make a move. Hey, you — handsome thing! Why don't you tell us all a little something about yourself.

( dramatically, he turns his head away, hand moving up to sift through his tousled black locks. )

I'm Mako. I'm so cool, but I also have a secret soft side. ( hand dramatically on his chest. ) I've always been married to justice, but sometimes Lady Law isn't quite enough to fill the void inside. ( 'Mako's' eyes flicker with feigned vulnerability. ) I'm looking for that one special person in my life.

That's right! You heard it here, folks. He's smart, he's pretty, he's ... uhhhhh. ( floundering, "mako" leans out of frame just to whisper, 'tell them i'm beefy!' ) Uh! Yes. He's so beefy.

( the frames changes to the upside down image of the avatar herself, half cut off and uneasily close to the screen. )

All applicants contact Korra or Bolin or respond here and not Mako directly, thanks, bye!

[The video opens to Keith’s face -- for those who know him, there are certainly obvious changes. He looks older, and a noticeable scar streaks across one cheek. His lips press into a line as he fiddles with his watch, and the video widens out to show that he’s in one of the rooms in the hostel, and that he is not alone.

Shiro is beside him and he too looks different. An unfamiliar arm more like the androids of the city’s own limbs replaces his old prosthetic. From the way his fabric of his white shirt rests on his shoulder more of his flesh and blood body is missing. He glances at Keith, white eyebrows furrowing. In fact, all of his hair is white.

Keith glances to Shiro for a wordless moment before he looks back to the video feed.]

We have a question.

[May as well jump straight to it. Keith continues,]

A few nights ago, something happened. To me, and to Shiro. We went to sleep and woke up… different, from a dream that definitely wasn’t just a dream.

[A quick glance to Shiro, as if waiting for him to add,]

We woke up looking different and we slept a lot longer than usual according to the alarms on my watch. Memories started to drift into my mind once I was awake. It felt..very surreal until I saw how different I looked. Then I knew it wasn’t a dream. The memories continued to come to me throughout the day.

[He casts a glance at Keith, waiting for him to chime in and make their point.]

In one night we went through… years. This has to have something to do with the Witch and how she grabbed us all from our worlds to begin with.

[Keith pauses for a moment, trying to keep his tone measured. He’s better at it than he used to be, even if he’s really agitated over the whole thing.]

Has this happened to anyone else? Did the Witch… did Astoria say anything about it, if it did?

[Shiro sets his hand on Keith’s shoulder, lightly squeezing it.]

If this has happened to others...that will confirm this might be tied to her.

Hello, everyone! It's your favorite displaced idol, Rion Kugayama here, with a very important announcement!

[ Rion's sure going strong today, completely beaming and enthusiastic, like she's used to presenting herself to an audience (she is). ]

Aaaaand that message is that a shocking amount of you have no idea what an idol actually is. Or have the wrong idea entirely. So--!

Idols are performers, and they're a pretty big thing back home! It's largely about singing and dancing for the public, but there are times when acting or modeling are involved, too. We wear a lot of hats, but it's all important work, and if you think it sounds lame--

We'll have a nice little chat after this announcement, okay? ♥

Anyway, there's one more part that I need to mention, because while people perform for a lot of different reasons... true idols are there to bring dreams and hope to people. They're there to make the bad days a little brighter, and to make you smile.

[ Rion sobers for a moment, smile taking on a gentler slant. ]

I haven't really had a chance to talk to everyone after we got back from El Minha, so if you're feeling down or tired, just let me know. No better way to explain what an idol is than to demonstrate, right? I'd be happy to do my job and sing you a song, free of charge the first time around! You'll just have to excuse the whole lack of background music thing, since a certain Astoria-san didn't give me any place to charge my Xiphone...

[ SIGH. But! She's back to full energy again, flashing her invisible audience a wink. ]

That about sums it up! If you have any questions, you know where to find me! I look forward to having you all as fans one day!

[ humbleness, what's that. ]

Ah, yes, hello. This is your local doctor slash surgeon, Ryan Dalias, with an important reminder. You're in a new place, there are all sorts of interesting new people to meet and things to do. But remember, all humanoid species are not the same, and differing biology may not be apparent on the surface. Before interacting...intimately with the local populace, take appropriate prophylactic precautions. Just because you appear biocompatible doesn't mean you have the same immunities, resistances, and biome.

And when you don't bother with any of that, I am a doctor, so just contact me and we'll get that cleared up. I'm also available to treat more standard ailments and injuries.

So, asking for a friend: let's say someone was a falsely accused war criminal wanted on an intergalactic level back at home. Would he have any reason to worry about showing his face here?

[ the feed opens to julius in the garden, standing beneath a fruit tree - a young man in his early twenties, with blond hair and clear golden eyes. he looks a tad tired, with dark shadows under his eyes - but for those who knew him from before, he appears to be in better condition than they last saw him.

notably, he wasn't at the icebreaker. but - those are minor details. ]

Hello, everyone. My name is Julius.

[ he gestures to the greenery behind him with a sweep of his hand, a slight smile tugging at his lips ]

I'm interested in developing the garden - we may need to upkeep it ourselves in the future, and I would imagine the relevant skills would be necessary in other worlds for ensuring a consistent food supply. However, I don't have much knowledge on cultivation myself. If we work together, we'll have a better chance at succeeding.

[ his expression settles back into its usual quiet seriousness now, as appropriate for something more dangerous ]

I was a soldier back home, and I used to teach drills to my teammates. In the interest of keeping our skills sharp, I would also like to propose some sparring sessions and other exercises.

[ a pause, before: ]

If you're interested in either of these, please let me know. I look forward to working with everyone here.

Due to Chelseamod's ineptness with Dreamwidth communities, the tag post is now awkwardly floating around amongst your entries.

VIEW IT, IN ALL OF ITS GLORY.

[Keith spent a long time debating whether to bother with video for this or just go with text. But the truth is, for what he's aiming for, it's better to do this virtual-face to virtual-face. Or something. He's even done bothering with the frankly ridiculous mask. For now.

The video opens to a fairly normal looking teenager (aside from the fact that what's visible of him is definitely dressed in a skin-tight vaguely glowy futuristic space suit), hesitating a moment like he's still debating on how to begin.]

So. Uh.

[Good start, Keith. Solid.]

I guess all of us are stuck in the same boat whether we want to be or not. And apparently that boat is headed for some other world before we know it.

I'll be honest. I don't know if we can trust this Astoria as far as we can throw her. [And he knows she can hear this, but he's said as much to her face, so there's that.] But for now I guess I plan on going along to see how things play out. [Which after discussing with Shiro, he feels pretty okay about, as plans go.]

But... just waltzing into other worlds, and potentially meddling in them... that could go bad really quickly if someone makes an enemy of the wrong person. If that happens, it might not be a terrible idea to know what we've got on our side.

Not just magic either. Because... that's really new to me at least. But we all bring some experience or skills or knowledge or something to the table, right? If we're gonna be any sort of team, we may as well know our strengths. And what we might be lacking.

[Maybe? Keith is now wondering if it was a bad idea to give him a way to talk to so many people at once. But he's committed now, no help for it. So he'll even go first.]

I'm Keith. Uh... I guess I'm pretty good with a sword. Pretty good in anything that flies. And I'm mostly used to being in space, lately. But it does't sound like that'll be helpful in this El Minha place. Also apparently I can fly now. So... there's that.

Anyone else feel like sharing?


(( hit him up, hit each other up, threadjack as you like! ))

[What's shakin', fellow Circle members? Are y'all getting used to the temple? Raiding the kitchen? Checking out the forest? Venting some of that I've-been-kidnapped-by-an-interdimensional-witch-possibly-for-the-n'th-time steam in the sparring ring? Regardless, you are getting a brief video message:]

Hiii, everyone! I'm setting up a game in the big room next to the kitchen, so come play if you want!

[If you choose to investigate, you'll find that there's a collection of bottles, pencils, silverware, etc.-- anything Keiichi could get his hands on that's small, semi-pointed and that can theoretically spin-- laid out in the middle of the room. And, all around the room, there have been several questions written neatly in chalk on the stone walls. When Keiichi sees you, you'll get the spiel (or, if you're lucky enough that he's distracted, the "rules" are written higher up on one wall for anyone he missed).]

Oh! Hi! Did you want to play? It's an icebreaker game! You take one of the spinners-- I did the best I could, haha!-- and pair up with someone or get in a group, sit down and take turns spinning! Whatever question the spinner's pointing at, you answer! Or you could just all answer each question, it doesn't matter! The point is just to meet the other people we're going to be living with here and have fun! Oh! And, don't worry! I'm going to clean up all the chalk when everyone's done! Have fun, okay?!

( questions under the cut! )

[So! What'll it be, Circle? Do you grump at the mass text? Walk right on through? Actually sit down and play an icebreaker game with all these perfect strangers? (Intend to walk on through and then get roped into playing by the host?!?) Sneakily add some extra, more interesting questions to the wall while Keiichi's not looking? Up to you! Play in groups, play in pairs, refuse to play at all, DO AS YOU WILL. ALSO here's a RNG if you wanna go that way instead of picking questions yourself.]

[ there is a sudden sparking that emits from your magical watches and a hologram appears, showing a petit woman with dark hair. her eyes seem to hold a certain amount of mischief and light, and when she speaks, you listen. it's something about her; you are captivated by her presence, and you can't help but give her your attention. ]

Hello, hello, hello~! ♥

[ it's a trill of a voice, light and airy. ]

I know you've all just arrived~♥ but I wanted to introduce myself! To those who haven't met me, my name is Astoria! I know many of you are likely unhappy with being found here, and I understand. But the need is urgent, and dire, and I am in desperate need of your help, as is the universe in which we reside. There is much darkness, in this universe . . . plenty of worlds on the brink of collapse, or at the precipice of something great. It is my job -- our job -- to help where needed. Like superheroes, but a little less flashy!

[ she pauses. ]

No offense to the superheroes. -- but anyway! I want to let you know were we're going to go first.

[ she takes in a D E E P breath!! ]

There is a city, by the name of El Minha. It's beautiful, an oasis in the desert. There are many shops and stalls and the entire city is bustling, but El Minha is facing a difficult path. Transitions of power are hard, you know? And they have a new King, who is . . . probably nice, but the people there are suffering. Crime is at an all-time high, and King Kathashun can only do so much . . . if he's doing anything at all.

[ she brushes a loose piece of hair behind her ear, and astoria smiles a little. it is obvious, by now, that she's definitely bubbly and full of spirit, but she is deadly serious about her mission. ]

I truly believe that we have the ability to help those who need it most, and those people are in desperate need. So we're going to go there, explore, and talk to them! And maybe, just maybe, we can affect some good in this world, and change the tide for the better for these poor people.

[ she pauses. ]

So that's where we're going first! But before that, I'm here to greet you, to support you, and welcome you to my beautiful Temple. Please, please, please make yourselves at home! I'll be here if you have any questions. ♥

[ astoria pauses before lifting up a single finger, as if she's forgotten something important. ]

Oh, and please let me know if you find anything interesting or important or otherwise peculiar in the Temple! The Forest of the Fey is a magical place, and I'm keeping a careful eye on all of you explorers to make sure you don't get too lost, but my dear friends within the forest may like playing with you all, so be respectful of the wildlife! It may fight back. ♥

[ is she serious? the world may never know. ]