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( 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!

Hello? Can everyone hear me? Connor, are you sure everyone can hear me? Positive? ... Alright.

[Konoha clears her throat rather loudly, holding her watch-thing very close to her mouth by the sound of things.]

Hello! This is Konoha... some of you know me, and some of you maybe don't yet, but um, I'm the... well in my world we say jinba but I'm the centaur. The... brown one? The girl one? Mikuni is the man, even if he looks beautiful!

And anyway, what I wanted to tell everyone was that... I can make food. I say "make" but I'm not really sure, it just... appears, so, I can... "summon" food? "Create" food. It's definitely not me, my world doesn't have stuff like this, but I guess the witch gave it to me and it is useful, so-

[A cough interrupts her, but she keeps going after a moment.]

I just thought everyone should know in case we end up somewhere like the metal world again. Or if you just want to eat something in particular we don't have here? I can't make things I don't know about... and it doesn't come cooked or anything, just for your information! Some people are... pretty sick and I want to help, so-

And also, apparently people have been posting really important things on this for a while now and I didn't see them, but I'll try to check better from now on, promise! Akira and Connor taught me some things, so. You can use this to contact me now!

So... thanks? Good... bye? Connor, which one is bet- oops.

[ Right... The watch thing can function as a phone, is what Minato had been told, though it's been largely silence on his wrist and he hardly ever bothers with it. The lack of correspondence is normal and is fine with him, but it's times like this where he thinks it useful for reaching out to people, both who he's talked to and not. ]

Just wondering... Does anybody have a dog, or knows how to take care of dogs? Or know if it's okay for a dog to eat nothing but curry for a week...

[ The answer to his last question is obviously a "no," but it leads to the question he's implying but doesn't really want to admit. AKA he has no idea what to feed a dog, as he was the one in charge of taking his out for a walk but not of meals, and it's since dawned on him that a strict diet of curry isn't the best for either people or dogs.


For those who'd rather speak in person, Minato will most likely be found in his room, laying flat on his back on his bed, Koromaru flopped over on his stomach. Both of them seem listless— the usual, for Minato, but quite unusual for the dog who'd be the first to jump to his feet to greet you at the door. ]

I figured it might distract us a bit with the sickness being passed around...I'm sure others have asked this before me, but I was wondering if any of you had powers before showing up that still feel weird not having? Or if you're feeling generous, what was your world like?

I'll go first to break the ice! I got my powers only this year, well...this year back home (Class of 1997!) but you sort of get used to them being there with you...my friends and I were able to summon our alternate selves to aid us to fight battles. Philemon called them the 'gods and demons we harbored'. They were big and flashy and we could use all sort of spells with them like we were characters in an RPG game. I'm sure a Nervundi or a Patra could have helped us a bit for the sickness affecting us right now...

It does feel weird when everything is so quiet in your mind, like a part of me is on hold right now.

Oh, and to make things more interesting, what item from home did you end up with? I'm curious (unless it's super personal, I understand that). Mine is just my submachine gun, which we took from the police station!

[A few minutes later;]

Just to let you know that the police station was overtaken by demons, so we didn't really steal them as much as borrow weapons to defend ourselves.

Since we’re all feeling a little under the weather this month, I thought of a way we could still have fun while we’re rotting away in our beds from boredom: a choose-your-own-adventure game.

I understand that this might be a new concept for some of you, so I’ll explain how the game works before we get started. I’ll give you a single prompt to start with. Your job is to reply to my prompt and wait for more information from me. I’ll then give you another prompt based on what actions you took in your response… in other words, it’s a bit like collaborative storytelling. However, only one writer can establish the setting, and that’s me.

Got it?

Now… let’s begin.

Weary traveler! The spooky, demon castle that you had set out for when you started your journey to slay its lord months ago is upon you. It rests atop high cliffs, its darkened towers and turrets looming over the forest surrounding it. It appears to be guarded only by a drawbridge. But be careful! It hovers above treacherous waters. Try not to fall in.

How do you wish to proceed?

>_

[ Yugi has spend a few days trying to figure this whole scenario out. While he's used to random acts of magical abduction (or body-snatching, if you will), this was something entirely different. He decided to make some outreach to those who have been here longer, or maybe someone who could better answer this questions: ]

i realize this may be slightly familiar. new people always have the most questions, right? i am a little concerned about the..magical part of this? that may be a little too broad...

[ Yugi didn't post anything after that for a bit, before finally editing what he had originally put.. ]

i'm sorry. i wanted to ask how do we understand these...powers? but also, what is the point of bringing us here. i would like to see if anyone is...well, if they are have spoken to astoria?

[ Yugi has some concerns as he just had to deal with a magical group of kids who could mess with time and space...]

A riddle for everyone: "what's something you can show, but can't see?"

Think of it as a distraction from whatever that's going around, so take your time. I don't expect an answer right away. [Because there isn't just one correct answer.]

Soooo how's everyone feeling?

[THIS MESSAGE HAS A PURPOSE HE SWEARS]

Serious question, by the way. I talked to Astoria as soon as we got back, and she was pretty worried about the way I. . . felt to her?

[GOD PUTTING IT THAT WAY SOUND WEIRD]

She said that I brought something back with me from Struxta. Something dark, evil, heavy. . . wrong? I don't know about you guys but absolutely none of that is confidence inspiring. Wonder why.

[AHA]

She also told me that the wilting plants around the temple aren't normal. "Everything here seems to be just here. Present, alive, blooming," is what she said, word for word. She's never seen anything here die before.

[. . .]

I don't really know what she's talking about, especially because I feel just fine. I don't think she does yet either, though I imagine she's going to investigate. Just be careful, all right? And if you notice anything off about yourself, let me or someone else know.






Because if we all came back possessed by space demons or infected by robot tuberculosis I'm gonna be pretty pissed.

Hey everyone! I’m Ann Takamaki, for those I haven’t had the chance to meet yet. So before heading off to Struxta, Jing and I got talking about how rough it can be for new arrivals here, and we figured we couldn’t be the only ones who thought there had to be something we could do to make their lives a little easier. Some of you have probably thought about it too, right?

Since so many people here have been very friendly and welcoming and willing to help one another, Ann and I thought we might present this idea to everyone. It seems especially important now that new people are arriving once more.

[Those interested in helping their future fellow Circle members, stay tuned!]

We noticed that a lot of people turn up here without much more than the clothes on their back… the temple provides most of the bare necessities, but showing up here at all is still pretty disorienting. The lantern festival really went a long way in helping to further a sense of community, and it was a pretty warm welcome for our newest Circle members.

We also felt it would be useful for us to do a little more advanced preparation along those same lines in the future as well.

And not just the fun stuff, but the practical stuff, too! Obviously, we’ll need a name. ‘Welcome Committee’ is nice and straightforward, but it’s a little boring, don’t you think? Maybe ‘Full Circle,’ or— oh, how about ‘Salutation Squad?’

[Please don’t let Ann name this group. If Jing has any objections to Ann’s rather creative suggestions, it’s not at all evident in her tone of voice; she actually seems rather amused by it, so if anyone else wants to be the voice of reason, please speak up.]

...In addition, we hope to provide a central place for everyone in the Circle, but especially our newcomers, to access supplies - mainly basic items such as changes of clothes, soap, and other things required for hygiene. Hopefully as we make this place more our home for the moment, we can also build up other resources as well, such as more advanced medical supplies or electronic items.

So, what do we need from you guys? Easy! Volunteers to help show people around and get them settled, and people to gather supplies both here and in the worlds we end up visiting. If you have an ability or some other practical skills that could be used to make or fix things, that would be great, too. Any powers that people have gotten from Astoria-san could definitely prove useful in some cases, but you don’t have to be superpowered to be able to help! The little things will really add up, and make all the difference to people who turn up and find themselves feeling out of place.

Now, as for welcoming our newest members...

Obviously, we can’t have a lantern festival every time we come back from another world, but we were thinking we could do some kind of gathering to help people feel welcome when they do show up. Maybe we could all get together and have a potluck dinner? Let us know if you guys have any ideas, too, and talk to each other! We’d really love to hear from everyone.

[Ann and Jing out.]

[[ OOC Note: Please feel free to mingle and tag around to others below! There are IC comment headers below for: welcome packages, committee volunteers, general requests and party planning. Of course, the actual party will have to be pushed back due to the illness plot, but at least the groundwork will be laid! Hopefully we can all still pull something together before the next world jump… ]]

[the video starts of as nothing but static and white noise, a few seconds of black and white chaos that seems like nothing. but then a voice, distant at first, cuts through]

-- ing on? Helloooooo. . .

[a few moments later an image flickers into view along with the audio, although it's grainy and of poor quality. but everyone can see Akira front and center! he seems to be somewhere dark, judging by the poor lighting, and he's seated on the ground with a metal wall (???) behind him]

Oh, perfect. Stay that way for about five minutes? Cool, thanks.

[is he talking to his watch? anyway]

Remember that underground Connor-san was talking about a few days ago? Fooooound it.

[he gives a two-fingered salute as to emphasize his point]

If anyone wants to come tunnel camping with me, I'd appreciate it. It'll be fun. Probably? Probably. Bring food and water though; I haven't eaten or drank anything all day. Maybe also bring tools and explosives and other things that can break through thick metal walls?

[he angles the camera to show the wall against which is sits. it looks pretty sturdy, and it's clear what he's asking in so many words: please break me out of here]

That'd be pretty cool, too.

[somehow, he manages to sound so extremely blase about, um. being trapped in underground tunnels?? he pauses for a moment, as though thinking, before he perks up to speak again]

Oh, right. This place is huge. Probably about as big as the city itself. I wasn't able to wander too far in, but once we manage to break down the entrance, I think we should gather up a bunch of teams to come explore it. If we dive far enough, maybe we'll find something interesting.

[there's a pause as the video feed glitches out for a second or two, Akira's face replaced by more static, more white noise. but eventually he returns, brows furrowed as he flicks at his watch like he's trying to make the damn thing work]

Let me know if you need directions. You'll know you've found the place if you see two people-- [Ryuji and Ann, probably] -- standing outside a giant metal wall yelling at me for getting stuck.

[and that's when the feed cuts out entirely]

((a network post for this here! I don't plan on posting a tunnel exploration log, BUT once Akira's free you can totally handwave and/or thread out your characters exploring the tunnels and finding what's inside that post c: have fun everyone!))

Hey guys! I know we’re all busy right now with all the wild stuff you guys have managed to find out but wanted to get your opinion on something.

It’ll be real quick, I swear.

If I attempted to convince a citizen here to let me try out the Mass Subconscious thing out - Where does that land on the ‘good idea’ scale that ranges from one to ten?

( ooc; this post is connected to this little event of daylight's! if you have any concerns/questions/comments, please feel to leave them over at the top-level. o / )

Hello. For those of you I haven’t met, my name is Connor. And as many of you may be aware of, a handful of Circle members have devoted their time to researching and uncovering the endless amounts of data stored in the Library; I am one of them. To expedite the process, I connected directly to their servers, and though the experience was difficult, I did come away with workable data that might act as a lead to further investigate the state of Struxta. To those who aided me in coming back online afterwards: you have my gratitude. I’m in your debt, and if you ever need me to return the favor, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

I’m sending this message to summarize, to the best of my ability, the information made available to us through this research, as well as any data I’ve pieced together personally. I think it only makes sense for everyone here to be on “the same page” if we’re all meant to work together as a team. If you have any questions, or wish to discuss this information between yourselves, don’t hesitate to do so. Especially if you have something more to contribute, or if you believe I’ve missed something.

The research as a whole focused mostly on a few points of interest: what happened to organic life, the origins of AI in this world, and the nature of the Mass Subconscious.

( cut for a big ol' info dump )

((ooc; This post is quite obviously just one big general info dump for what was uncovered at the Library. The ooc info post can be found here, but this is an opportunity for your characters to ICly consider the implications of… all of this, and chatter amongst themselves! Feel free to use this post as a means of discussion if you like!))

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. ]

Hey guys! It's Daylight!

Hi!

I don’t want to cause any trouble and all but I’m getting hungry.

[ how about some background information. ]

Usually I don’t need to eat or sleep but since my eternal efficiency system is no longer working, I need to sleep and, soon enough, eat. I had reserves of arc fuel in me but they're depleted now so I am starting to feel hunger pangs.

Which is cool! First time I've felt them!

But also kind of worrying.

I guess what I’m trying to ask is if you have any recommendations for foods or drinks I can eat that won't muck up my systems? Meddy is already trying to figure out what I can have but it wouldn't hurt for them to get suggestions on where to start, you know?

From what I've gathered from the list Meddy has, its mostly made of liquids and considered mild-flavoured at best.

So yeah. Thanks for listening! Thanks for reading? I don't know how to end this but you know what I mean.

Seriously. Thanks if you can help me out on this.

[after the Syndicate and the King have sent their messages, the Circle's watches light up with a third unceremonious communication -- but hey, at least it's someone from their number this time. Vern's scowling, but his tone's even enough.]

Hey.

Astoria wants us to change things here, right? I submit that the best way to do that is to take advantage of what we are. I know a lot of us have been getting to know people and getting more involved with the city, but when it comes down to it, we're neutral outsiders. Sometimes you need those, in a place like this: people with clear eyes and no strong prior investment except maybe a general wish to not see the people of this city offing themselves.

I've got a proposal. I don't know all your powers and backgrounds, but I know we've got a pretty good range of skills and capabilities here. I think we'd do well to split ourselves up. Some of us can concentrate on mediating -- break up fights in the street, take care of those who get caught up, try to damp down things before they can blow up into fights in the first place.

And some of us go figure out what in the hells the truth is behind this. I think a lot of us figure this poor child's death was preplanned in some way -- I certainly overheard talk that pointed to that myself -- but we're not sure exactly what the angle is here. Are the Syndicate just trying to kill the King? Take control of the seat of power? Some of us have figured out that there's no obvious natural water sources that would support this city, and the King's got some sort of blessing -- if the King controls the water, is that the power that's being fought over, rather than the actual throne?

Let's find out, and then let's figure out a way to use that to calm everyone down. If that takes locking the Crown and the Syndicate leaders in a room until they kiss and make up, or some kind of public broadcast, let's make it happen.

If you're up for this, we can form groups and take objectives. I'm not a great organizer, but even I can figure out where you're most likely to be useful if you need help.

And if you'd rather do your own thing -- well, go ahead. I'm not your leader or your mother.

[...he pauses as something obviously distracts him, eyes going briefly unfocused behind his glasses, listening to something that can't be seen on the screen]

Ah, and the King's just told me not to trust the Guard, and to find someone named Jalin, and now he seems to be occupied and won't tell me any more. So that's an extra complication. Anyone recognize that name?

So, we've spent some time here in El Minha. Whether you want to keep out of the city's business or learn more about it, it would be to our benefit to discuss what we've learned as a group.

Before we start, I have a question for all of you. Have you seen any one here outside of The Circle using magic?

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?

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.]