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[Steve is restless and it shows. He's looking at the camera almost like he's waiting for it to jump out at him or he's challenging it in some way. While he's making an attempt to look friendly, he's also giving the network a far too serious amount of effort, like he's trying too hard at presenting what he has to say. Steve has a message and apparently it is An Important Issue.]

I'm starting a book club. If any of you have some things you'd like to share, I figure it can't hurt to get together and look at them as a group. If you're interested, let me know. I need the experience. Maybe some of you do too.

[ooc: While Steve says "book club" what he's really doing is creating meeting sessions for people to try new things using a book someone likes as a launching point. It's an interactive book club for trying new hobbies. Because Steve has to get his hands dirty at all times. If you're interested, I will make some book club related logs for sharing activities and messes as well.]

thestoriesarereal

[The video turns on with a very pensive looking Lucy.]

Okay so....I know it's a bit early to think about this--but, better to get a head start on this than to have it sneak up on you.

Does this place do anything for Halloween? Or for the month of October? I know it could be different in other worlds, but where I'm from there's trick-or-treating, people dressed up in costumes, and loads of candy.

There's also spooky and scary stuff, but I'm not really thinking about that.

[No, she's just thinking about the candy, and the costumes and the other fun things that can happen--but mainly it's the candy.

Oh, and movie marathons about wizards and witches.]

If anyone could let me know, that'll be great! Thanks!

whosthemonsternow

Does anyone wanna do some hardcore sparring?

And by that I mean; does anyone wanna spend a good week soaking a bruised up body after I toss you around a mat?

mistyday

[A video is posted on the network, Youtube-style with a young woman simply sitting at a table and talking to the camera. Judging from her surroundings, she's sitting in the dining area of one of the communal housing suites.]

Hey, y'all! I know there's a lot of you I haven't met yet, but my name's Misty. And this...

[She lifts up her hands from under the table to reveal a baby alligator, who at the moment is contentedly sleeping nestled in Misty's arms.]

This is Rhiannon. I've gotten a few questions about her, so I thought I'd clear some things up:

First of all, no, I did not steal her from the zoo. I'm a witch and she's my familiar, given to me by the River Guardians for getting through their maze of hell or whatever it's called. I helped her hatch and everything.

Two, she ain't gonna bite you, unless you do something stupid, like try to poke her. Like I don't know where some of y'all were raised but you think it'd be common sense not to go around messin' with alligators. [She shakes her head in disbelief. Some people.] Plus, you know, she's magic, so she's real smart and knows what's goin' on and will listen to me.

Three, I don't know how much bigger she's gonna get. I mean, normal gators can get to be like ten feet or so, but she's not exactly normal so who knows? Maybe I'll have to get some place for her out in the jungle or somethin' where she can be more at home, but we'll see.

[Truth be told, she'd rather not have to leave the communal housing, but she already loves this scaly girl more than anything, so whatever's best for her, she'll do.]

Point bein', you don't have to be scared of her or worry that I'm gonna abandon her in the sewer or some shit. I been around gators all my life and I wouldn't do anything to hurt her. If you got any more questions or just wanna meet her, I guess just leave a message on this video!

madeupnames

[The feed is mostly full of textbooks, the spines all turned enough that they're legible; it's math, chemistry, social studies, all the fun things nobody misses from high school. And on the right side of the screen is Peter, sitting with his cheek on his palm and his elbow pressed beside a blank page of paper. He looks kind of sleepy, like he'd just nod off if he didn't have the feed to focus on.]

So I've got this essay I need to write by tomorrow, and I'm having a hard time getting — personal, and all that. The prompt's asking about what inspires you, specifically. [He looks to read it word-for-word:] 'What motivates you in your day to day life?' And I mean, I've got a lot of motivations, but trying to put it to paper is giving me a wicked case of the fogbrain.

[He tucks his pen under his nose, holding it with his upper lip for a moment before letting it fall pitifully to the table. He sighs.]

What motivates you guys? Into doing what you do? What makes you put your shoes on in the morning, huh?

And don't just say 'to avoid stepping on pointy stuff barefoot'. That's a cheap and obvious answer—

[Peter startles violently as birthday music blares behind him, so much so that his pencil goes flying through the air and RIP's somewhere off-screen. Pam the pancake making robot seems to be flying onto the scene in the background with freshly made pancakes and festive lights blinking all over her.

A little lighter arm pops out, preparing to light a lone candle on the stack of flapjacks.

Peter mutters, mortified:]

...I thought I disabled Birthday Mode for repairs...

[He looks back at the robot with his hand pressed to his temple, and clears his throat.]

... Pam, uh. My - my birthday was two days ago. Two days. It's August 10th. And, uh, it's... it's the 12th now.

[Peter watches as the AI seems to try to process this, tapping his finger on the table and thinning his lips at the awkward silence. Pam's little plate-holding robo-arms lower slightly, the generic birthday MIDI file slowing to a depressive stop as the party-themed lights and lighter are shut off together. A pause of nothing. Then she turns and dejectedly wheels away into the community kitchen with her plate of pancakes.]

Wait, Pam — Aw, c’mon, I can still eat them! Hey—

[Peter drops his arms.

... Note to self, fix her internal clock...]

enveloped

[The video starts with a tall, bearded man wearing a tailored suit sitting on the edge of a very executive looking desk in an equally executive looking office.

He smiles before speaking in a low, steady voice, his arms by his sides. Purposely left uncrossed. No fidgeting. He's comfortable in front of a camera, but not without practice.]

To be forcibly removed from our homes, support networks, and everything we’ve ever known is no small matter. For some, the experience can be traumatic. You may struggle with day to day life, or find yourself feeling unsafe in your new home. Holding down a job or making connections with other people can feel difficult, or even impossible, when you're uncertain of your environment and place within it. Everyone copes differently.

Very few of us asked to be here, and it's necessary the city is prepared to deal with the very real problems experienced by its displaced citizens, and accommodate their needs as efficiently and empathetically as possible in order to create and maintain a happy, healthy society. My name is Cameron Waltz, I'm a negotiator and cultural mediator from Earth, and I've been appointed the role of public representative to present our needs to the city council, and ensure our voices are being heard.

I'm looking for feedback on how your life has changed for the better or the worse since your arrival. I'll start with a few questions, none of which you have to answer, but would be very helpful in solidifying the case I'm building.

Please answer as honestly as you're comfortable. Anonymous commentary is allowed on this post, and you're welcome to be as vague or as specific as you'd like, without fear of discrimination.

I greatly appreciate any and all responses. With your help, we can find the holes in the existing social services system and work together to close them.

Thank you for your time.

--text attachment

-Have you felt adequately supported by the city, and its representatives?

-Do you struggle mentally or emotionally with your expatriation on a day to day basis?

-Are there aspects of life in Riverview you find more difficult than others?

-If you’re a minor, or know a minor, have you found the social services offered adequate?

-Are you satisfied or dissatisfied in the career provided for you? Do you find yourself changing jobs often?

-Do you struggle to make ends meet?

-If there's any one thing the city could do to improve your life, what would it be?

satansniece

What's up, Riverview?

[The feed turns on and there's April in her boring office, at her boring job for the boring government, being so incredibly bored that she's actually decided to do some real work. Who knew? Unfortunately, she's done about all she can do that doesn't involve actually interacting with other people, so she begrudgingly takes to the network.]

I'm April, I'm new, and for whatever reason, I get to do this now. [She points the lens at a new looking placard that reads "Assistant Director of Cultural Development." As she pans back to her face, she's still rolling her eyes.] I guess it kind of makes sense since I did a lot of this stuff working for the parks department back in Indiana, but there wasn't exactly a ton of culture going on there beyond harvest festivals, cult meetings, and farmers markets, so I might need a little input here. [She pauses, seemingly deep in thought for a brief moment, spinning her chair around slowly.] I'd say if anything, I'd really like to carry over planning meetings for any cults that might be interested in our city services.

I guess since it's going to be my job to help organize events and holidays and stuff, they'll probably want me to have a good idea of what everyone actually wants to see happening around here. [She wrinkles her nose, displeased at the idea of having to actually care what it is that people want, let alone hear about it. Maybe the people here aren't as horrible as they are in Pawnee, but she isn't holding her breath.]

My personal favorite is Halloween, and I don't really see why we should wait to celebrate it considering we're in a different reality, so my first proposal would be impromptu trick-or-treating, light mischief, and maybe a pizza party followed by some casual grave robbing. I'm open to suggestions, though.

dancingmd

[Nine years. Nine years since she stepped back through the portal, nine years since she returned to the Enterprise, nine years that inevitably faded some of the memories of this place - but not everything. The faces she knows. Even if she forgets now where that cute little corner market was or what the hell half these gifs and memes mean anymore (if she ever understood in the first place) Beverly never forgets a coworker, a patient, a friend. And she left them all in such a hurry. The portal's connection to her time and place had been tenuous, she had to go then, or risk losing her chance to go home all together.

And now... now she's back, exhausted by the weight of war and the toll of death, new lines etched into her face. When the portal specialist told her it had only been a week since she'd left, she had to laugh. Of course. It seems this place isn't ready to let go of her.

Though not typically a frequenter of the network, it is the easiest and quickest way for her to contact multiple people at once. She doesn't want anyone (else - apologies to Lucretia) to be caught unawares by her sudden reappearance, so she leaves a quick video message:]

Good Morning. This is Dr. Beverly Crusher [of the USS Enterprise no more] reporting that I have returned to Riverview.

[For god's sake, woman, this isn't a mission log. She offers a smile - it's a little sad, but a smile nonetheless.]

I wanted to apologize to those I left without proper goodbyes. I hope you got my messages, at least. I'll be at my apartment for the rest of the day if anyone wants to stop by. Thank you.

citharede

[ It's three in the morning when she posts this video.

Here is Athena, hanging her head and part of her torso off the edge of her apartment building's roof and filming herself upside-down, the dark streets below outlined in streetlights and marked by the occasional pedestrian. ]

How do you do, fellow kids. [ She dangles one arm alongside her head, hanging on to her device one-handed. ] I'm super fucking bored which I didn't think would actually be physically possible on a moon in another universe, but anyway.

Who wants to go on a firefly hunt? Catch a bunch of the fuckers, turn them loose in a department store. Or an office building. Or a coffee shop. Anywhere we can get in easy and run away fast. [ She rolls over so she's filming herself against the backdrop of the night sky now, instead of the street. ]

Whoever catches the most wins something, whoever gets bit loses automatically and has to go jump in the river.

secretarialhand

[When the video feed turns on, it shows a pale young elven man with an extremely calm demeanor, sitting at a desk made of heavy, dark wood, and anyone who's been to Gramarye Magic Research will recognize that wallpaper. His hands are folded neatly in front of himself, and he's dressed in a simple blue tunic, pierced ears lifted, alert and attentive.

Lifting his chin slightly, he pins the camera with a serious expression.]

Our name is Csevet Aisava, and we have recently been placed in charge of administrative tasks at Gramarye Magic Research.

[A pause.]

It is clear that whoever preceded us in this position was far more invested in research than paperwork. We would like to request that any in the employ of the Research Center please turn in copies of all necessary receipts and reports since...

[Another pause, and he lifts a hand to shift a paper into better view.]

...January first.

They may be left at our desk, or submitted by mail or electronically.

[That last word sounds awkward, as if he's only said it a handful of times in his life and doesn't entirely understand what it means. Csevet hates not entirely understanding things, and there's an undercurrent of that as well, his ears pulling back against his head a little.]

Our thanks.

partiallysquirrelblood

[The video starts, showing a young woman with a bright bucktoothed grin, wearing a squirrel ear headband. There's a squirrel in a pink bow riding on her shoulder.]

Hey there Riverview. I'm Doreen Green. Also the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. Normally, there's kind of a whole secret identity deal? But between showing up in costume and all the scans it...didn't seem really like it would work out here.

This is Tippy-Toe [The squirrel hops off Doreen's shoulder so the camera can get a better look at her.] She's my best squirrel friend and also the most awesome squirrel on this or any other planet. This is absolutely true, and I won't hear anyone say otherwise.

...well technically I will, since it's not like I'll suddenly go deaf if someone does say otherwise. I'm just going to ignore them.

honeybadgerer

[ the feed opens up to a girl dressed in a bright tshirt and smiling broadly at her audience, waving her hand enthusiastically. there are prominent scar marks on her face. ]

Hi Riverview! My name's Gabby and I'm new here! I was in New York before. The one with the superheroes. And now I'm here! Unfortunately, I think I lost all my stuff? And my caseworker kind of freaked out when I gave her the list, so maybe you guys can help me!

I'm missing my MAC-10 machine pistols, nunchucks and knuckle busters. Anyone knows where to get those? Oh, and a proper bullet proof suit.

Thanks!

hylights

[The video opens on Zelda sitting in her office at Gramarye. She smiles once the video begins, a little subdued.]

Hello. I hope everyone's faring better after the events of a couple of months ago.

[She considers saying more, only to shake her head slightly. Best to let terrible memories lie. Besides, that's not the point of this broadcast.]

This is going to sound like a strange question, I'm sure. But I was wondering if anyone had advice on what sort of things are useful to buy when moving into a new home? I'm looking at apartments at the moment... they have furniture in them, but I'm not sure what else usually goes into a living space, especially here in Riverview.

[There are just a lot of gadgets that seem useful. And fascinating. But how many of them are practical? That's the real question. After a moment, Zelda has to smother an awkward laugh.]

It's probably obvious that I haven't done this before. [She looks down for a moment before holding up a magazine, folded open to a page advertising a dehumidifier.] And... I’m interested in how these work, but how necessary are they? How humid can a home really be?

mutant_messiah

[Cable's device cuts on to show him reclined in a chair on the beach. He looks to the camera.]

I'll be out here when I'm not working to help with clean-up and winding down. Come say hi.

[Text; Filtered from citizens known to be under the age of 18]

Clothing optional. Let me know which one you prefer.

devilstongue

[The camera clicks on, and is a little wonky and dark for a moment until a lavender hand corrects it to face the right way. An old dark-wood table comes to view, covered in dripping candles and shiny knick-knacks, and the room is covered in tapestries and drapery, like someone tumbled through a fabric shop and grabbed anything pretty or vaguely mystical.

You can almost smell the incense through the camera.

On the other side of the table is your friendly neighbourhood circus man, dressed about as colorful as the room and smiling coyly as he looks into the camera. (Or at least he fucking hopes he is, stupid modern technology.) Those solid red eyes reflect some of the candlelight, and the baubles and jewelry he wears glimmer as well - all to draw attention and make him look even more devilish.]

Good evening, gentlepeople of Riverview! I hope you are having a lovely time, working together in this little sanctum of ours until we find our way home.

I am Mollymauk Tealeaf, a not-so humble entertainer, here to bring you mystery and magic to your life!

[Leaning back, he flicks his hand and a fan of cards appear in it, the backs decorated with moons and suns. It looks old and expensive, and very well-used.]

Have you felt lost in this place? Uncertain were your life will take you after appearing here? Looking for guidance and signs on how to proceed?

[He sets the cards on the table, making a gesture with some quick sleight of hand to turn one up. It's a very intricately and finely drawn star.]

The cards are always here help you. Past, present and future lies in them, and at Cards of Curiosity, they can answer your questions.

[There's a bit of a movement again, and the cards all have turned over, showing different faces - a serpent, a sun, a tower. Molly smiles again - all fangs, this time. Some people liked a little goosebumps with their entertainment, and he knows how to work his lineage to his advantage.]

Come visit me as I interpret the mystique of the cards. For answers, for guidance or simply just for fun, I promise you an experience like never before!

[Insert Street Here], at the corner. Let your quest for answers lead you there!

[A little wave, and the camera turns off. Molly leans back against the beanbag and exhales. Things were easier in person, but hey. Baby's first commercial.]

shoplifter

[Laura has not really been on the network much, since the kidnappings had happened. She had been scarce in general; just because she was held captive all her life, after all, did not make it any easier to be thrust back into that terrible sort of world. But now she's back and has at least had some time to try and heal from those nasty little metaphoricalwounds, chewing on her pencil thoughtfully before lowering it and smiling a little from where she sits at a table in the community housing..]

I am twelve now... I have never had a birthday before, so I am not sure what to do other than to say so; since I have been here for a year now, I have decided that August is my birth month.

[She grins a bit, rather impish.]

And since I do not have the exact day, I guess every day in August will have to be my birthday. Gracias.

[LAURA NO—

Oh, the feed ended on that note.

Guess August is National Laura Month, so sorry.]

mysophobic

[ The video will be spanning over a table set inside Shigeru's house. There's lots of different types of food and beverages lining said table as Shigeru finally shows up in the feed. He'll give a little wave as his half spider half snake wraps itself around his shoulders to get a peak at what its owner is doing. ]

I was wondering if...anyone would like some cooking lessons? I'm offering them free of charge! And, um, I guess if anyone wants to help me learn how to cook different foods from their worlds that would be decent enough payment! If it's more than one person maybe we could do a class, or something like that. Unless people rather have one on one lessons then that's fine too!

[ Shigeru please you are too pure. But his happy expression turns a bit somber as he asks his next question. ]

Also does anyone know anything about curses? Or perhaps being possessed?

[ He looks a little unsure as he fiddles with his gloves and then the LED bracelet on his wrist as he pauses. There's red specks of blood on his gloves even now, but it's not as bad as they used to be. Still he'll smile again as he huffs a little, shaking his head. ]

I guess I have a few questions is all. But that's bit somber, isn't it? What's your favorite dessert from your world or that you tried here? [ Trying for some levity despite the last thing he asked. He's so not good at this sort of thing forgive him!! ]

thisisamazing

[When the video starts up, it's a little shaky, jostling as if the person behind the camera is trying to get situated. Eventually it evens out, and focuses on a creature a few yards away - about the size of a large cat, with the head of a chameleon and bulbous eyes, long body flocked in short, vibrant orange fur, a curled tail and four grasping little hands like a monkey. It has all four of those weird little 'hands' curled around a fallen stick, where it perches on the makeshift log in a field of tall grass, occasionally fluttering the set of dragonfly-like wings on its back.

Hiccup's soft voice comes from behind the camera.] And this seems to be the natural habitat of the furred chameleon. It prefers tall grasses to hide from predators, although the bright colors make me think it might be venomous also. It's, uh, it's kind of the opposite of camouflage out here, so-

[As the furred chameleon opens its mouth, long tongue shooting out like a frog's to catch a colorful beetle buzzing by, the camera jostles again. A black shape blurs onto the screen, leaping into the stalks of tall grass and rolling joyfully.] Wait, Toothless-!

[The furred chameleon lets out an indignant trill and flies off. All that's left on screen is a delighted looking Night Fury, rolling around on his back like a cat in the grass, flattening a good sized patch of it. Dryly, Hiccup continues,] Well, there goes my biology extra credit. Is that- is that dragon-nip? Ah, we're gonna be here a while, huh, bud?

goblinemperor

[ Maia is unfamiliar with advanced technology, so he checks and double-checks and triple-checks to make sure the message he is posting will not bear his name, before he asks: ]

What would you do with your freedom, if you had it for the first time in your life and never learned how to use it?

[ The question is awkwardly phrased, true, but he really is pretty desperate for advice. One way and another, he's been pent up and under supervision since he was born, and now he doesn't really know how else to be. ]

bardish

WARNING DO NOT BUY USED FURNITURE OFF THE NETWORK!! Some of the sellers here are VERY unscrupulous! I am now the proud owner of:

- 1 cursed endtable (IT KEEPS INSULTING MY MOTHER WHEN I'M TRYING TO SLEEP??)

- 1 set of drawers that was housing a colony of space termites

- 1 mattress that is stained with either blood or cranberry juice or chocolate i'm not sure which. maybe all 3? now i have to sleep on a futon like i'm 19 yrs old again and it's KILLING my back

Anyway is anyone in the market for some gently used furniture?

[ jk jk he's not a big enough to dick to unload this NIGHTMARE FURNITURE onto anybody else. ]

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